Good USB 3.0 SATA 6Gb/s 2.5 enclosure?

C

cyclone3d

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Messages
16,293
I am in the market for a good USB 3.0 SATA III 2.5" enclosure.

Been doing a bit of searching and a lot of them seem to have a lot of reviews of different brands/models that said the enclosure died after about 1 month.

Anybody have a recommendation for one that they have actually had for a while that gives the advertised speed AND has been reliable?
 
I have the SIIG one thats 3.1 but its super cheap and a pain to open and close due to needing 4 screws.
 
Looks like I am going to be looking at USB 3.1 enclosures instead of just 3.0.

I already have a USB 3.0/eSata dock, so don't need anything additional there.

I'm wanting this to use an SSD with.
 
cyclone3d said:
Is the all plastic one really ok? A lot of the reviews say it is cheaply made.
Click to expand...

I guess it all depends on what the usage scenario is going to be for the drive.

Is the drive going to be a portable drive that you tuck into your bag or pocket, or is the drive gonna sit on the desk all day?
 
Space_Ranger said:
I guess it all depends on what the usage scenario is going to be for the drive.

Is the drive going to be a portable drive that you tuck into your bag or pocket, or is the drive gonna sit on the desk all day?
Click to expand...

Portable. Startech has an aluminum version for a bit more. I will probably get that one.
 
cyclone3d said:
Portable. Startech has an aluminum version for a bit more. I will probably get that one.
Click to expand...
Startech makes some good stuff.. Let us know how your experience is after you get some usage out of it. I have a couple of SSD's lying around that I could do this with as well (just haven't thought about doing it).
 
SomeGuy133 said:
its a fair price for what you pay for...but cheap is still cheap but cheap ebign sold as cheap is fine of course :D
Click to expand...

Why go expensive for the same performance? All my Anker/Inatech etc. stuff maxes out the USB3.0 spec just fine. It just sits on my desk it doesn't move plus its pretty well made actually. Doesn't have to be made from milled aluminium or titanium as that doesn't give you better USB speeds.

The Apple effect kicking in again.:D

For enclosures I swear by these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inateck-Ex...1468493057&sr=8-3&keywords=usb3+enclosure+2.5
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
daglesj said:
Why go expensive for the same performance? All my Anker/Inatech etc. stuff maxes out the USB3.0 spec just fine. It just sits on my desk it doesn't move plus its pretty well made actually. Doesn't have to be made from milled aluminium or titanium as that doesn't give you better USB speeds.

The Apple effect kicking in again.:D

For enclosures I swear by these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inateck-Ex...1468493057&sr=8-3&keywords=usb3+enclosure+2.5
Click to expand...
future proofing....and USB 3.0 doesn't reach full SATA 3 speeds

also metal is more durable..worth the money if it iss going to be crushed when traveling.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
SomeGuy133 said:
future proofing....and USB 3.0 doesn't reach full SATA 3 speeds
Click to expand...

And neither will a metal one. Just more weight to carry around. If you are tossing stuff around I'll take ABS over metal. Lots of metal things in a bag...scratchy scratchy.

Each to their own.
 
daglesj said:
Why go expensive for the same performance? All my Anker/Inatech etc. stuff maxes out the USB3.0 spec just fine. It just sits on my desk it doesn't move plus its pretty well made actually. Doesn't have to be made from milled aluminium or titanium as that doesn't give you better USB speeds.

The Apple effect kicking in again.:D

For enclosures I swear by these - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inateck-Ex...1468493057&sr=8-3&keywords=usb3+enclosure+2.5
Click to expand...

SomeGuy133 said:
future proofing....and USB 3.0 doesn't reach full SATA 3 speeds

also metal is more durable..worth the money if it iss going to be crushed when traveling.
Click to expand...
daglesj said:
And neither will a metal one. Just more weight to carry around. If you are tossing stuff around I'll take ABS over metal. Lots of metal things in a bag...scratchy scratchy.

Each to their own.
Click to expand...

I looked at reviews of a bunch of the plastic USB 3.0 ones. A lot of people said that either:
1. They died after about a month
2. There was nothing to hold the drive in place - it could come unplugged from the SATA port if it was moved around.
3. They were super cheaply made.

I also looked at some of the metal USB 3.0 ones and found from reviews that:
1. They really were not all that more reliable than the plastic ones.
2. Some had issues where stuff on the circuit boards would shot out on the case and required that you use electrical tape to insulate them so they would actually work.

As for scratching stuff because it is metal, that is why I use a laptop bag with separate compartments. Why would I throw everything into a single pocket bag for carrying around?

I could order a claimed USB 3.1 10Gb metal enclosure from China for about $6, but not sure if I want to take the chance since the description doesn't match the picture and I haven't gotten a reply from the seller.
Aluminum USB 3.1 SATA 2.5 Hard Drive Disk HDD External Enclosure Case Box Laptop

This one seems like it would be ok, and is cheaper than the Startech one, but doesn't look as sturdy.
USB 3.1 Type C To 2.5" SATA3.0 HDD Enclosure Case USB-C SSD Tool Free Mobile Box

Here is a Vantec one that looks suspiciously almost identical to the one above this - says the oldest OS it will work with is Windows 7, and looks like is doesn't have backwards compatibility with USB 1.x.
VANTEC NST-270A31-BK Aluminum / Plastic 2.5" Black Standard SATA Micro B 2.5” SATA 6 Gb/s to USB 3.1 Gen II Type-A SSD/HDD Enclosure - Newegg.com

Here is what looks to be the Siig branded enclosure that looks pretty much the same as the two above:
SIIG USB 3.1 to SATA 2.5 External Hard Drive Enclosure - Newegg.com

And here is the Startech one I am looking at - says OS independent and has full USB backward compatibility.
StarTech.com USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Enclosure for 2.5" SATA Drives - Ultra-fast, Portable Single-Drive Enclosure for SSD/HDD - Aluminum - Newegg.com

I have some other Startech stuff, such as a couple MST hubs as well as a dual bay HDD USB 3.0/eSATA dock.

The only thing I dislike about the dock is that it is all plastic and I ended up breaking one of the dust flaps for one of the HDD ports on it.
 
Last edited:
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I have the SIIG...its a POS but was cheapest when i bought it...which is why i bought it lol and it uses a usb b? to usb b? cable so it is a very rare cable.

I would go vantec or startech personally.

Also all these places don't even design these (or at least in this case--->). They buy them from someone who designed and sells to them. That is why you see the same flash light or other small peripheral with 6 different brand names. Some manufacture makes these and sells them to several brands (anker, vantec, startech, or some other china brand).
 
jwcalla said:
What kind of IOPS can you get over USB vs SATA?
Click to expand...
depends on how your PC and external are designed. USB passed an optional standard and a finalized standard that made USB act like SATA. I believe thats another reason why I bought 3.1 because it standardized in 3.1 spec but option in 3.0. I forget the name but had to do with protocals IIRC. wikipedia should talk about it
 
SomeGuy133 said:
depends on how your PC and external are designed. USB passed an optional standard and a finalized standard that made USB act like SATA. I believe thats another reason why I bought 3.1 because it standardized in 3.1 spec but option in 3.0. I forget the name but had to do with protocals IIRC. wikipedia should talk about it
Click to expand...

UASP I believe is what it's called... Any dock that supports UASP should deliver decent IOPS...
 
I've bought four of the Inateck enclosures and all of them are still going just fine over two years. The drives don't fall out either. They top out at 460MBps.

I can only imagine any negatives were from Mac users who are usually quite inept when it comes to hardware for some reason. Look up most hardware reviews on Amazon where you have 1000 5 star reviews and 5 1 star.

The five 1 star reviews will probably all say "Crap...wouldn't work with Mac!"
 
Last edited:
been a while since I've bought one, but Vantec and Icydock always made good stuff. Startech also makes some great products.
 
Anybody know what usb-SATA bridge chip is used in the Vantec NST-266S3-BK enclosure? I am looking for another USB3 enclosure, also considering an ********** 2588S3 that is said to have an Asmedia 1153E chip, which is claimed to support SMART data.
 
Dk975 said:
Anybody know what usb-SATA bridge chip is used in the Vantec NST-266S3-BK enclosure? I am looking for another USB3 enclosure, also considering an ********** 2588S3 that is said to have an Asmedia 1153E chip, which is claimed to support SMART data.
Click to expand...
As long as the enclosure supports UASP, you'll get your SMART data. The Vantec supports UASP so you should be good to go... The ********** also supports UASP, so either one should be good to go for SMART data.
 
Space_Ranger said:
As long as the enclosure supports UASP, you'll get your SMART data. The Vantec supports UASP so you should be good to go... The ********** also supports UASP, so either one should be good to go for SMART data.
Click to expand...
In that case, I may go with the Vantec as I like metal enclosures and have had good luck with Vantec. Too bad it has 6 screws to use.
 
Dk975 said:
In that case, I may go with the Vantec as I like metal enclosures and have had good luck with Vantec. Too bad it has 6 screws to use.
Click to expand...

Well, if it is an enclosure that you are not going to be swapping drives out on all the time, I would welcome the screws as it is going to be more secure than some cheap clip together enclosure.
 
I just tested a bunch of these.
ANKER and ********** were identical units different brands, identical performance.
Next up performance-wise was Startech.
Last was Inateck which was absolutely TERRIBLE. We're talking about error out on more than 1 enclosure from them, and even before that performance was MUCH worse than the other brands.

(I used the SAME SSD, and same model SSD and swapped to make sure it wasn't a drive issue too for anyone wanting to be sure, same for USB cables).

Go with an ANKER or OIRCO and be done.
 
I totally agree with that, and lots of brand such as ********** Inateck, AUKEY and hootoo, sometimes I could not tell the difference without brand logo.
 
ToddW2 said:
I just tested a bunch of these.
ANKER and ********** were identical units different brands, identical performance.
Next up performance-wise was Startech.
Last was Inateck which was absolutely TERRIBLE. We're talking about error out on more than 1 enclosure from them, and even before that performance was MUCH worse than the other brands.

(I used the SAME SSD, and same model SSD and swapped to make sure it wasn't a drive issue too for anyone wanting to be sure, same for USB cables).

Go with an ANKER or OIRCO and be done.
Click to expand...

What was the performance difference between between the ANKER/********** and the Startech?

Which specific Startech model did you test?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top