PhotoFast Intros GBox Mini USB 3.0 to SATA Adapter

Tuesday, June 29 2010

SSD and flash memory specialists PhotoFast developed what they call the GBox mini, an adapter that converts USB 3.0 to SATA. The adapter connects to the host with a USB 3.0 connector (for data and power), and an additional USB 2.0 (purely for power). The two connectors share the same cable so clutter is minimized. On its other end, the adapter has a SATA connector with both data and power ports. It can connect to any SATA HDD, SSD, or optical drive. Although the USB 3.0 interface has a generous maximum bandwidth of 4.8 Gb/s, the device has transfer speeds of up to 128 MB/s (SATA device to system) and 96 MB/s (system to SATA device). The GBox mini comes with a copy of DriveClone 7 Pro software bundled, necessary cable, and is expected to be priced at US $22, when it hits the Japanese markets next month.

Source: Softpedia

posted by btarunr - 4:19 PM | Related News |

User comments

by newtekie1 (June 29th - 4:49 PM) - Reply

Thats cool, now make one with IDE on it aswell as SATA so I can replace the USB 2.0 adaptors I use at the shop with something that doesn't take forever to clone a large full drive...

by BazookaJoe (June 29th - 9:24 PM) - Reply

by: newtekie1
Thats cool, now make one with IDE on it aswell as SATA so I can replace the USB 2.0 adaptors I use at the shop with something that doesn't take forever to clone a large full drive...

100%

There are a lot of perfectly good old IDE drives out there - great for backups & shiz - and an IDE<-->USB3 would be awesome....

by CharlO (June 29th - 9:43 PM) - Reply

Would be pointles, USB2.0 already has more bandwitch than most. The USB2.0 ones are the best you can get.

by [I.R.A]_FBi (June 29th - 11:09 PM) - Reply

by: CharlO
Would be pointles, USB2.0 already has more bandwitch than most. The USB2.0 ones are the best you can get.

how so?

by newtekie1 (June 30th - 1:44 AM) - Reply

by: CharlO
Would be pointles, USB2.0 already has more bandwitch than most. The USB2.0 ones are the best you can get.

Yeah, not even close. Even ancient 500GB IDE drives average 50MB/s+ transfer speeds, USB 2.0 can't even come close to handling that... You'll be lucky to see 30MB/s on USB2.0.

by BazookaJoe (June 30th - 6:53 AM) - Reply

by: CharlO
Would be pointles, USB2.0 already has more bandwitch than most. The USB2.0 ones are the best you can get.

Recent IDE drives perform well into the 110Mb/s arena dude - get with the program...

by pr0n Inspector (June 30th - 7:30 AM) - Reply

USB 3.0 + USB 2.0 = 7 watts

Could barely maintains a spinning 3.5-inch drive, don't even think about cold-starting one.
Basically you are limited to 2.5-inch drives.

by Mussels (June 30th - 8:51 AM) - Reply

by: pr0n Inspector
USB 3.0 + USB 2.0 = 7 watts

Could barely maintains a spinning 3.5-inch drive, don't even think about cold-starting one.
Basically you are limited to 2.5-inch drives.

umm, they dont get the power from the USB. these are for people with external power (many mobos come with external brackets with sata, E-sata and molex power out - i've got 5+ of em laying about)

IDE can easily do 100MB/s. USB 2.0 gets stuck around 30MB/s

IDE to sata (and vice versa) adaptors are cheap and plentiful, so you could go USB 3.0 -> SATA II -> IDE -> old drive. it'd just be clunky and need a few more power connectors

by pr0n Inspector (June 30th - 11:28 AM) - Reply

by: Mussels
umm, they dont get the power from the USB. these are for people with external power (many mobos come with external brackets with sata, E-sata and molex power out - i've got 5+ of em laying about)

IDE can easily do 100MB/s. USB 2.0 gets stuck around 30MB/s

IDE to sata (and vice versa) adaptors are cheap and plentiful, so you could go USB 3.0 -> SATA II -> IDE -> old drive. it'd just be clunky and need a few more power connectors

Look closer at the product photos. it's a data+power connector like those in enclosures and laptops.

by Mussels (June 30th - 12:26 PM) - Reply

by: pr0n Inspector
Look closer at the product photos. it's a data+power connector like those in enclosures and laptops.

i may have failed. didnt see the power until now.

by BazookaJoe (June 30th - 6:33 PM) - Reply

by: Mussels
IDE to sata (and vice versa) adaptors are cheap and plentiful, so you could go USB 3.0 -> SATA II -> IDE -> old drive. it'd just be clunky and need a few more power connectors

Very good point...

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