Will this work with a USB external drive?

No. It is an eSATA-to-eSATA cable only and will not connect to a USB port or a USB-only enclosure.

Is it the same as an internal SATA cable?

No. The connectors are eSATA, which are shielded and shaped differently from the internal SATA plugs used inside a case.

About 3 ft (roughly 0.9 m), which suits a drive sitting next to or just behind a desktop.

eSATA was designed with hot-swap in mind, but support depends on your host controller and drive enclosure, so check those before relying on it.

No drivers are needed for the cable itself. Your eSATA controller handles the connection.

At Staples, for $11.99, as of our latest check.

2 stores we checked sell it, including Staples, Newegg.

$11.99at StaplesChecked 9 h ago

Compared across 2 stores. Prices are checked against each store and labelled with when. Store links may earn us a commission. Price via Klarna.

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