The RocketU 1144E USB 3.0 + 6 Gb/s eSATA PCIe 2.0 Controller Card from HighPoint maximizes the performance potential of USB 3.0 and 6 Gb/s SATA storage devices on a single host bus adapter (HBA). The dedicated dual 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 ports support industry standard USB 3.0 devices while the dedicated dual 6 Gb/s eSATA ports are optimized for fast SATA solid state drives and high-capacity hard drives. This controller card is well suited for a wide range of applications, including storage expansion, personal media libraries, and backup solutions.
The dedicated per port architecture allows each storage device to take full advantage of the PCIe 2.0 x4 host interface. In addition, UAS (USB Attached SCSI) maximizes the performance capabilities of USB 3.0 devices. It is dependent on the USB protocol and offers maximized bandwidth utilization while handling multiple data transfer requests simultaneously. This controller card is a Thunderbolt Aware HBA and is designed for use with Thunderbolt PCIe expansion devices and storage enclosures. The card is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 as well as eSATA 3 Gb/s. Furthermore, it is compliant with xHCI (Extensible Host Controller Interface) Specification v1.00.Dedicated Per Port Performance Architecture
The controller card benefits from HighPoint's innovative per-port performance architecture. Each port is fully independent and powered by a dedicated 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 or 6 Gb/s SATA controller. This revolutionary design ensures maximum performance for all USB 3.0 and 6 Gb/s SATA storage devices, allowing them to take full advantage of the host bus adapter's PCIe 2.0 host interface.
Uncompromised Storage Expansion for PC & Mac Platforms
The card is capable of supporting all industry standard USB and SATA storage devices. The uncompromised performance and dedicated dual USB 3.0/eSATA port configuration is ideal for HighPoint's RocketStor storage docks, such as the dedicated dual 6 Gb/s eSATA RocketStor 5322 and dual 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 RocketStor 5422. This card can be easily installed into any PCIe 2.0 x4, x8, or x16 slot and is fully compatible with PC and Mac computing platforms.
UAS Performance Boost
UAS (USB Attached SCSI) is a computer protocol that is used to transfer data to and from USB storage devices. UAS is dependent on the USB protocol and utilizes the standard SCSI command set. It offers maximized bandwidth utilization and can handle multiple data transfer requests simultaneously, unlike the slower queue system of BOT (Bulk Only Transport), which only provides single-task commands; each task must complete before the next begins. USB 3.0 connections working in UASP mode result in higher transfer speeds and lower CPU utilization. UAS clears data queues faster, which results in smoother-operating PC's. In addition, UAS capabilities allow this card to fully utilize the PCIe 2.0 x4 host bus interface and deliver uncompromised transfer bandwidth for UAS capable devices such as USB 3.0 solid state drives, hard drives, enclosures, and storage docks such as HighPoint's RocketStor 5422.
Thunderbolt Aware Enabled
The controller card is Thunderbolt Aware and is designed for use with Thunderbolt PCIe expansion devices and storage enclosures. So any Mac Pro, Mac Book, or Mac Mini can extend additional eSATA/USB through a Thunderbolt chassis.