Wich external E-SATA hard drive case to get?

E

ellover009

[H]ard|Gawd
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I am planning on getting a external HD to back up my things so I have decided to make my own. for a HD I am looking at a Seagate 500GB SATA 3gbs.
Tough part is the enclosures, here's what I've looked at so far, feel free to recommend things, I want something with good built, e-sata and with the cable that goes inside the case for the e-sata.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817425003

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817716043

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371008
The antec says its also works for Vista, holds up to 750GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817193024

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2145406&CatId=2780
 
The eagle works in Vista as well. And it's one of the cheapest. Pretty good unit for the price imho. No need to spend $50 on something like this.
 
Only thing I can see is that the eagle does not have a cooling system, I also don't see any detail of what comes in the box.

I am stuck between this and the Antec.
 
I was going to suggest the Vantec also (we have 4 or 5 of them), but I only use the USB port. It appears that those who post on the newegg site appear to have problems with the e-sata port.
 
GeorgeHR said:
I was going to suggest the Vantec also (we have 4 or 5 of them), but I only use the USB port. It appears that those who post on the newegg site appear to have problems with the e-sata port.
Click to expand...

Learn to not read reviews. Most of them are idiots ;) This is why forums are so helpful, to filter all the FUD.
 
I was actually looking a lot into the e-sata, I have a dslr and want to use the HD to back up pictures, videos, music ect, my friend works a lot with computers so I can take my things with me, I wanna take advantage of the faster speeds from e-sata.
 
Do you guys know which one has the best e-sata? I want the fastest transfer speed possible but to also keep usb2.0 in case I use another pc.
 
I have four of the Antec MX-1s and they are the best external enclosure I have ever had.. Why?

1) Comes with an eSATA cord AND a PCI adapter bracket AND a USB cable
2) Fan cooled and I can't even hear the fan when It's sitting 1.5 ft away from my head on my desk
3) The fan works VERY well. The airflow path draws air over the top of the drive, over the front, and under the drive. It exhaust out the back.
4) You can mount it either vertical or horizontal.
5) The drive mounts on soft rubber grommets.

The only thing I find weird about the enclosure is that the activity light is "opposite". It's normally on, but goes out when there is activity..

I would highly recommend the MX-1.

Actually, my co-worker just bought one today to hook up to his Tivo Series 3. The MX-1 is the most recommended enclosure on the Tivo forums because it has a fan, does eSATA, and has a "physical" power switch. I guess some enclosures only have a momentary switch. So if the power goes out then the drive stays off until you turn it back on. This is bad for the Tivo. When the power comes back on the Tivo will sit there and wait for you to power the drive and not record any of your shows.. The MX-1 doesn't have this issue..

Riley
 
Thanks man, how do u think the Antec feels? does it feel good quality or cheap?
I'd be nice if they sold a metal enclosure.
 
I recommend the AZiO eSATA + USB 3.5" external enclosure

I've been using them for almost a year. I have 4 right now, probably going to get another one soon. Comes with eSATA bracket. I was getting over 80MB/s burst speeds over eSATA last time I checked. I have a 750GB drive in one of them.

The stand works surprisingly well too. I was using the stands for 3 of them on top of my computer case but now I just stack them all since there wasn't enough room for a 4th.
 
The Antec seems very nice. The blower style fan, the silicone and rubber dampening are plus points. As other people have pointed out, external enclosures really do cook drives if there's not enough air. Probably the only thing I didn't like about it was the lack of integrated PSU and the less than glamorous look.

Here's another enclosure, its fairly expensive but it's probably one of the best looking enclosures in this form factor and has an integrated PSU with fan and Firewire 400/800 in addition to USB2 and eSATA (including all cables):

http://www.satagear.com/USBG-CG35SSA_SATA_3.5_inch_Enclosure.html
 
ellover009 said:
Thanks man, how do u think the Antec feels? does it feel good quality or cheap?
I'd be nice if they sold a metal enclosure.
Click to expand...

It has a good feel. The top and bottom are anodized aluminum. The sides are plastic and I think they have rubber bumpers.. Maybe not though.. There is also a stand that lets it sit vertical..

Riley
 
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