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3.5" External Enclosure w/ USB, 1394, Fan, Int. Pwr

bodhammer

bodhammer

Member
Hi folks,

I'm looking for a 3.5" drive enclosure to put a Seagate 200GB drive into for backup of desktop, laptop and server.

I would like both 1394 and USB 2.0.

I would like at least one fan, preferably quiet.

I would like an internal power supply, I hate wall warts.

I would prefer that it be aluminum for cooling and sturdy transport.

I don't need flashy lights.


Any suggestions?
 
Some options here.....(3 or 4 pages) http://www.shop4tech.com/z/Firewire_USB_Products/3_35 though not exactly what you are looking for.

Been looking for something with the same features as you are. Have not seen anything with internal power. For a unit with a fan included, it seems that you generally have to sacrifice either USB or Firewire. Can't find USB 2.0, Firewire, and fan all in the same unit so far....still looking though.
 
Nothing there that met all my criteria...
Click to expand...
time to readjust your criteria.

i just ordered two enclosures that are black aluminum, usb/fireire, and have 80mm internal fans.

they have a power brick (which you wish to avoid). however, by avoiding a internal power supply, you reduce heating within the enclosure, and reduce room noise.

at least that was my thinking.
 
Originally posted by: heartsurgeon
Nothing there that met all my criteria...
Click to expand...
time to readjust your criteria.

i just ordered two enclosures that are black aluminum, usb/fireire, and have 80mm internal fans.

they have a power brick (which you wish to avoid). however, by avoiding a internal power supply, you reduce heating within the enclosure, and reduce room noise.

at least that was my thinking.
Click to expand...

Good point on the cooling - what did you get?

I'm looking at these: Macally PHR-100AC, newegg has them for $43.
 
linky

i've held the mcally in my hand..its solid and looks well built..
i just get nervous about heat issues (without any real knowledge that it makes any difference)

i ordered my cases yesterday.we'll see in a day or two how loud they are (i got 2of those WD 250 gig drives for $80.00 each at CC).
 
too bad its 3.5, i used the belkin 5.25 which is internal power.. supports 2.5/3.5/5.25 with fw/usb.. u can throw a cdrom in this one too..
 
Thanks for the link heartsurgeon, looks like the one I will buy. I'm interested to know two things:

1. How is the packaging? (I'll be shipping this unit to a few friends after I load it up, I want to make sure the packaging is robust).
2. How loud is the fan?

Thanks, please post your opinion when you get yours set up.....
 
Originally posted by: bodhammer


These are cheap today:

The Metal Gear Box 3.5-inch USB 2.0/1394 FireWire HDD Case
Click to expand...

I cheaped out and got one of these because I could not wait to get a backup device. I'm very happy with what I got for the price. Both USB 2.0 and Firewire are fast. USB is from the motherboard (Epox EPCA3+) and the Firewire is from my Audigy MP3 soundcard. Construction is all metal and seems well made. The metal mesh all around will allow the drive to passively cool. Power supply is hefty. Unit comes with both a USB and Firewire cable, and a plastic stand. No driver install was required for Windows XP Pro. Unit has a green power LED and a Red activity LED on the front corner. Back panel has 1 USB, 2 Firewire, and power connector. There is a rocker power switch.

My only complaint is that drive is secured to the side panel with only two screws so I won't be packing this around very much (wan nto planning to anyway...). I may reinforce it a bit when I change the drive.

Right now I'm doing a full defrag on a WD WD800JB drive and the unit is not even warm to the touch. Only noise is the drive itself. I have a Seagate 160 drive on the way from this deal Seagate 160Gb thread so I'm pretty pleased for 160Gb USB/Firewire external for $100.


<update>

The Firewire does not work on this. I have tried to write from my desktop machine and my IBM r32 laptop with the firewire interface. I get delayed write errors on both machines. Apparently I am not the only one: http://www.bustrace.com/products/delayedwrite.htm
 
well the 250 gig WD drives are installed and working.

the cases are well ventilated and only get slightly warm after prolonged use.

the cases are very quiet, but obviously not completely silent.

curiously, i had a real humming problem with one of the cases related to overtightening of some screws.

the enclosure has a plastic inner tray that holds the drive and the fan, and ducts the air around the case.
i really tightened down on the screws and this seems to have deformed the tray slightly. this was enough to setup a rather annoying hum/vibration from the enclosure.

i figure out which individual screw (!) was responsible, and loosening one of the screws very slightly, eliminated the humming problem.

all in all, cases are acceptable, seem well built, and keep the drives cool.

hard to get to excited about a external drive enclosure.

my general sense is that these will work great as portage large storage devices (the ultimate usb pen drive!)
i have successfully played a native format DVD stored on the external drive without issue.

i don't know if i would trust any of these external enclosures as an NAS device....i guess i'll build a server case to store the drive with a proper powersupply

eventually..

 
An update in the continuing quest for storage.

I returned the Metal Box to Computer Geeks. They were initally going to replace it as per the automatic policy. I called them and spoke with a very nice lady. I told her I thought the problem was a design flaw and pointed her to the article above. Computer Geeks agreed to a full refund. Kudus to CG again!

I then ordered a Macally PHR100AC from Amazon for $43.75 shipped. I arrived today and I just installed a Seagate 160GB drive.

I'm very impressed with the Macally case. it is very solid aluminum and has substantial heft. The cables are braided and the power supply nice. I do wish the 1394 cable was longer than 3' but not a big deal. Drive is suspended on rubber mounts in the case. The unit I received does have an on/off switch. The front light is a nice blue static and red active - it looks purple under full load. Verticle stand is plastic but solid and stable. According to Macally, they are using the NEC and Initio chipsets. WinXP shows it as a "PI-036 1304/USB20 IEEE 1394 SBP2 Device"

I powered up the drive on the USB2 port and performed the initialization and format from drive manager under WinXP.

I then connected the drive to firewire and I'm about 45 minutes into a full backup of my desktop machine. There is a slight drive hum from the Seagate but not noticable. Case is only slightly warm after having written 45GB/120GB so far. I will do a backup of my IBM r32 thinkpad via Firewire next.

There are a bunch of good reviews at NewEgg on this unit as well. I'm happy and endorse the product.
 
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