With the limits of the USB bandwidth restricting the option further still, you might decide to forego the option entirely and invest instead on expansion options that your new laptop can use. The reasons for this are multiple – the format is dying, as is USB 2.0 (although USB 3.0 is backward-compatible), so it makes little sense to spend money on any of these options. Image credit: Is an ExpressCard Reader the Right Option?Īs we’ve seen, the options are limited for external USB-based ExpressCard readers. This internal device can be purchased for a starting price of just $11 online. Like the external SIIG device above, this device is suitable for non-PCI Express ExpressCard devices, enabling you the expansion options of wireless WAN, flash storage and security card readers and various legacy expansion options, as well as external optical disc drives. #Pc baycard reader Pc#If you require a USB-based ExpressCard reader for your desktop PC, the SIIG USB to ExpressCard Bay Card Reader comes suitable for use with a 3.5 inch or 5.25 inch bay on your PC and connects to a spare USB port on your motherboard. Image credit SIIG USB to ExpressCard Bay Card Reader Connected to a USB 2.0 port the device allows a data transfer rate of 160 Mb/s write, 240 Mb/s read. #Pc baycard reader mac#Suitable for ExpressCard/34 devices, the much more expensive Sony SBAC-US10 Card Reader (available online at upwards of $250) comes equipped with its own AC adaptor in order to deliver an independent power supply.ĭesigned for use with a Windows or Mac PC that doesn’t have its own ExpressCard slot, you can use the Sony SBAC-US10 Card Reader specifically with narrower, ExpressCard/34 storage devices. One of the top choices to afford you the flexibility of an ExpressCard on your laptop or desktop is the SIIG USB to ExpressCard Adapter, which uses a spare USB 2.0 port on your computer and adds a single ExpressCard/54 slot.ĭesigned to allow the use of wireless WAN modems (such as those that afford GPRS, CDMA, EDGE connectivity) as well as flash storage, security card readers and legacy expansion options, the SIIG USB to ExpressCard Adapter is available online for between $25 and $35. Note that these devices will only run at the maximum USB 2.0 bandwidth, so PCI Express-based ExpressCard devices cannot be used. Luckily there are some solutions available to you here, most notably with the use of USB ExpressCard readers that can be connected to the USB port of your new laptop. However, times are changing and with the introduction of USB 3.0 and e-SATA, you might find that by upgrading your laptop you use the additional functionality that an ExpressCard delivers. Designed to enable high-speed connectivity for various external devices, ExpressCard is most popular as an expansion port for laptops (although there are other uses such as external graphics cards). Developed and introduced as a replacement for PCMCIA, ExpressCard is a much faster card-slot that can be found on many laptops produced in the past few years.
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