The Notebook Solution - PCMCIA:

     Do you use your notebook computer for business or school? Need ultra fast external storage? Maybe you already have an eSATA device but no way to use it on your Laptop? Vantec has even come up with an inexpensive solution for your Laptop eSATA needs with this PCMCIA Card. Want to use it on multiple computers? No problem. Just eject the card and move it to another machine.

Specifications:

• Interface: 32-bit 33/66 MHz PCI v2.2

• Connections: 2x External SATA (eSATA) port

• Dimension: 115mm x 54mm x 16mm

• Pentium or equivalent PC with one available PCMCIA slot Windows 98SE/NT4.0/ME/2000/XP

Test System:

Test Drives:

• 120GB Hitachi, 4200RPM, Hard Drive

• Seagate eSATA 500 GB External Hard Drive

Out of Box Experience:

This device is easy to install using Windows, just insert the disk after inserting the card and let Windows find the drivers automatically.

Testing:

     For testing we used HD Tach 3.0.1.0 which is available in a freeware version here. First we tested onboard Hitachi Laptop drive. All tests were performed using the Quick Test which uses 8mb zones.

Then we plugged the Seagate into the Vantec eSATA port to test the speeds of the eSATA Card.

     It looks like the eSATA Card is a VAST improvement to the stock Hitachi. Using the external drive we are able to increase across the board. Random access goes down from 26.6ms to 19.5ms a speed increase of 7.1ms, average read goes up from 20.1 MB/s to 27.8 an increase 7.8 MB/s. The only hit is in the CPU usage which goes up to 4% from 0% with a +/- 2% variance possible.

Conclusion:

     If you're looking for a quick and easy way to add eSATA on your PC or notebook computer, it doesn't get any easier than this. The promises of potential speed increases to eSATA are still out there and we are seeing improvements everyday. Thanks to Vantec, eSATA can now be a reality for pretty much anyone, even if you're on a small budget. And unlike USB storage devices where the transfer rates are slowed down drastically by the speed of the USB controller, eSATA speeds can now match the speed of your hard drive. Will eSATA be the next big external hard drive technology of the future? The possibility of 300 GB/s transfer speeds in an external drive solution is exciting. We give Vantec's eSATA lineup high marks and ClubOC's Seal of Approval.

Club Overclocker Rating
Innovation:	9.5 out of 10
Performance:	9.0 out of 10
Quality:	9.0 out of 10
Stability:	N/A
Overclocking:	N/A
Software/Drivers Pack:	9.0 out of 10
Value:	10 out of 10
Overall Rating 9.5
Skill Level
Project Skill Level (10 being most difficult)	PCI and PCI-E 3 out of 10 PCMCIA 1 out of 10