Here's the list of cables and accessories that should come with that motherboard... "1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable 1 x FDD cable 4 x Serial ATA cables 1 x 2-port Serial ATA power cable 1 x e SATA / 1394 bracket 3 in 1 Q-connector ASUS Q-Shield User's manual" And yes the SATA conn's are important if you want better effeciancy of your HDD's and DVD/CD Rom's etc. "SATA is a 'wire replacement' for the older AT Attachment standard (ATA). Serial ATA host-adapters and devices communicate via a high-speed serial cable. SATA offers several compelling advantages over the older parallel ATA interface: reduced cable-bulk and cost (8 pins vs 40 pins), faster and more efficient data transfer, and the ability to remove or add devices while operating (hot swapping)."