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    eSATA enclosure

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by simonov, Sep 3, 2008.

  1. simonov

    simonov Notebook Consultant

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    Hi notebookfriends!

    Just recently I've ordered a seagate momentus 7200.3 320 GB for my asus G1s. Its not here yet, but as for now, I'm looking for a good, cheap, case/enclosure for my old, 160 gb hitachi (HTS542516K9 SA00).

    On my laptop I have an eSATA port, which I havent used before. Now I have some questions about eSATA:
    -does it always need its own powerinput? I read somewhere that you need an adapter plugged in all the time, which is not so useful for notebooks
    -im looking for an eSata because it is faster, but the enclosures are more expensive. is tis correct?
    -Is it dangerous to plug out the esata cable when pc is still running?
    -is it possble to have a small esata case, with max 2 cables, that i can move easily -using esata, not usb-

    My questions arent really coming to a point: I need an enclosure, any suggestions? :)

    Thank you very very much! Ie been waiting for this HDD for so long...

    Simon
     
    simonov, Sep 3, 2008
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  2. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    Andy, Sep 3, 2008
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  3. Lord Egregious

    Lord Egregious Notebook Evangelist

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    You can unplug an esata external while the computer is on and plug it right back in like a usb drive. It should be exactly as safe as unplugging a usb drive. If you install programs to it then you may not want to just unplug randomly.

    You should only have 2 cables no matter what you do. Either a/c and esata or usb and esata.
     
    Lord Egregious, Sep 3, 2008
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  4. simonov

    simonov Notebook Consultant

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    WAUW! superfast and good responses guys! thx for it, really!
    So esata would get enough power tru usb-cables? Is that in all cases or just some with 'special features'?

    (andy said 'And one of the enclosures supports Hot swapping/Hot Plugging')
     
    simonov, Sep 3, 2008
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  5. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    Yeah, this enclosure mentions " Hot-Plug". (Dunno much about it)

    You could get an eSATA enclosure with an AC adaptor, but that limits portability. I am unaware of any drawbacks regarding Power I/O through USB.
    Some drives may require more power than usual, and in that case you maybe able to use a USB Y-cable, which may supply power through 2 USB ports.
     
    Andy, Sep 3, 2008
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  6. simonov

    simonov Notebook Consultant

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    simonov, Sep 3, 2008
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  7. F34R

    F34R Notebook Consultant

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    F34R, Sep 3, 2008
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  8. chemistry

    chemistry Notebook Consultant

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    I use the 2.5" eSATA and USB enclosure referenced by Andy

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817392016

    and it works fine. Basically just plug the eSATA cable in and plug in the USB cable from the enclosure into the laptop's USB port to draw power. It doesn't come with an a/c adapter, so plugging it into a wall outlet isn't an option unless you have a compatible adapter (a connector to an a/c adpater is available on the back of the Vantec enclosure)

    As far as differences other than speed, you'll won't notice any. If you don't plan on moving the external drive much, can also go with eSATA/USB hard drive docking station, i.e.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817392022

    I have the Thermaltake BlacX one and it's very convenient for swapping out SATA drives and will accept 2.5" or 3.5" SATA drives.
     
    chemistry, Sep 3, 2008
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