OCZ Throttle 32GB eSATA Flash Drive

Introduction
 
ThrottleIf there’s one company I could pick as putting their neck on the line in the name of new technology, it would be OCZ. Responsible for bringing unique and often groundbreaking products to the enthusiasts market such as the NIA (Neural Impulse Actuator), DIY Notebook and more recently a whole range of affordable Solid State Drives, OCZ are one of few companies that seem to constantly act in the interest of the enthusiast and the name of progression.
 
Today we’re going to be taking a look at yet another product that breaks the conventional mold, and although maybe not as groundbreaking as some of the aforementioned devices, certainly caused mixed reactions when it was released at the end of last year. The OCZ Throttle 32GB may look like little more than a rather standard (yet a little bit chubby) USB memory stick, but under the plastic dust cap it  packs a secret punch….it’s not USB. Yes that’s right, OCZ have done away with the family favorite standard connector that has been supported by every PC and Laptop made in the past 10 years in favor of the fairly recent eSATA standard.
 
So what’s so good about eSATA that would make OCZ want to switch from our old friend USB? Speed of course! While USB2.0 is happily chugging away at 480Mbps (60MB/s), eSATA provides a whopping throughput of 3000Mbps (300MB/s), making it far more suitable for high capacity storage devices. Of course, the OCZ Throttle is highly unlikely to put all of that available bandwidth to use, so let’s see what OCZ believe it to be capable of by checking out the specifications list taken from their website:
 
eSATA interface (plug directly into any compatible motherboard or laptop with powered eSATA port)
Additional mini USB 2.0 port (type B)
Dimensions: (L)79.1mm x (W)29.9mm x (H)10.3mm
Read: Up to 90MB/sec*
Write: Up to 30MB/sec*
True Plug and Play
Available in 8GB, 16GB, 32GB capacities
Includes mini USB cable for non-powered eSATA ports or USB access
2-year Warranty
 
With read speeds quoted to be around 90MB/s, the Throttle may not be anywhere near saturating the full 300MB/s bandwidth available on the eSATA interface, but at 30MB/s higher than the maximum 60MB/s throughput of the USB2.0 interface it’s instantly apparent why the Throttle couldn’t be just another USB stick.
 
However, there are certain caveats to using eSATA rather than USB, so let’s move on to the next page where we take a look at the Throttle in more detail.