This was one of the funnier 'electronics' items I ever got and... I like it but anyone considering it should be aware that this case does not travel well - see below.
The most interesting feature about the case is the design, so to speak. If you can imagine your HDD inside a box of Altoids Curiously Strong Mints and you don't mind it being there then this case is for you. There are no screws or hinges or locks and none are needed for as long as your case doesn't move much. What you get is a little tin box where you press the top part on after you literally squeeze in your 2.5 SATA drive and it kind of clicks in and it stays that way because it's not easy to reopen it.
This is great design - how come no one else thought of it? - and I applaud it but, like I said, I would not carry this case in my shirt pocket or even in my laptop bag. Murphy's law being what it is, the lid just might pop open and the HDD may come out and, in the process, maybe damage the case own USB interface or, worse, its own connectors, making itself useless. However, as a stationary external HDD solution, it's tops on the price/performance curve.
- INSTALLATION - Without exaggeration, it took less than 2 minutes, most of the time spent to actually open the empty box because it comes closed. Must be careful with those connectors but that's all. Once you snap in the lid, your drive is encased and ready to use. On a Vista and on a Windows 7 computer it was recognized within seconds.
- CONTENTS - Other than the tin/aluminum case, you get a little USB cable to connect to your computer [mine was junk - see my note below]. It's split for 2 'A' (wider connectors), just in case your HDD needs to draw power from 2 USB ports but my 500GB, 2.5" SATA is happy with just one. You should make sure that your HDD is connected to a 'powered' USB port - some USB port splitters/hubs do not power all or some of their ports. There is also a postage-sized manual that discusses setup under Windows 98 or Windows 2000 and when it's safe to disconnect the drive - the English is a solid B+. I don't believe I found any warranty promises but warranties on items this inexpensive are silly to begin with. There is also some cheap neoprene-like pouch, presumably to be used while traveling. It's actually a good thing to have, IF you insist on taking your encased disc on the road because it improves the odds of keeping the whole thing together - remember, there are no screws.
- PERFORMACE - For a stationary drive, it fully meets my expectation. The interface is USB 2.0 so you should expect way over 100MB/s when it comes to data rates. The aluminum/tin case, being metal, is quite good at dissipating heat and the disc seems to be running pretty cool inside.
I am very happy with this inexpensive case and I will consider getting more if I end up with more loose 2.5" SATAs (it happens when you upgrade or your old laptop turns obsolete) and decide to use them as stationary external HDDs or simply to store the discs and put them away for data archiving while keeping easy access to the data via the USB port.
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Note:
After posting the review above where the case was used with one of my own USB cable, I actually used the supplied 'free' USB wire and, to my surprise, the disc was either not recognized, I was being prompted to format the perfectly good disc or, from time to time, it WAS recognized. On occasions, the LED would blink red indicating that the the disc was 'writing' something (scary) and it would not stop unless I turned off the computer.
To make the story short, IF you are having trouble connecting the disc to your computer with the supplied USB wire, the first thing you should do is try another USB cable. I hope that most of the USB cables shipped are good but... you never now. I'm taking a star away for the scare I got - asking me to 'format' a perfectly good drive. 2.5" SATA Hard Drive Case (Blue) 500GB Max Capacity
I took the 80 Gig drive from my PS3 out (it's the PS3 that came with MGS4) and put in a 640Gig drive. Then I ordered this little blue firecracker. Cracked open the case (no screws) and slid the drive in (took about 30 seconds). Next, went to the start menu in Windows 7, typed "run" in the search box and typed diskmgmt.msc. Last step - formatted the drive. Now I have an iPod sized 80 Gig drive that cost me about $10. If I need to "secure" this bad boy from cracking open, I guess I could slap some duct tape around it, seem pretty tight though. Bottom line .... this is the case to get if you want to enclose the 2.5 inch drive you take out of your PS3.
This Sata drive is great. I love the fact that it can easily pop open and get your SATA drive in there
fast. No screws are necessary. Easy to check out a bad SATA drive, without needed a screwdriver. A++
It is a very versatile enclosure, you can easily swap SATA drives with no down time, because it doesn't require screws; The only minor complaint I can have is the shipment, the envelope is not enough protected to avoid little dents in the metallic surface; but besides that it is the perfect enclosure for me.
This is a great exteranl drive for the price. Its light weight, easy to open. It work first time with my 250G Western Digital 2.5". Couple things of interest though is that when I loaded a 15G SSD the r/w indicator light stayed red all the time even thought it functioned perfectly as an exteranl drive. Other than that I think it is a great product!
a wonderful item with simple design and ease of instalation and functionality of sata int hd upto 500gb capacity! In this encosure case, the int hd ( mind well only sata ) is fitted in groove and no extra micro screws or s. driver is needed to fit in the enclosure and it is plug n play with only one usb2.0 plug. nothing being hot during operation. imagin all these in a price of only $8( no tax, no shipping),that is only possible at amezon!cheers. - Sata Case - External Hard Drive Case - Hdd Enclosure - Hard Drive Enclosure'
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