What is the difference between sata DVD writer and pata DVD writer?

Differences between PATA and SATA hardrive are most visible in regards to the cables. A PATA hard drive has what is called a ribbon cable which is kind of big compared to the small SATA cable. The PATA ribbon cable has 40 pins that connect to the hard drive and/or motherboard whereas the SATA cable only has 7 pins allowing for the computer as a whole to be much cooler due to more empty space inside it for air to flow more freely. Also, I believe that the SATA drives are faster than IDE or PATA, especially if it is a SATA III which can transfer at speeds up to 6 gbs/per second.