As far as installation and looks, the RocketRAID 1542 is just like any other SATA host adapter. You simply install it in an open PCI slot, and use use standard SATA cables for the internal connections. Follow the directions for configuring the bios for RAID and you're pretty much set. I found the RocketRAID 1542 to be one of the easiest host adapters to configure, however, I did upgrade the bios software and drivers as soon as I installed it. At the time of this review, version 2.02s was the latest version. I'd also like to note that there was a slight performance increase after I upgraded the bios software and drivers.

     One thing I didn't expect to see was a unique e.SATA plug. I guess I had expected to see the same type of cables you normally fine on any SATA card. My only guess is HighPoint wants their cards and external enclosures to be unique. Anyway, HighPoint has unique cables for external storage devices, which will come packaged with their external enclosures.