Question 1

Does it come with a USB 3 cable or an eSATA cable?

Accepted Answer

It comes with BOTH a special high quality USB 3 cable (specific to the Vantec case) and an eSATA cable. Since USB 3 is so much faster now than eSATA we use it almost exclusively but keep the eSATA cable in reserve as an alternative in case of an issue with the USB 3 connection. A couple of times we did encounter a problem when first trying to set up the drive to work with a new configuration using USB 3 Add-On cards. In that case, the eSATA option turned out to be a great help in expediting the set up. Initially our system did not recognize the drive through the USB connection to the newly installed card so we reformatted it using eSATA. After reformatting the drive, the system recognized it instantly with the USB 3 connection and we have been using it without any problems since. I regularly do large volume backups to the drive and the cable forms a rock -solid connection to the added USB 3.0 card. I can’t recommend this case highly enough. We have about 4 of these in our office connected to Mac and PC desktops, and our LAN and they all work great!

Question 2

How long is the esata cable?

Accepted Answer

An esata cable was not included. Using USB 3.0 with a Vantec Renesas chipset  PCIe card, works great. WD green drive installed in enclosure.

Question 3

It does not appear to officially support Win 8.1.  Will it work with my new 8.1 system?

Accepted Answer

Yes it will absolutely work with Windows 8.1. This is a USB3 interface which is fully supported by Windows 8.1, providing you have the correct USB Drivers installed. If your system doesn't have USB3 then this device is backward compatible with USB2 at a slower speed. I love this device and am glad I purchased it.

Question 4

How long is the power cable?

Accepted Answer

From the side of the "wall-wart" to the end of the connector that plugs into the unit the cord is 47 inches long.  I just measured it.

On  different subject:  Other reviewers have commented that hooking up the internal connection was not easy.  I didn't have any problems with it at all.  Just be careful opening and closing the case.

Brand	VANTEC
Model	NST-380SU3-BK

Color	Black
Size	3.5"
AC Adapter	Yes
Material	Aluminum
Internal Interface	SATA I/II
External Interface	USB 3.0 & eSATA
Maximum Capacity (per Bay)	Up to 3TB
Specifications	HD Capacity: Up to 3TB

VANTEC NST-380SU3-BK Aluminum 3.5" Black SATA I/II USB 3.0 & eSATA NexStar 3 SuperSpeed Enclosure

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Item#: N82E16817392048