Vantec NexStar 2.5"/3.5" SATA to SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Storage Adapter - Model CB-SATAU3

Pros: This adapter makes it so much faster to transfer data and make image backups (using Macrium Reflect).

I've been using Crystal Disk Mark to test speeds on this adapter, hooked up to a SanDisk Extreme 120GB SSD. Reads and writes with this adapter, using USB 2.0 are usually around 30 MB/s, up to 40 MB/s (depending on the computer you are using).

Using USB 3.0 ports:

Dell PowerEdge T110 II Server:
Seq. Read: 253 MB/s
Seq. Write: 159 MB/s
4K Read: 16.52 MB/s
4K Write: 25.91 MB/s

Dell Latitude E6430 Laptop:
Seq. Read: 179 MB/s
Seq. Write: 154 MB/s
4K Read: 18.17 MB/s
4K Write: 41.63 MB/s

Using USB 2.0 ports:

Dell PowerEdge T110 II Server:
Seq. Read: 33.54 MB/s
Seq. Write: 29.95 MB/s
4K Read: 7.1 MB/s
4K Write: 8.0 MB/s

Dell Latitude E6430 Laptop:
Seq. Read: 41.10 MB/s
Seq. Write: 39.37 MB/s
4K Read: 9.9 MB/s
4K Write: 13.6 MB/s

The greatest difference was realized on the PowerEdge server which has a cheap IOCrest / Etron 188 USB 3.0 card in it.

I'm not seeing improvements quite as dramatic from within Macrium Reflect. In that software my backups are taking about half as long, sometimes better and sometimes worse.

Cons: Some of the other complaints are indeed valid. And yet I'm willing to overlook most of them because they are so minor.

One of my complaints is that I have to remove brackets and holders from hard drives in order to hook this thing up. Minor complaint, I know.

One other point. I always power up the drive before you plug in the USB cable. I never have trouble this way with the adapter not being detected.

Pros: Fast, very fast

Cons: None

Other Thoughts: I was skeptical but this thing works. I mount my 2TB drives to my new Ultrabook through the USB 3.0 ports and the speeds are crazy fast. Forget eSATA or FireWire - this is the new standard and no need for high-end equipment - if you want to mount a SATA (6GB/s) to your PC then just buy this.

Pros: cloned a new hard drive in less than an hour can now use the spare drive and connect it as an external drive if i felt like it but mainly bought it for that cloneing its fast it works and well thats it not much else to say

Cons: not any because it doesnt do much but transfer stuff you get an adapter plug into a wall not a problem but usb is usually powerd by itself mabye for better speeds the port is dedicated for transfer than power? who knows who cares honestly the usb 3.0 cord is a little long could tie it up though

Other Thoughts: works FAST take advantage of 3.0 for the love of dog (spelt backwards) if you have it use it!

Pros: Have used it in the computer shop where I work every day since around the time this thing first hit the market. Didn't buy it from Newegg, I couldn't find one on here at the time. Never had an issue with this adapter at all except in some older software bootdisks (hdd cloning software) I use my other vantec adapters for that (usb 2.0 versions). This adapter is very fast. I'll be buying the SATA III version soon. They didn't have that version when I bought this one.

Cons: Don't have to keep unplugging the USB. Just kill tghe device with the power switch whenever you are finished with the hdd. Makes for very fast turn around time because I don't have to fumble with the back of my computer trying to find the USB 3.0 ports.

Other Thoughts: None. Great product.

Pros: Very easy to connect.

Cons: System usually finds an attached drive. If not, you need to reboot. Once found, drives don't stay found. Sometimes you can get it back by switching off and on. Other times need a reboot. Most frustrating is having file copy or backup software (both Acronis and EASEUS) either not find the drive at all or losing it in the middle of the backup. This thing makes eSATA problems seem trivial.

Other Thoughts: Using a new ASUS Sabretooth X58 motherboard so that not the problem. Also tried direct to motherboard and through a Vantec hub.

Pros: It does work and seems to support the advertised USB3.0 throughput.

Cons: Where to begin?
- The adapter does not support SATA optical drives (CD/DVD readers/writers).
- The power adapter must always be plugged in - whether you are using a 3.5" or 2.5" HDDs. Not only it shouldn't require external power for 2.5" notebook HDDs, this actually goes against the crux of USB3.0 specification which explicitly calls out higher power that the USB3.0 are expected to supply (1 Amp vs 0.5A for USB2.0).
- Red / blue combo LED advertised as "attractive" may actaully lead you to test your color vision :-) It would have been much better to have two separate LEDs - one for power-on, the other for activity.
- The adapter exudes the general sense of cheapness, from the choice of plastic, down to the the power-on button which for some reason had to be hanging on the power cord itself, not unlike what you'd see in a motel light fixture.

Other Thoughts: The built-in USB cord (as opposed to a plug-in one), being very thick and inflexible, due to the extra shielding required by the USB3.0 interface, makes the entire gestalt unwieldy and uncomfortable to place where you want it. More importantly the stiff cable transfers enough stress on the connectors inside that mine came undone from the board and I had resolder them back. Upon opening it, the enclosure revealed an equally low-quality board that appears to have final assembly in Korea.