Silicon Power announced this week that it has released its new eSATA/USB SSD. The drive is available 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities and features both eSATA and Mini USB interfaces. According to Silicon Power, the eSATA/USB SSD is capable of 92MB/s read and 48MB/s write speeds when connected via eSATA.

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This is not a normal USB flash drive. Silicon Power has released the availability of its pioneering product: eSATA/USB SSD (eSATA; External Serial ATA), a high-capacity handy SSD in worldwide markets. The eSATA/USB SSD features eSATA and Mini USB dual interface, hot plug and play and four-channel high performance technology. The eSATA connection has a read speed of 92 MB/s and a write speed of 48MB/s, which is 8 times the write speed of the normal USB. The eSATA/USB SSD is available in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB capacities that are ideal for those wanting high-speed data transfer, high-capacity and portability.

The eSATA connector provides external data transfer at speeds up to 3Gbps, which is higher than USB 2.0 interface with 480MB/s. It is very convenient for large volume of data transfer at a short time. The bottom of the eSATA/USB SSD is a Mini USB connector offering a read speed of 33MB/s and a write speed of 25MB/s.

With the advent of eSATA technology, most of the desktops, servers and laptops manufacturers start to employ eSATA port as a standard interface. Nearly 60% of new laptops uses eSATA interface. There are two kinds of eSATA port (with power provided/ without power provided). Users need to confirm which kind of port is on your device. If your eSATA connector is with power, you can plug it directly without connecting any cable. If not, users connect Mini USB cable to eSATA/USB SSD first, and then connect USB to the device. Each Silicon Power eSATA/USB SSD package comes with a TTPE to Mini USB Cable and a user manual with detailed instruction. The eSATA/USB SSD is backed by a two-year warranty.
               
                                  eSATA/USB SSD vs. USB Pen Drive
 
Speed \ Device
eSATA connection
Mini USB connection
Normal USB Pen Drive
Read (MB)/s
92.2MB/s
33.9MB/s
15MB/s
Write (MB)/s
48.9MB/s
25.6MB/s
6MB/s
 
Feature
●eSATA and Mini USB dual interface
●Support Windows Vista ReadyBoost function
●Support eSATA-2 3Gbps high speed
●Four channel high performance tech
●LED indicates the usage status (Power/Access LED)
●True plug and play, no external power required
●Compliant with RoHS requirement
 
Specification
●Capacity: 8GB, 16GB, 32GB
●Color: Black
●Dimensions: 79.2 x 29.8 x 10.95 mm (L/W/M)
Weight: 16g
Connection: eSATA, Mini USB type B
●Support OS: Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003, Vista, and Linux
Support eSATA/USB Hot Plug and Play
●Operating Temperature: 0~70
●Storage Temperature: -20~85
●Vibration: 20 G peak-to-peak max
●Shock: 1500G Max
2 year warranty