eSATA is one of those ports that has seemingly gone away. For those of you who still have an external enclosure that utilizes the eSATA connection, finding one on a laptop, or an open port on a desktop install one can be challenging. That's why ORICO has produced an adapter that converts USB 3.0 to an eSATA port.

Stylish? Maybe. Useful? Definitely. The CT6539U3E by ORICO plugs into a USB 3.0 port or USB 2.0 port and provides an eSATA port. The eSATA port operates at a maximum host data-rate of 3Gb/s and draws the necessary power from the USB port that it is plugged into. The converter's host controller features activity LEDs to indicate when data is being transferred.

The adapter should also support AHCI in order for hot-swap capabilities to work properly. The price of the adapter is a reasonable $15, nothing that's going to break the bank. The price is certainly cheaper than buying a new external drive, as long as the current drive still has enough space for what you need.