Esata Vs Sata

Besides processing power, what matters when it comes to evaluating computer performance is the data transfer rates that it can achieve. It is an often ignored factor in computing technology. The data transfer rate is decided by the kind of computer bus interface used that forms a link between the bus adapters and storage devices like hard drives and optical drives. In this article I make an eSATA vs SATA comparison that illuminates the major points of difference between these two types of computer bus interfaces. This will clear any confusion you might have regarding these two technologies.

eSATA Vs SATA Comparison

SATA stands for 'Serial Advanced Technology Attachment', which is the most widely used computer bus technology in the world today. SATA is confined to act as the default computer bus for internal hard drives and optical drives. It was developed to update the ATA technology and provide superior bandwidth and data transfer speeds. This was achieved through the usage of high speed serial cables. As a listing of the differences between SATA and PATA would reveal, compared to the rival PATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment), SATA is much faster and comes with a lesser bulk of cables. Today the SATA interface is so well established as a part of essential technology, that the SATA host adapter is inbuilt in all computer motherboards. A SCSI vs SATA vs IDE will reveal how SATA overcame competing technologies to attain the status it has today.

eSATA is actually an extension of the SATA technology to connect external devices. The 'e' in eSATA stands for 'external' and it was designed so that the high data transfer rate advantage of SATA can be harnessed to make data exchange from devices like external hard drives faster. As an eSATA vs USB or eSATA vs FireWire 800 comparison would reveal, eSATA is turning out to be a faster alternative to USB and FireWire based devices. Let us have a look at the major differences between SATA and eSATA according to technical specifications like type of cable, connectors, speed, and performance.

eSATA vs SATA: Connector
eSATA has identical protocol and signaling mechanisms as SATA. This enables the conversion of an internal SATA hard drive into an eSATA hard drive with a small amount of modifications. However, the fact that eSATA will be used as an external device connector, necessitated that a different type of connector be created for it. The eSATA connector is essentially a shielded version of the standard SATA 1.0a connector. The depth of insertion in an eSATA connector is increased to be 6.6 mm, instead of 5mm that is standard for SATA connectors. This modification is made to prevent electric discharge damage. The eSATA external connector is so designed that it can last for at least five thousand insertions, as well as removals.

eSATA vs SATA: Cable
A second difference between eSATA and SATA is the type of cable used and the length of the cable. To prevent electromagnetic interference, cables have extra shielding. Besides the extra shielding, the cable length used for eSATA is 2 meters compared to the 1 meter of cable length provided with SATA.

eSATA vs SATA: Speed
If you make an eSATA vs SATA II comparison according to data transfer speeds, SATA is clearly the winner. While SATA provides a maximum data transfer speed of 600 MBPS, eSATA provides only 300 MBPS.

eSATA vs SATA: Performance
If a performance comparison is made between eSATA and SATA according to speed of data transfer, then SATA is ahead. Otherwise a direct comparison according to the overall performance cannot be made as the two technologies serve different purposes. When it comes to usage as an internal computer interface bus with hard drives, SATA is unbeatable. In terms of data transfer from external devices, eSATA is the clear winner as SATA does not have that capability.

Hope this eSATA vs SATA comparison has cleared your doubts regarding the difference between the two. Both technologies have quite similar internal features but the differences arise from the fact that both are meant for different purposes. eSATA is developing as an alternative to USB and FireWire. eSATA external hard drives are especially in demand due to the high data transfer rates they offer compared to other technologies. However, a major roadblock for its development is the absence of eSATA ports on most desktop and laptop computers. In the future eSATA ports will be more common, as this technology is more widely accepted. As for SATA, it is guaranteed to be the mainstay as the default internal bus interface for years to come.