External USB 3.0 3.5 Inch HDD Enclosure Recommendation

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nbuubu

Limp Gawd
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Dec 7, 2009
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Looking for an External HDD enclosure recommendation, if anyone has any. Seems like the vast majority of SATA to USB 3.0 enclosures are poorly made in both build quality and chipset.

Intending to put a Seagate 4TB SSHD Desktop drive into the enclosure and use it with my Xbox One as that seems to be about the best size/speed combination for that system. Just need a good enclosure.

Looking at the Icy Dock MB559U3S-1SB, http://www.amazon.com/ICYBento-MB55...1407300822&sr=8-6&keywords=icy+dock+enclosure ... but worried that it's going to have heat issues given its lack of fan.
 
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I use a NexStar HX SuperSpeed USB 3.0. Plug and play, hasn't had a single hiccup, very attractive. I have a 4TB backup drive in it. Vantec has several lines of 3.5" enclosures, they each serve their own purpose.
 
Thanks, I was looking at the NexStar HX but wondered if that fan powers off when the drive does. I'm sure it must, right?
 
I think it does. It's so quiet that I don't hear it when it is on, so I don't really notice when it isn't on either. It's very low speed, just enough to vent the enclosure out, it's not like it is being used for active cooling or anything. I like that it blows out of the enclosure too, all you do is run your finger over the vent and it blows all the dust out of the vent mesh.
 
Get something that uses ASMedia chipset, Plugable have a few enclosures if I'm not mistaken.
//Danne
 
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I have an Icy Dock Bento and it reeks of quality compared to all of the generic external HDD enclosures I've seen.

If you're worried about heat, don't put a hot drive in it. I would put a HGST 7200RPM 4TB NAS drive in there instead of anything Seagate.

The trouble I've seen with all the hard disk enclosures with fans that cost less than the Icy Dock Bento is that they are crappy enclosures with crappy fans, and when the fans fail, you're back to square one with the drive heating itself in a box with poor ventilation.
 
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Thanks for all the advice.

Reason I was interested in the IcyDock Bento is that it just looks like the build quality is great. Only question is the heat issue.

Since this is for the Xbox One, which actually speeds up game load times with a faster HDD over USB 3.0 than the internal 2.5 inch 5400rpm drive over SATA II, I kind of wanted to get something relatively fast.

Pretty much the only use case I can imagine wanting a desktop hybrid drive is in this case, as price/performance seems that one is best.

Only problem is the Seagate failure issues I've been burned by in the past.
 
Is it possible to use an SSD in a USB 3.0 enclosure with the XBox?

Seagate 600 480GB is not much more than the 4TB spindle drive and would be worlds faster. Granted, you're getting only about 1/10th the capacity

If you need the capacity the spindle drive gives, then go with an all-aluminum enclosure. I've used the cheaper Rosewill and Masscool enclosures with zero problems.
 
DejaWiz said:
Is it possible to use an SSD in a USB 3.0 enclosure with the XBox?

Seagate 600 480GB is not much more than the 4TB spindle drive and would be worlds faster. Granted, you're getting only about 1/10th the capacity

If you need the capacity the spindle drive gives, then go with an all-aluminum enclosure. I've used the cheaper Rosewill and Masscool enclosures with zero problems.
Click to expand...

From what I've read, yes it's possible, but the speed gain is minimal compared to an SSHD or even a fast 7200rpm drive. Just have to have more than 256GB of space for the Xbox One to format it for use.

Of the few tests I've seen people run, a desktop 7200rpm drive is only marginally slower than an SSD. Sometimes identical load times. Probably limited by whatever SATA to USB 3.0 chipset is being employed by the enclosure.

Thing is, almost any USB 3.0 External is an improvement over the slow 5400rpm laptop drive they used internally.

Consensus seems to be the Seagate SSHD Desktop drive is the best balance of speed and size. But not enough people have done A/B tests.

I have upgraded the HDD in my PS4 and it definitely sped up loading vs stock.
 
nbuubu said:
From what I've read, yes it's possible, but the speed gain is minimal compared to an SSHD or even a fast 7200rpm drive. Just have to have more than 256GB of space for the Xbox One to format it for use.

Of the few tests I've seen people run, a desktop 7200rpm drive is only marginally slower than an SSD. Sometimes identical load times. Probably limited by whatever SATA to USB 3.0 chipset is being employed by the enclosure.

Thing is, almost any USB 3.0 External is an improvement over the slow 5400rpm laptop drive they used internally.

Consensus seems to be the Seagate SSHD Desktop drive is the best balance of speed and size. But not enough people have done A/B tests.

I have upgraded the HDD in my PS4 and it definitely sped up loading vs stock.
Click to expand...

I had a thought... replace the internal 5400rpm drive with a fast SSD, but after doing some research, three things become grossly apparent:
1. The speed gain is not really impressive over the factory internal HDD (only ~8% faster).
2. You will void the warranty.
3. You may have your XBL account banned.

I think you are definitely on the right track with getting an external hybrid SSHD.
 
Yeah there's a youtube video where someone replaced the factory HDD with both an SSD and the Seagate Laptop SSHD. The speed gains were definitely noticeable, but the SSD only beat the SSHD by a second or two at most.

When it comes to the external drives, the difference in some tests is even less. Probably limited by the Sata to USB chipset, because a good 7200rpm drive or the desktop SSHD were giving identical load times as the SSD.

Even though I haven't filled my HDD yet, I get almost all my games digitally and in a game like Forza 5, with some tracks taking over a minute to load, shaving off 20-25s could be big.
 
A word about external cases in general; the cheap generic ones have only a couple of pinholes on the bottom for air circulation, and almost nonexistent feet that put the bottom of the case within millimeters of the surface it's resting on. Putting such cases on something as minimal as a sheet of paper can cause a disastrous overheating that can kill the drive. You can mitigate this danger by increasing the height of the case's feet somehow; an excellent way is silicone door bumpers like these at Home Depot. The Icy Dock Bento does not have this issue; it has tall feet and a lot more than just a few pinholes for air circulation.
 
Thanks for the advice. I actually use those exact same silicone feet on almost everything ... my PS4 has a set to add some air between it and the Oppo bluray player it's sitting on.

Probably going to go for the Icy Dock Bento.
 
I'm looking at the same combo as you OP with the IcyBento enclosure and the Seagate SSHD desktop drive for my Xbox One. Did you buy yours yet?

I'm still doing some research to see if the Seagate 4TB SSHD is my fastest 7200rpm option for the X1 or if something like one of the WD Black drives would be better.
 
burningrave101 said:
I'm looking at the same combo as you OP with the IcyBento enclosure and the Seagate SSHD desktop drive for my Xbox One. Did you buy yours yet?

I'm still doing some research to see if the Seagate 4TB SSHD is my fastest 7200rpm option for the X1 or if something like one of the WD Black drives would be better.
Click to expand...

Any updates on this? I am curious as well, as I am considering a very similar build.
 
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