Final Words
The card can give you the possibility of adding extra drives to your system in a very tidy manner thanks to the use of the SATA technology, and it's reduced size cabling. Performance from the card was more or less the same as an ATA133 card, but unlike the 1520 card the 1542 also has the benefit of e.SATA connections, adding to the usefulness and value of the card above that of a simple ATA133 Raid controller. Yes, you will still be limited in use of SATA drives to ATA133 speeds because of the HPT374 controller, not to mention the PCI Bus but most people agree that whilst SATA's current iteration is better it isn't usually faster than ATA133.
My main gripe with the 1542 card is the bootup time of 24 seconds. Adding the to the mix makes this a great setup, simply plug in an ATA drive and you have yourself a very fast external drive. My only disappointment here is that I had to reboot Windows to get the drive recognized. The 1542 card adds 2 internal SATA ports as well as 2 external SATA ports, but if you want to have just an external SATA port, do manufacture a SATA to e.SATA adaptor which can be had very cheaply.
I was infact surprised they didn't include this with the RocketMATE, considering how cheaply the adaptor is being sold for. For the 1542 card I would recommend this as a secondary controller to your onboard solution or as great way of getting SATA into a system that doesn't have this capability. I would recommend this card over the 1520 simply because of the ability to use e.SATA devices like the RocketMATE 1100. Coupling these 2 products makes a nice external/portable backup solution along with a tidy interface. Thanks go to for supplying the and the for review.
RocketRAID 1542 Pros
Low Profile
Simple way to add SATA to your system
Decent Software
Can give SATA ability to those without it
The e.SATA ports are great
RocketRAID 1542 Cons
24 seconds added to boot time
Limited by the PCI bus
Limited by the ATA133 controller
Floppy disks supplied, should have been a CD
RocketMATE 1100 Pros
Lightweight aluminium construction
Easy to use
Easy to install
No drivers needed
RocketMATE 1100 Cons
Windows needed a reboot to recognize the drive
For the RocketMATE 1100
Bottom Line
When you consider you're getting 2 internal SATA ports as well as 2 external SATA ports, the 1542 card has a lot of appeal, but note its limitations. The RocketMATE 1100 is a great device allowing you to connect an ATA drive to your system externally, with the benefits of speed and tidy, simple cabling. Recomended.
You can buy these devices from our friends at .
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