2.5/3.5" Hard Drive Enclosure

I've been looking around for an enclosure for my hard drive (Fujitsu MHX2250BT, 2.5", 250GB, 4200RPM) since I'm looking to upgrade to another, better Fujitsu. I want something cheap and that can support at least a 2.5" HDD and a capacity of >=250GB, 3.5" support would be a bonus. I had been looking at this but I can't find any info on it and I'm trying to be wary of it because of that.

I was also hoping not to get a HDD docking station but that may be my only option.
Lastly, would a 3.5" enclosure be able to hold a 2.5" HDD? If so, recommend me something cheap and good (preferrably from NCIX since I'm already gonna get some other stuff there anyways).

 

For enclosure get a cover with oxford chipset and preferrably with active cooling.

Try http://www.dealsonic.com

 

But do all 3.5" enclosures allow for a 2.5" drive in them? This would make it much easier.

EDIT: need to note, has to be in Canada since I don't want to get stuck with $50 of border fees.

 

Do you need an enclosure for portability?

I use this for my 2.5"
http://usb.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id=00558&dept_id=015&cat_id=032

I would think 2.5" fits in the 3.5" but that would be dangerous as it can move around inside and break

 

I don't really need major portability, I'd just rather it not be a massive thing that I can't move back and forth (limited table space). Seems like a dock is the only thing that will work.

I had also been looking at this: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicati...?EdpNo=3293594&csid=ITD&body=MAIN#detailspecs but it doesn't say the max size of supported HDDs.

I wouldn't be too worried about a 2.5" shifting in a 3.5" enclosure since I'd pack something in there to keep it from moving around.

 

I'm not sure packing a 3.5" enclosure would be wise with the heat.

max size as in 2.5" or 3.5"? or Gigabytes?

The enclosure looks good, but: Something else to make sure - is your hard drive SATA interface?
I keep my dock on the floor, because my desk is REALLY cluttered, and it runs fine. I've accidentally kicked it a couple times, and it didn't have issues with that either. Besides, it's not any bigger than a pencil holder...

 

I'd figure something out for a way to allow for heat to get out.

GB.

Yes, SATA. I checked it on Fujitsu's site. I was also checking this one out since it allows for both 2.5/3.5" drives, but it's a docking station... http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=28316&vpn=N0028USU&manufacture=THERMALTAKE Opinions?

 

that last one looks great...yeah, I like docks better, but enclosures or docks, that's your preference.

and the enclosures don't have any GB restrictions, they're just like cases, nothing else.

(this is my last post here)

 

That's what I thought, but the one guy said that the enclosure he bought said in the manual that it might not support high capacity drives. Looks like I'll be getting a dock.

 

I have the Thermaltake and it works fine. I have a hard drive docking station, a 2.5" external enclosure and a IDE/SATA to USB 2.0 adapter and they all have their pros and cons. At my desk, I tend to use the hard drive dock the most, mostly for convenience, as it's the easiest to slip SATA drives in and out of. But it's not a portable solution.

If I'm on the go, I'll slip a 2.5" SATA drive into a 2.5" USB/eSATA external enclosure and bring that along. It's better than bringing a 3.5" drive in a 3.5" enclosure since I can power it on the laptop's USB ports, so I don't have to carry AC adapters for the enclosure.

The IDE/SATA to USB 2.0 adapter is used mostly for old IDE legacy drives I have that I sometimes need to pull files from. I never use it for SATA as it's much easier just to slip SATA drives into a hard drive dock.

 

Good to know. It's not that I really need it to be portable, I mainly just wanted the small form factor.