Question : Problem: PCI-E eSATA Controller Cards - Data Rate?

I've been looking at some PCI-E eSATA controller cards that I would like to put in a PC on our network to receive some backups.  All the ones I have found at 1x PCI-E.  Does anyone know if a 1x PCI-E slot is capable of transferring data at a rate equal to or higher than the 3 Gbit/s speed of the SATA hard drives I'll be attaching (i.e. will the PCI-E card be a bottleneck for data transfer)?

If it's not capable, are there any PCI-E 2x or 4x cards available that might be able to sustain the higher rate?  I haven't been able to find any.....

Answer : Problem: PCI-E eSATA Controller Cards - Data Rate?

I don't believe you'll find any hard drives that can push 3Gbit/s speed anywhere.  That is merely the interface speed, the drives themselves are nowhere near as fast.  A 3 Gbit/s interface is like having a pipe the size of a fire hose, hooked to a well that can only gush like a garden hose.

All the SATA drives I have seen maybe push 60 MB/sec at their VERY, VERY best, and typically it's half that, which is the equivalent of 0.25 to 0.5Gbit/sec.  Maybe in a few years, there will be drives that can saturate that.

Until then, the 1x card will be more than just fine.