Help choosing an external enclosure

[AmberClad]

Hello, I'm having a hard time picking out an external enclosure for my old IDE hard drives. I was wondering if anyone has used any of these and can recommend one over the others. Also, I saw some of these on NewEgg too, and the prices there were much higher ($10-$20 more), so I was wondering if there might be something shady/disreputable about this particular store.

http://www.supergooddeal.com/product_p/fu320u2.htm
http://www.supergooddeal.com/product_p/mgb.htm
http://www.supergooddeal.com/product_p/fu310u2.htm
http://www.supergooddeal.com/product_p/me-705u2.htm

I was kind of learning towards the Metal Gear Box, but the others look nice too, and the NewEgg ratings were decent (4 or more).

 

[bREwIn dOdgEr dUDe]

i've never used supergooddeal, i don't think i've heard of them (or the mfrs you linked)... i bought the vantec nexstar3 - NST-360U2-BL (blue)... high quality, easy to setup, and yes i paid a tad more for a very good product i use with a WD 60gb 7200rpm drive i had lying around new & unused... $39/newegg...

 

[AmberClad]

Yeah, I had never heard of the manufacturers either, but I saw the exact same designs at NewEgg, only they were made by different manufacturers. I think it might be similar to the case with the nVidia cards, where they only design them, other companies then produce the items for them.

Your Vantec, was it quiet and did it run cool?

 

[AmberClad]

Ugh, I just realized that the shipping costs on that site are pretty exorbitant...

Anyways, I really want an aluminum one, and NewEgg has this one that has a free shipping promo, decent reviews. Not as pretty as the others, but that's not that big a deal.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817145343

I'll keep looking, see if there's anything else that looks appealing.

 

[Blain]

I prefer external enclosures that don't use a power adapter. :roll:
Get this one :laugh:

 

[AmberClad]

Thanks for the tip Blain. From the pics, that one looks like it's made of plastic. I'd be a little concerned about the heat dissipation since I don't see a fan on it...

 

[bREwIn dOdgEr dUDe]

i'm using the external for back-ups & some music storage, its fairly quiet & does get a tad warm but not hot... i keep it powered off, till i need it...

 

[Blain]

The thing is made for a 5 1/4" drive also. Even though it's made from plastic, there's tons of space around the HD for air.
It does have a fan... It's the third pic from the left. The back of the enclosure has the word "FAN" printed on it. :laugh:

 

[imported_g33k]

Actually the one Blain recommended does have a fan on it. Look at the pics. At that price it seems like a bargain. The Bytecc you linked from Newegg does not have a fan. I personally own the Bytecc. Its made of all aluminum and has a sturdy build. However it does get warm after a few hours of use. I use my external for weekly back ups, so I never use it for more than a few hours at a time anyway. You don't really need a fan, unless everytime you turn on your computer you are also running your external.

 

[AmberClad]

LOL, I must be blind. I guess I was looking at the wrong place for the fan, I expected one to be on the bottom of the enclosure if there was one. Ok, I'll put this one on my short list. Thanks.

Update: After calculating for S&H, it would be $25. $7 for a $18 purchase...

 

[AmberClad]

Wow, I'm glad I waited a few days. The one I really wanted (the Metal Gear Box) is on sale at NewEgg. Eh, it's still a little bit more expensive than that other shop I linked, but because of the free shipping promo, it's less overall.

 

[Greg04]

After the enclosure I owned burned and died, (blain's favorite) I wetn to newegg and got this one --

Text

And couldn't be happier - quiet, very cool, and has pretty decent build quality.

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: Greg04
After the enclosure I owned burned and died, (blain's favorite) I wetn to newegg and got this one --

Text

And couldn't be happier - quiet, very cool, and has pretty decent build quality.

Dude, you do realize that this thread is more than a month old? I've long since gotten my enclosure :laugh:. Thanks though, for the slightly belated recommendation.

 

[Greg04]

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Originally posted by: Greg04
After the enclosure I owned burned and died, (blain's favorite) I wetn to newegg and got this one --

Text

And couldn't be happier - quiet, very cool, and has pretty decent build quality.

Dude, you do realize that this thread is more than a month old? I've long since gotten my enclosure :laugh:. Thanks though, for the slightly belated recommendation.

LOL.
I didn't - just be careful, mine melted and wrecked my drive.