Laptop for fastest memory dump

[Noel R.]

I have two 64Gb SSD's. While one REDMAG is loaded, I'd like to have the other dumping it's memory into the laptop. I'm looking for a Laptop to do this on. I'd like to use eSATA for fastest possible speed, but when reading through the installation guide for the REDSTATION it says "ONLY Silicon Image or Highpoint SATA cards will connect to RED STATION modules through eSATA at this time." Has anyone had any success on a particular brand of Laptop in order to do this? I'm afraid of buying a laptop all to find out that the eSATA port will not even read the REDSTATION. I'd prefer a laptop running Windows, since my main workstation is a Windows PC. Any suggestions?

Also I noticed my REDSTATION came with a USB to 3.5mm jack for DC power (I'm just guessing it's 3.5mm, I have no idea what size it is or the generic name for it). Will this be enough to power the REDSTATION when using eSATA or do I have to use the AC wall adapter for the 5 volts? It would be nice not to have anything tethered to a power receptacle if possible. Hopefully RED comes out with a REDSTATION with USB 3.0 soon.

 

[Noel R.]

Transferred 64Gb in 12 min for $620 (Un-tethered)

Transferred 64Gb in 12 min for $620 (Un-tethered)

Well I was able to find my own solution to this problem. Transferred a full 64Gb SSD in almost 12 minutes flat with about $620 worth of hardware. Here's what I used:

Dell Inspirion 14R -$500.............................model# i14RN-1364PBL Has both eSATA, and USB 3.0
Seagate GoFlex Turbo 500Gb- $120......................P/N: 9ZRAN3-570 USB 3.0 External drive with 7200 RPM, powered by USB only.

I have no idea if other Laptops equipped with eSATA will read the REDSTATION or not , I just know this one did. I took my REDSTATION over to Best Buy and simply tried it out, and it worked. Ironically it was one of the few laptops equipped with both eSATA and USB 3.0 and it was also one of the cheapest. Just what I wanted. I have no plans on using it other than to dump the memory from my SSD so I was not concerned about RAM or processing power, or any other bells and whistles. This offers a very portable solution (and cheap) to dumping memory because none of the items need to be plugged into a wall. I used USB to power the eSATA drive on the REDSTATION, and the external drive also used USB power. With two SSD's I'm set, and at $120 for a 500Gb drive, I'm sure I can buy as many as I need, and record as much as I want. It's not thunderbolt, but at 12 minutes I felt very satisfied that the memory would be offloaded before my second SSD filled up, which is all I was really concerned about.

 

[Craig Weeding]

Hello Noel

I have used the Sonnet Tempo Pro Expresscard 34 with good results
Tomorrow I will be testing this card with the Sonnet Echo Expresscard 34 thunderbolt adapter to see how this will work for a computer with Thunderbolt.

I will report back result tomorrow.

 

[Noel R.]

Hello Noel

I have used the Sonnet Tempo Pro Expresscard 34 with good results
Tomorrow I will be testing this card with the Sonnet Echo Expresscard 34 thunderbolt adapter to see how this will work for a computer with Thunderbolt.

I will report back result tomorrow.

Craig, thanks, that will be nice to see, that was one of the solutions I was curious about, but didn't want to buy a Macbook to try it. Are you transferring the files over to your internal Hard Disc, or will you be using some external media?

 

[PatrickFaith]

I have both eSata and USB 3.0 ... but I have been amazed at the eSATA speeds ... i normally get around 160 MBytes/Sec ... so I'd think the big thing is getting a laptop with eSATA and a SSD disk.

 

[Doug Beatty]

Anyone try the Thermaltake BlacX Duet USB 3.0 HDD dock/duplicator? Apparently it will write 5Gb/s out to the drives and accepts SATA III. I would imagine the write speeds to the discs would be close to on par with the download speeds via eSata and it sure beats waiting around for Thunderbolt solutions.

I have an Antec EasySATA installed on my tower at home so it seems like a great way to create on site back ups that I can plug into my station and archive/edit.

 

[Brian Iannone]

Anyone try the Thermaltake BlacX Duet USB 3.0 HDD dock/duplicator? Apparently it will write 5Gb/s out to the drives and accepts SATA III. I would imagine the write speeds to the discs would be close to on par with the download speeds via eSata and it sure beats waiting around for Thunderbolt solutions.

The Thermaltakes work well, but the trick is finding one that actually funtions. I've gotten about seven defective ones already, so try to buy them somewhere local in case you have to return a few before you get a working unit.

 

[Doug Beatty]

For those looking for a bargain on a DIT laptop with USB3.0, eSata and ExpressCard ports, I found a 25% off coupon code for a factory refurbished Dell Latitude E6220

All refurb laptops have a 3 year warranty incl. mail in servicing.

[Engadget review and photos]

Make sure you select the 250GB HDD check box and then sort by price: low to high

There are a few flavors for those that want more RAM or faster processors, but the most important thing to remember is to choose a model with a 7200rpm hard drive:

CODE: [FONT=arial !important !important !important !important !important !important !important !important !important !important]3KXVSL6QS?76TW[/FONT]

Prices listed are after shipping+taxes (CA) w/ code applied

$480.40 - Cheapest

• Processor: Intel Core i5-2520M (2.50GHz, 3MB Cache)
• Genuine Windows 7 Professional
• Latitude E6220 Laptop
• 250 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
• 2 GB DDR3 SDRAM AT 1333MHz (1X2GB)
• 8X DVD +/- RW Drive
• Intel HD Graphics 3000

$570.12 - Best bargain

• Processor: Intel Core i5-2540M Dual Core 2.60GHz (3MB Cache)
• Genuine Windows 7 Professional
• Latitude E6220 Laptop
• 320 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
• 4 GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz (1 DIMMs)
• 8X DVD ROM Drive
• Intel HD Graphics 3000

$725.09 - Maxed out

• Processor: Intel Core i5-2520M (2.50GHz, 3MB Cache)
• Genuine Windows 7 Professional
• Latitude E6220 Laptop
• 320 GB 7200rpm FIPS Encrypted Hard Drive
• 8 GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz (2 DIMMs)
• 8X DVD +/- RW Drive
• Intel HD Graphics 3000

I'm not sure how long the code will last or how long these will stay in stock, but this is a great deal IMHO.

*I don't work for Dell and will receive 0 compensation for any sales. Just trying to help some folks out.

 

[Craig Weeding]

The sonnet card worked fine with Snow Leopard but not with Lyon

Going to try the Caldigit card today on Lyon with the Echo thunderbolt adapter.

Will post results