eSATA in comparison to other external buses

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DC

DC

Cinematographiliac
SATA-I = 150MBps
SATA-II = 300MBps


eSATA, a fairly new external connection method for the SATA specification, is more robust and better grounded than regular (internal) SATA Type A. These connectors are the choice for external SATA connected storage. Be aware though, confusion is also going to be common as the eSATA connectors are VERY similar in appearance to the current SATA Type A connectors more commonly being used.

eSATA_TypA-1.jpg

For a closer look, click here:
eSATA_TypA_2.jpg

eSata_comparrison.jpg

Recently, I decided to buy a large external hard drive to do some DVCProHD editing on my PC laptop with Avid. My laptop is a single core Pentium 4 running at 3.6Ghz, ATI Radeon x600 graphics, and 2GB RAM.

Although I was torn between which type of external hard drive to get, I knew I wanted something faster and more robust than Firewire400 (IEEE-1394a) so I had my sights set on Firewire800 (IEEE-1394b). Then I began to think about Firewire800 vs. eSATA-150 vs. eSATA-300. And then I began to think about the throughput limitations of my PCMCIA Cardbus in my laptop. My transfer speeds could get bottlenecked right there.

I posted this chart above because I thought some people might find it useful. According to the chart, it seems that even SATA-150 is actually faster than Firewire800. But I wonder what the real-world experience is?

In the end, I purchased a 750GB eSATA hard drive and an eSATA-150 card for my laptop. I'm hoping this will allow me to edit my HD footage without any hiccups, though I can imagine multiple streams may cause it to choke a bit. I'll post my personal experience with this later.

If anyone has any feedback on any of this, please feel free to post. :)
 
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I use eSATA to edit. eSATA 300. I use it through the expresscard lost on my laptop (I use the pcmcia slot for p2 cards). The expresscard is capable of 2.5Gbs/sec... eSATA II being capable of 3...

I edit happily all day long on my eSATA setup. Dual SATA II drives in an external enclosure in a raid 0, or 1 (depending on the project, etc).

Jason
 
Holy crap!!!! I just looked at the white sheet on my HP-Compaq nx9600 laptop and I ACTAULLY DO HAVE AN EXPRESS CARD SLOT in addition to my PCMCIA Cardbus!!!!! Now I can buy an eSATA-300 Express Card and use the drive to its fullest potential!

:thumbsup:

Now, looking back, it all makes sense. When I first got my laptop, I remember seeing that other little slot and I was wondering what it was. I read something that said HP uses it for certain devices, such as hard drives. But for some reason I thought it was some type of proprietary HP slot I'd probably never use. I never realized that it was an emerging standard that was very new when I bought the machine. So P2 Cards and super fast hard drives simultaneously on my laptop is easy!

Also, Jason and Ned, glad to hear you guys have had a good experience with this!
 
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Yep. I love the worklfow like this. With my NLE, I dont really need anything else.

Only problem is finding laptops with both slots and xp :)

Jason
 
Just following up . . .

My eSATA-II hard drive and eSATA-II Express Card are working wonderfully with my laptop. :)

Now, for my towered workstation, I'm getting ready to change out my older SATA-I (RAID) PCI card for a better, SATA-II card. I'll also have to get new SATA-II hard drives.

I'm wondering if there exists a SATA-II PCI RAID card (supporting at least 4 internal drives) but with an eSATA-II port on the rear? Essentially, I'd like to RAID (with fault-tolerance) some internal drives but also have the option of plugging in my eSATA drive when I need to. I might need a separate eSATA PCI card to achieve this. Or maybe eSATA for a front bay slot which could connect to my motherboard? I think my motherboard's SATA ports are only SATA-I though.

I did find this:

SoNNeT TSATAII-X44 PCI-X SATA II Controller Card
SoNNeT TSATAII-X44 PCI-X SATA II Controller Card.jpg
 Brand SoNNeT

Model TSATAII-X44

SpecificationsType SATA II

External Ports 4 x SATA II

Internal Connectors 4 x SATA II

Interface PCI-X

Transfer Rate Up to 300 MB/s per port

RAID RAID 0

Operating Systems Supported Mac OS X Version 10.2 or later
Windows XP

Features 64-bit, 133MHz PCI-X Serial ATA host controller
Works in any PCI-X or PCI slot in the listed compatible computers
Supports hot-swap drive connection
48-bit LBA support for drives with a capacity larger than 137 GB
Spread Spectrum Clocking for lower EMI emissions
Upgradable firmware to enable future enhancements
Includes two 22-inch, internal SATA data cables and two legacy-to-SATA power cable adapters (additional cables available, sold separately)
Deep sleep support
Bus Mastering frees CPU from data I/O handlingPackage Contents Tempo-X eSATA 4+4 PCI-X Controller Card
Quick Start Guide
Two 22" Serial ATA internal data cables
Two legacy-to-Serial ATA power cables
Eight drive mounting screws

---

The problem is that:

1. It does only RAID-0.
2. It has been discontinued and nothing has really filled the void (that I can find).

 
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Are all express card eSata II relatively equal? Is there a particular brand/model I should get?

I have 2 segate 750g sata drives, each in an Ice cube pleasades eSata (or something like that) enclosures.

Is there any problem with having them both hooked up at the same time? Say I want to back up data from my usb enclosure to both of the eSata drives at the same time (walk away and leave it).

EDIT: I'm after ExpressCard 34
 
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Despite the fact that there are no eSATA ports, this looks to be a very viable option. It can do RAID-10, and that's even better than RAID-5. I'll probably go with this. Anyone have any real-world experience with this card?



Sonnet Tempo SATA X4i PCI-X Serial ATA Host Adapter

Sonnet Tempo SATA X4i PCI-X Serial ATA Host Adapter.jpg

[FONT=arial, helvetica] Features
True plug and play, no device drivers to install
Spread Spectrum Clocking for compatibility with all SATA drives and lower EMI emissions
Bus Mastering frees CPU from data I/O handling
48-bit LBA support for drives larger than 137 GB
Four internal SATA ports
3 Gb/s per port SATA II controller
PCI-X host bus interface for high-performance applications
Spread Spectrum Clocking (SSC) support for compatibility with all SATA drives
Supports Mac OS X and Windows XP RAID-0 and RAID-10
Hot-swap drive support
Mac and Windows


[/FONT] Hardware

Warranty
1-year limited warranty

RoHS Compliant
Yes

Bus Interface
PCI-X, 64-bit 133MHz; 32-bit PCI bus 2.2 Compliant, works in any PCI or PCI-X slot
Internal Connectors
Four SATA

Drives Supported
Up to 4(1)
Data Transfer Rate
Up to 300 MB per second per port

ATAPI Support
No
Drive Type Supported
Serial ATA I & II; Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33 (parallel)(3)

Firmware
Flash-ROM upgradeable to latest firmware version
 
Hi,

I also use eSATA and USB2 external drives with my laptop and desktop in an unconventional (and do not try this at home, kids) way. I bought a SATA to eSATA cable from Newegg, pulled the side of my computer off and plugged the puppy in to on of the SATA slots.

Works great, looks ugly.

I would have added an eSATA card desktop, but didn't have any slots available. It was a $6 solution that allows me to share files and projects with the laptop and desktop.
 
If you look for PCI-X RAID controller, providing SATA & eSATA connections, have a look at 3ware.com.

9550SX_4_board_family-t.jpg

Their range of products is extensive, and are a legacy brand.
 
I use a Sonnet Tempo Expresscard 34 eSata controller. Super reliable on both my Macbook Pro and my Toshiba single core PC (which had both Cardbus and ExpressCard, but has now gone to laptop heaven for now... uselful little buggar... *snif*)

Plenty nippy, even on drives that arn't raided.
 
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