What is eSATA?
External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or eSATA is an external interface for SATA technologies. It competes with FireWire 400 and universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 to provide fast data transfer speeds for external storage devices. SATA replaced ATA legacy technology as the next generation internal bus interface for hard drives. The SATA interface is more streamlined than ATA and provides serial architecture for greater speed than the older parallel technology. SATA cables are narrow and can be up to three feet (1 meter) in length, whereas parallel cables are much wider and limited to a length of 18 inches (45.7 cm). With eSATA, the speed of SATA expands to encompass exterior storage solutions. While eSATA reaches transfer rates triple those of USB 2.0 and FireWire 400, it does have one drawback. eSATA requires its own power connector, unlike the aforementioned interfaces. However, it is an excellent choice for external disk storage. Unlike USB and FireWire interfaces, eSATA does n
SATA replaced ATA legacy technology as the next generation internal bus interface for hard drives. The SATA interface is more streamlined than ATA and provides serial architecture for greater speed than the older parallel technology. SATA cables are narrow and can be up to six feet (2 meters) in length, whereas parallel cables are much wider and limited to a length of 18 inches (45.7 cm). With eSATA, the speed of SATA expands to encompass exterior storage solutions.
External SATA (eSATA) is the latest technology in external hard drives and provides data transfer rates significantly faster than USB or FireWire 400. Unlike USB and FireWire interfaces, eSATA does not have to translate data between the interface and the computer. This enhances data transfer speeds, while saving computer processor resources. eSATA does have one drawback – it requires its own power connector, unlike the other interfaces. However, many eSATA 2.5″ drives can use a USB port for power, while using the eSATA connection for data. For desktop or laptop computers that don’t have an eSATA connector, you can easily add a PCI, PCMCIA, Express card, or PCI Express card to your computer to provide an eSATA interface. Feel free to visit our eBay Store for a wide range of 2.5″ and 3.5″ external portable USB, FireWire, and eSATA hard drives.
