Attractive USB Hard Drive Enclosure for SATA drives with power management software – Joe
SUMMARY: Attractive USB Hard Drive Enclosure for SATA drives with power management software.
The good guys at Vantec were nice enough to send a sample of their Vantec NexStar 3i to try out. This external enclosure ships with power management software.
Key Features
- Built-in Power Management Function – user can set Idle, Stand By and Power Down
- USB Interface
- Aluminum construction, LED function lights
- Accommodates 3.5″ SATA Drives
- External power supply
- Includes USB cable, Manual and Program disk
- Size: 198 x 125 x 33 mm
The back shows the USB and power ports and the On/Off switch:
The sleeve is attached to the case with two screws; the sleeve is shown below:
The PCB has a three prong port for the LED:
Attache the drive by sliding it into the connector, screw it to the sleeve and you’re set to go:
Parts that ship with the enclosure include the external power supply and USB cable:
Included with Vantec’s NexStar 3i includes a program to manage the drive’s power state. Opening the program leads to this screen:
There are three options the user can select:
Users can select times for the drive to Stand By and Power Off:
For those who use an external drive continuously, this is a nice power conserving option.
I tried Vantec’s NexStar SATA Drive Dock on a Seagate Barracuda 250 GB, 7200 rpm hard drive with the following results:
Typical USB 2.0 performance.
A very nice way to keep an external enclosure attached full time an conserve electricity and drive hours.
Thanks again to Vantec for sending this our way to try out.
Related posts:
- Vantec NexStar SX 2.5″ HD Enclosure
- Vantec NexStar 2.5″ HD Enclosure
- Vantec NexStar-3
- Vantec NexStar MX
- Vantec NexStar 3 NTS-360SU
Tags: Systems & Components
