Review on SinLoon 2.5'' Hard Disk Drive SATA 22Pin to eSATA Data USB Powered Cable Adapter for SSD UASP SATA IIIEC-SSHD(Black) - Top Performance & Compatibility by Malik Munns

This is an elegant solution when you need to do something very specific: connect an empty SATA drive to an eSATA port that is not powered but has a convenient USB connection for the power supply. Obviously this is only a temporary fix for bare magnetic hard drives, but bare SSDs often have an enclosure that allows them to work the same way outdoors without the hassle and added expense of putting them in an external enclosure. Why use eSATA instead (and occupy a USB port) with just an eSATA to USB cable? Multiple options: - Speed - faster than USB 3 for powerful eSATA drives - Speed - faster than USB 2 (or USB 1 as long as it provides enough power) for almost any eSATA drive. - Speed - if the eSATA connector is on a non-USB bus and you are already using USB for another drive, they should not use the same bus. - Functionality - In my setup, I can't boot from a USB 3 drive, but I can boot from eSATA. (Brief explanation: iMac with USB 2 and Thunderbolt 1 is connected to a Thunderbolt dock with two USB 3 ports and one eSATA port. An SSD can be connected to any port on the dock with good speed, but the iMac only boots from eSATA .. ) Well, it works, it's light and thin, but durable. If you need this solution, you're in luck.