LaCie Little Big Disk Quadra • Design by neil Poulton IntroductionUser Manual page 01.4.3. eSATA Cables and ConnectorsYour LaCie Little Big Disk Quadra uses the latest in SATA tech-nology, allowing interface (or bus) transfer rates of up to 3Gbits/s. SATA technology was originally developed to serveas an internal interface, delivering improved performance tointernal connections. Soon after, eSATA, or external SATA wasdeveloped, allowing for the use of shielded cables outside thePC.eSATA technology was developed to be rugged and durable.eSATA connectors do not have the “L” shaped design of otherSATA connectors. In addition, the guide features are verticallyoffset and reduced in size to prevent the use of unshielded in-ternal cables in external applications.eSATA CablesYour LaCie drive is shipped with a eSATA cable, to ensure max-imum data transfer performance when connected to a eSATAport.S-ATAS-ATAeSATA Cable EndseSATA BenefitseSATA interface can achieve up to 3 Gbits/s transferrate.Plug orientation – An extrusion on the outside of theconnector helps guide and align the connector duringinsertion.Hot-plug support – eSATA enables adding and remov-ing a drive without having to power down the system orreboot.✦✦✦