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Is it possible to connect an external hard drive with USB 3.0 to eSATA port on a computer? If so what kind of connector do you use and how would the performance fare compared to just using USB 2.0 on both side?

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USB devices have to be connected to a usb port. Some esata ports double as usb ports, but when a usb device is plugged in, they behave as a usb port, not an esata port.

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  • I've seen adaptors for connecting eSATA device to USB ports, why can't there be usb to eSATA?
    – kefeizhou
    Jan 27, 2011 at 22:50
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    Because no hard drive is natively accessible with USB. It would induce double-converting.
    – sinni800
    Jan 28, 2011 at 7:41
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At that point it is better to purchase an enclosure with eSATA connectors and insert the hard drive into that. Converting from SATA to USB then back to SATA is stupid, as it would involve a significant performance loss just to reuse an USB cable.

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Maybe this: http://www.addonics.com/products/io/adu3esa.asp

I've never tried one, and have no idea if the claimed performance is accurate ("Maximum transfer rate: 5 Gbps – USB 3.0 super speed")

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