The design is pretty standard, aside from the obvious eSATA port there is an additional USB port and external power port. Since I haven't upgraded to the latest and greatest I7 chip and board yet I don't have a powered eSATA port. Chances are most regular consumers haven't either, therefore in order to take advantage of the eSATA capabilities; I needed to plug in a USB cable to provide power. . .



Link: BCC Hardware