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.