Case for external harddrive

Hey .

I want to use my old 500GB 7200rpm 2.5' Seagate Momentus as an external harddrive for backups. I'm completely overwhelmed by the choices of cases though and need help X_x .

My notebook (see signature) has an eSATA port and 4 USB 3.0 ports. I've read, that eSATA would require an additional power-cable to be connected to the HD. I'm not sure, whether eSATA has any advantages over USB 3.0 with UASP. I'm also not sure, if my notebook and OS support UASP, I have a "USB extensible Host Controller" in the device manager, so I guess it can. At last, I have read, that USB 3.1 is compatible towards USB 3.0, but don't know what to do with that info, as they said, that even older hardware can be compatible, does that mean my notebook with USB 3.0 could use the advantages of 3.1?

I'd prefer a case that has a controller, because otherwise, it would run the whole time as I understood it. These are the ones, that currently seem most attractive to me, but they're expensive :/ :

https://www.vibuonline.de/product_i...l--6-35cm--eSATAp-USB-3-0-schwarz_748484.html

https://www.vibuonline.de/product_i...2-5Zoll--6-35cm--USB-3-1-schwarz_1005186.html

https://www.vibuonline.de/product_i...35cm--USB-3-0-schwarz_951649.html#description

 

Either eSATA or USB 3.0 is faster than a mechanical hard drive which will have a peak sustained transfer rate of around 100MB/s. You will probably need to set the drive policy to "Optimize for Best Performance" in Device Manager in order to get good performance.

I would start by looking at the least expensive USB 2.5" enclosure I can find and seeing if there are any seriously negative comments.

In my experience external drives will go to sleep if they are not being used (there is probably a time-out setting in Windows power management) but this one has an on/off switch.

John

 

Thx for that tip @ John Ratsey .

Knowing that I could take the cheapest case possible, I searched a little bit, and look what I found:

https://geizhals.de/cnmemory-zinc-3-0-blau-a759606.html?hloc=de

An aluminium-case for 6€, that someone tries to sell on Amazon for over 30€ *lol* .

I read the ratings on it. The producer even saved on a proper mechanism to fixiate the harddrive so they send rubber-plates and what I also read is, that the connector at the case is not even USB-standard, probably so they don't need to pay licence fees, but otoh, it's 1. an aluminium-case that actually looks really nice, and what's unbelievable is, that according to others, it has an absolutely excellent high-end controller from one of the best brands in it, which provides excellent transfer-rates and with a controller, the HD also doesn't spin the whole time.

So it seems, that the producer saved the money at the right place .

[EDIT]

@John Ratsey : I think in Windows, Windows can shut off the drive using power-save iirc., but I could imagine, that if one would i. e. connect the device to a router or a PS4 or so, that those don't support such power-save-functions.

 

If that case works well, it does look nice and the price can hardly be beat. If it runs into issues, I'd recommend the Vantec NexStar CX USB 3.0. I've used both that and its USB 2.0 predecessor, and they're good, reliable, easy-to-insert-the-drive enclosures. I've tried a few other drives, both cheaper and more expensive, when I was switching to USB 3.0 from 2.0, but had a hard time finding the same mix of easy-to-add-the-drive and won't-fall-apart-quickly.

 

At that price the cheap case is worth trying.

If the controller chip is good then it may well implement power saving. There's some discussion of SATA power management here.

John

 

And where do I find the "Buy"-Button?

http://www.rohling-express.com/rohlingexpress-p9386h1210s1211-CnMemory-Leergehaeus.html

Or do you firstly have to create an account for it I wonder?

Edit: Okay! "Betriebsferien", I got it!

 

@Seraiel I suggest getting the cheapest ones, those below $5. You'll hardly notice the difference.

 

Here is a link to more sellers. Some don't have hollidays currently and you can also get other colors like black or red, but look out, some sellers want up to 70cent more for the case, that's almost 15% .

 

I tried it today and it failed on the first run! My HDD's weren't recognized and they were spinning loop-wise. Furthermore the build Quality is bad, the Controller is only held by a Piece of glued foam. The screws are Allen screws (six-sided), WTH???

I returned it and ordered a case from Inateck. Seems more expensive but I'm eager to find out, if the Speeds mentioned are true and it comes without screws. Makes a change less finicky!

 

By allen screws, do you mean hex head bolts, or socket cap screws?

An allen key is just a generic name for any hex wrench.

 

I'll report about my experiences tomorrow or the day after. I knew, that the interior looks ugly, but the fact, that the controller is so good pursuaded me. Afaik, the more expensive Inatek doesn't even have one. Also I don't care, what my HD looks on the inside ^^ . As long as I can make it run by whatever means, it looks pretty from the outside. If I remember, I'll make a few Photos of the interior and the final look, aswell as post a benchmark.

 

I've been using the Icy Box IB-254U3 External Enclosure for 2.5 inch SATA HDD with USB 3.0 interface external caddy... Works perfect for me!