USB 3.0 vs e-SATA

[Timotheus 416]

Last week one of the sites I regularly visit had a hands-on USB 3.0 review. (Link for the interested people, in Dutch however: http://www.techzine.nl/reviews/799/usb-3-0...-hx1-0tu3.html) They made a comparison to eSATA and USB 2.0.

Of course, the speed difference between eSATA/USB 3.0 vs USB 2.0 were extremely noticable:

 

Blue: READ ; Red: READ ; Green: BURST-RATE

From left to right: USB 3.0 ; USB 2.0 ; eSATA ; SATA (=internal)

 

Blue: READ ; Red: WRITE

From left to right: USB 3.0 ; USB 2.0 ; eSATA ; SATA (=internal)

 

Now, in basic usage, the differences in USB 3.0 and eSATA are the hotplug/hotswap ability, and the fact that the eSATA connection does not allow for powered USB devices.

 

I've got 1 external HDD, currently on USB 2.0, which doesn't leave the place it's currently standing. It's only used for back-up purposes, which take about 30-60 minutes. I'd like this process to be less time consuming. Since eSATA is basically an external SATA port on your pc, it does not require any other stuff than a SATA connector on your motherboard and an eSATA bracket. USB 3.0 however, is new and will not be supported by a lot of machines at this point. Few motherboards have the USB 3.0 controller integrated, so you'd have to buy it separately.

 

What I would need:

eSATA: external HDD case, eSATA cable and eSATA bracket

USB 3.0: external HDD case, USB 3.0 cable, controller

 

I've been browsing through various webshops, and found an external eSATA case with the bracket included for only €35, shipping included.

USB 3.0 requires a controller, which are hard to find since it's such new technology. I'm not sure whether you guys know DealExtreme.com, it's a Chinese site with a lot of knock-off stuff, and cheap hardware. There, I would have to spend $80 on a case (50) + controller (30). This would total to about €50-60.

 

What would you choose/prefer?

Edited February 8, 2010 by Timotheus

[Dragon Brother 619]

Well...personally id go with the esata...mainly because I already have an socket for it on my comp, but also its cheaper and since there isnt likely to be too much usb3.0 stuff for a while which is reasonably priced, I'd just wait for it too drop in price before getting that.

[Timotheus 416]

OK I just found out that having no eSATA on your motherboard would limit the hotswapping ability. With a controller card, hotswapping would be possible if the chipset supports it. This would set me back at least an additional €18.

 

Guess I'll just have to wait for a bit, see what happens with USB 3.0...

[zadienorris 0]

Put side by side with eSATA and FireWire 800, USB 3.0 is far superior. ESATA an external connection that runs at the same speed as the internal SATA 1.0 bus, has a maximum theoretical of 3Gbps. This makes USB 3.0 faster than eSATA and about six times faster than FireWire 800 (full duplex at 800Mbps). USB 3.0 also provides another advantage while eSATA is faster than FireWire 800 unlike FireWire it cannot supply power. USB 3.0 has the advantage of being faster than both, even while supplying power.

[Timotheus 416]

True stuff. But seriously, the mount of data USB 3.0 can move is too much for a simple HDD.

Currently my external disk is on eSata, and even faster than the HDD in my system :')

 

Now, an external SSD with USB 3.0, that would be something else!

But there's little use for that when you don't have two fast drives... (SSD)