In 2009 there were an estimated 41 million notebooks sold in the United States. Many of those notebooks sold do not support USB 3.0、 the latest standard for the universal serial bus boasting up to 10x the speed of USB 2.0. Even though it is backwards compatible, you will not reap the benefits of added speed unless you use a USB3.0 specific port.

Fortunately thanks to 3^rd party peripheral manufacturers such as Vantec there are methods to “update” your notebook. The Vantec 2-Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ExpressCard/34 slots into your notebook’s ExpressCard slot and provides two USB 3.0 ports.

Specifications

Vantec 2-Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ExpressCard/34 (UGT-UC302CB)
Dimensions (LWH)
W/O ExpressCard/54 Adapter: 4.57 x 1.58 x 0.59
W/O ExpressCard/54 Adapter: 4.57 x 2.13 x 0.71
Weight: N/A
Material: Metal and Plastic
External Interface: ExpressCard/34/54 and 2 X USB 3.0
Color: Black / Silver

Price: Around $50 (USD)

A Closer Look

Inside the sporty red and black box lays the ExpressCard Adapter itself, an ExpressCard/54 Adapter, a driver DVD and an instruction manual. The ExpressCard comes in what we believe to be an anti-static bag protecting it from any static electricity.

As the title indicates the ExpressCard adapter has two USB 3.0 ports; both have the popular blue plastic trim on the inside. Moreover on the side there is a standard 5v power adapter which is optional. The quality of the materials used is solid and ready for the bumps and scrapes of daily life.

The general build of the ExpressCard is great, both plastic ends are durable. The weakest part of the build is the metal; though the connection between the metal and plastic segments is inseparable and inflexible.

Setup and Installation

If your notebook has ExpressCard 34 then there is no need to attach the ExpressCard 54 size adapter. Most of the larger notebooks, however, have the 54 variant where the size adapter has to be used. For those who plan to put the size adapter away the metal hook on it collapses inwards and tucks away in order to protect it from being bent when detached.

Generally, without looking at the manual installation is confusing, but if the instructions are followed it becomes simple positioning and clipping.

On the other hand, installing the software is much simpler than one expects. There are no options that need deciding. All that has to be done is to agree to the terms and then the installation itself.

Performance

To test the ExpressCard’s performance we ran benchmarks with a single hard drive used in two separate enclosures: a USB 3.0/2.0 enclosure, and a eSata enclosure.  All speeds are in MB/s (Mega Bytes Per Second.

USB 2.0	USB 3.0	eSATA
	ATTO Bench
Highest Transfer Speed: 22	Highest Transfer Speed: 66	Highest Transfer Speed: 74
	HD Tune
Average Transfer Speed: 21.2	Average Transfer Speed: 57	Average Transfer Speed: 64.5
	Crystal Disk Mark
Average Read: 22.29 Average Write:19.74	Average Read: 64.77 Average Write:43.33	Average Read:70.37 Average Write:69.97

Conclusion

The Vantec 2-Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ExpressCard/34 is a great option for those looking for higher transfer speeds and do not have a built in eSATA port or USB 3.0 Port. Setup and usability is simple while performance and its quality are top notch.