The GT 050Q is a fixed-mount tabletop drive with a quad interface, utilizing FW400, FW800, USB 2.0 and eSATA connections. Depending on which port(s) your computer has, you can connect the GT 050Q in a number of ways. You’re probably already familiar with FireWire 400 and USB, so we’ll tell you a little about FireWire 800 and eSATA.

FireWire 800 Facts
• FireWire 800 supports speeds up to 800 Mb/sec, twice as fast as FireWire 400.
• If your computer does not have built-in FireWire 800, you’ll need a PCI card to achieve a true FireWire 800 connection.
• Most 800 ports are Bi-Lingual, which means they speak both FireWire 400 and FireWire 800.
• If you connect a 400 device to an 800 device, you will be running at 400 speed maximum.
• FireWire is forward-compatible and back-compatible, but the bus always runs at the speed of the slowest link.
• Beta cables are used to connect 800 devices to 800 devices.
• Bi-Lingual cables are available to connect 400 devices to 800 devices.
• Bi-Lingual cables have a 9-pin Bi-Lingual connector at one end and a 4-pin or 6-pin FireWire 400 connector at the other end

eSATA Facts
• eSATA is an external interface technology that grew from the internal SATA I interface.
• The GT 050Q’s eSATA port supports speeds up to 1.5 Gb/sec (150 MB/sec), much faster than FireWire 400 or FireWire 800.
• Shielded eSATA cables up to 2 meters in length are available.
• eSATA cables are different than SATA I cables, they are shielded and cannot be used with internal SATA I connectors.
• eSATA uses a “point-to-point” connection, therefore each eSATA drive needs to be connected to its own eSATA port.
• Most computers do not have built-in eSATA, so you’ll need a PCI card to connect your drive with eSATA.
• PCI cards are available with 2 or more ports to accommodate your drives.

Download pdf GT 050Q Quick Guide