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,
Not totally correct !
There are some add on eSata Cards that can provide power to the eSata
hard drive housing
( I have one )
instead of using a plug pack .
Bob
unlike the aforementioned interfaces. However, it is an excellent
choice for external disk storage. 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 and eliminating the need
for an extra off-load chip."
Bear in mind, though, that eSata will only be a little faster than
FW800 (which current MBP's have built in), so you may want to
consider whether the price of the additional card is worth it when
compared to a FW800 drive if you have a FW800 capable MBP.
Barefeats have some useful reports on speed comparisons of the
different interfaces -see, for example, <http://www.barefeats.com/
rosa06.html>
eSATA - Tempo SATA Expresscard/34 for MacBook Pro
<http://www.sonnettech.com/product/tempo_sata_express34.html>
Cheers,
Ronni
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