Portable USB 3.0-to-SATA adapter the best $48 ever spent…

Think that old, decrepit dying hard drive you tossed in some box never to look at again is still useless? Think again. With as cheap and plentiful as hard drives are becoming these days, trashing an old drive simply because it’s too small is all too common. But those precious bits you’ve tossed aside have so much more potential.

One possible idea is to slap it in an enclosure or hard drive dock to make an external hard drive out of it. But who needs another USB 2.0 external hard drive? (I have 6…) It is that very question that Unitek has answered. Brando and Unitek to be exact. Now before you get all nervous by hearing the word “Brando”, make a mental note that this gadget is far from a onetime use, novelty gadget. The Unitek USB 3.0 to SATA Adapter is pure ingeniousness.

As one can gather from the name, the device is a simple adapter that attaches directly to the back of that old SATA hard drive and gives it USB 3.0 superspeed abilities. Super! There are a couple other such devices already on the market. However, those other devices require a large dock to get the bits flowing at super speeds.

Now all you need is a computer with one or more USB 3.0 ports and the motherboard to support it and you’re golden. Who says old things can’t be fast…

[Product Page]

Engadget