Caldigit FASTA-2ex-2Port eSata Express Card First Look.

CalDigit FASTA-2ex 2-Port eSATA Express Card Mini Review.


This is a small review of the Caldigit FASTA-2ex Express Card which is being used alongside a 2.66Ghz Macbook Pro i7 laptop running the Mac OSX Leopard 10.6.8 operating system.

Having purchased the FASTA-2ex-2 Port eSata card directly from Caldigit UK via its new online store the card was set for delivery by FedEX on Christmas Eve. After a short hick-up with the delivery time due to myself and family doing some last minute Christmas shopping we had missed the package, but a quick phone call to FedEX they were able to confirm the item would be available for collection later that evening around 6pm.

The FedEX personnel were very helpful so close to Christmas, and later on that evening the express card was duly picked up by my wife from my local FedEX branch just outside our home town of Carrickfergus.

Having owned a PCi version of the Caldigit eSata card with Superlane for the Power Macintosh G5 computer I needed to upgrade to a newer card suitable for my Intel Core i7 MacBook Pro.

l had contacted Caldigit via email around October 2011 to ask if the new version of the FASTA -2ex was compatible with the i7 Macbook Pro and was told ''Yes, it is Compatible" this was great news to me as I could now connect my older Caldigit S2VR Duo 1.5TB hard drive to my laptop through the FASTA-2ex Express Card saving on the cost of buying another 2 raid hard drive.
The Caldigit software and the FASTA-2ex express card were both installed quite quickly and without much problems on Boxing day. Having checked the Disk Utility App on my macintosh the S2VR raid drive icon now showed up on my desktop and was available for use.

With Regard to the speed of the FASTA-2ex card Caldigit say its 6G Technology is designed for demanding content creators with applications like Video, Audio, and Photography the card also includes 2 eSata ports and is backward compatible with eSata devices and is now available for use on any MacBook Pro laptop fitted with the express 34 card slot.

As I said this is not a comprehensive review, but I hope the Caldigit FASTA Express Card will be a welcome addition to my workflow making it easier to connect eSata equipped hard drives back into my photographic system, thus keeping me up to date with all my data both now and in the future.

This mini review is for anyone interested in adding eSata to a non Thunderbolt MacBook Pro via the Express slot option and using quick eSata drives on a mac laptop.

My Thoughts on the Caldigit FASTA-2ex Card

1. Easy to Install the drivers which are supplied on CD for Mac or Windows.

2. The card is fast on a MacBook Pro.

3. Small card size gives for quick installation
(Simply pushes into the express card slot).

4. Easier to hook-up eSata devices on a MacBook Pro laptop.

5. Cost of ownership around £85.00 UK.

I will be adding some update photographs for viewers wishing to see the Caldigit FASTA-2ex 2-Port eSata Express Card before they purchase.


Thanks for Looking in.

Mark Ireland
© 2011 VividIrelandPhotography