CalDigit FASTA 6GU3Pro PCIe Host Adapter Review

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Anyone that has spent time around a PC or Mac has heard of the CalDigit brand. CalDigit has been making high-performance storage solutions catered to the prosumer market since its beginnings.

In the lab today, we have the latest product refresh from CalDigit in the form of the 6GU3Pro. The 6GU3 Pro is a PCI Express expansion card giving additional eSATA and USB 3.0 connectivity to Mac and PC users alike. What previously took multiple cards and populated multiple slots in a traditional system can now be had in one simple solution.

Compatibility of the 6GU3 Pro extends to Windows 7+ and OS X 10.7+. Of course, you will need an available PCIe-x4 slot as well. MSRP of the 6GU3 Pro is listed at $169.99 with a one-year warranty.

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Looking over the card, we find CalDigit's signature purple PCB. The center of the card houses the PLX for direct PCIe connections to the SATA and USB 3.0 controller.

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The back I/O of the 6GU3 houses dual eSATA 6Gb/s ports along with dual USB 3.0 ports that support the latest UASP protocol.

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On the edge of the PCB, we found additional SATA ports.

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The SATA controller used on the 6GU3 is the Marvell 88SE9230.

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The USB 3.0 host controller used is the Fresco Logic FL1100.

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Above, we have the results from testing the SATA ports on the 6GU3. As you can see, we were able to touch 498 MB/s read and 350 MB/s write with our Seagate 600 Pro.

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Over on the eSATA side, our Seagate 600 Pro was able to touch 496 MB/s read and 350 MB/s write.

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Above, we have the results from the USB 3.0 testing. We used the very fast SSD2Go Pro from Angelbird. Peak speeds came in at 350 MB/s read and 370 MB/s write.

The CalDigit 6GU3Pro has the unique ability to do multiple things in one form factor. In the beginning, if you wanted to have all these connection options, you would be running multiple cards populating many slots in your system. With the CalDigit, you can add USB 3.0, eSATA, and SATA to your PC using one solution.

Build quality of the CalDigit 6GU3 is exceptional; all of the solder joints look solid, and the PCB looks to be at least a five layer design. Performance of the adapter was great in both eSATA and SATA. We touched 500 MB/s in both testing scenarios. USB 3.0 performance was solid, but if we compare to native USB 3.0 on our Intel chipset, it came in slightly slower.

Overall, the CalDigit is a great solution for those looking to add on to existing connectivity options or even get their first taste of USB 3.0 on older systems.

MSRP of the CalDigit 6GU3Pro sits at $169.99 with a one-year warranty. Current market pricing can be found below.

PRICING: You can find the CalDigit 6GU3 (non-PRO) for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing, but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The CalDigit 6GU3 (non-PRO) retails for $199.99 at Amazon.

Canada: The CalDigit 6GU3 (non-PRO) retails for CDN $149.00 at Amazon Canada.

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