Shared eSATA Cable for 2.5" SATA Laptop Hard Drive

Specs: ASUS N71JQ-A1 (Intel Core i7 Q 720 @1.60GHz, 8GB DDR3-1333 RAM, Video ATI 5730 1GB; Three eSATA HDDs running @7200rpm, Seagate 750GB Momentus XT HDD1, Seagate Momentus 750GB HDD2, Seagate Momentus 750GB HDD3; Bluray Combo DVD; Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 network card; Windows 7 x64 Ultimate Service Pack 1 and up-to-date. No hardware or software issues.This laptop is a screamer but it has its limitations. It only has one USB 3.0 port and the eSATA port is not powered which only makes functional for devices that provide for their own power. Conveniently, there is a USB 2.0 port purposely located right next to the eSATA port so this Micro SATA cable adapter worked perfectly. I really needed another high speed port for my other Seagate GoFlex external HDD wich can use USB 3.0/Firewire/eSATA protocols via adapters one can buy separately but it "complaints" when connected to a USB 2.0. This Micro eSATA cable adapter terminates with a female powered eSATA connector where the GoFlex powered eSATA STAE103 cable connects to. I also use it to connect 2.5" HDD using the "Shared eSATA Cable for 2.5" SATA Laptop Hard Drive". I've always kept 2.5" HDDs when I upgrade to bigger and faster ones and use them to backup stuff in zip files. Amazon sells these inexpensive plastic boxes "IO Crest 2.5-Inch IDE/SATA HDD Storage Box SY-ACC25014" that can store two drives each. You will be amazed how much data one can store in these little drives.

This product is way better than using USB or many other eSata connectors to connect to your external hard drive due it's speed and ease of connection. ESata is significantly faster than USB... it's like having the hard drive connected internally.This cable connects to your computer via a combination USB and eSata port, allowing both data and power over the same wire. You are going to want to make sure that computer has such a connection before purchasing this item. This type of port is somewhat new and somewhat rare. I personally have seen it on several Business class Dell laptops, and that's it. I use it with my Dell Latitude E6410, and it works great.This cable came with a rubber drive enclosure which can house and protect a 2.5" laptop drive: a welcome bonus as now I can carry my external drive with me without worrying as much about damaging it.

I was looking forever for a cable that could use a combined eSATA/USB port for a SATA drive. This cable does the trick fantastically. I only rate it four stars because the cable feels a little cheap.Read and write speed is fast, I was able to clone an existing drive onto a new drive using this cable more quickly than I was expecting. It's nice to be able to use the extra 2.5" drives I have lying around.

I dont usually spend time writing reviews but this product deserves it. Even at $20 including shipping, I'm happy i bought it. I'm using a Dell XPS Studio 1640 laptop with the shared usb power/esata port. Plugged this sucker right in with my new Seagate Momentus XL hybrid drive .. it spun right up and became accessible in windows. Next I started Macrium Reflect Free and started closing my system drive over to this one. This is how technology is supposed to work!I suspect it will be done in the next few minutes .. at which time I will pop out the old drive (which has started making clicks of death occasionally), and then use this cable with that drive for an on-the-go backup that is far lighter than my full size hard drive usb enclosure with it's power supply.This product just works. The only complaint i have would be the "must cut open" plastic packaging in comes in. So if you already have a cutting implement, stop reading these reviews and just buy this cable.

Defective and did not work. Not worth returning. Used a different brand from a different vendor and that one worked flawlessly. Mine was probably that rare one that doesn't work but that is no consolation to me.

This little cable is the greatest thing since sliced bread. It's the only thing you need to connect a hard drive to any notebook computer with a eSATA/USB combo port. It has handled every drive I've connected to it up to a WDC 320GB 7200RPM drive. That drive required 2 USB ports for power when it was in an enclosure, but with this cable it only needs the power from a single USB port. This is probably because the USB chip in the enclosure required too much power.It's great to be able to only carry the drive and this small cable instead of a docking station to hook up a 2.5" hard drive to my eSATA port. This cable is essential for quick cloning of hard drive when upgrading your computer.The only thing is that I wish there was a second USB cable or a standard 5V power port like on 2.5" enclosures. This would be helpful just in case you need more amps. I haven't tested it with larger 2.5" drives, but if they don't use any more power than a WD3200BEKT, then there shouldn't be a problem.For those, like the one reviewer, that don't have a shared eSATA/USB port, try this item:  I/O Crest USB 2.0 Express Card with Power eSATA Cable SY-EXP50028  It includes an eSATA/USB Express Card. I am not familiar with the JMB360 chipset though. I prefer the Sil3132, which supports port multipliers.If you're trying to hook this up to a desktop, you'll need this adapter:  LaCie eSATA/USB 2.0 2-in-1 PCI Express Card 130975  It's expensive, but it makes it easy to attach a 2.5" drive to your desktop instead of using an enclosure or docking station.

Well, I got the cable and plugged the wide end to the HD that was removed from my crashed computer with no problem. Now, where do I plug the other end to on my new Dell XPS8500 Ultimate Desktop? Since the eSATA Cable is a combo, it will not fit into the standard USB outlet on my computer tower. I have looked on line, in my user manual PDF, etc. I still cannot figure out where this outlet is. Can someone help me? I am anxious to get my files back and into my new system.