Interesting new gadget - SATA drive dock

[AmberClad]

Thermaltake SATA drive dock. It's a giant iPod dock-like device for SATA HDDs.

Boo for no IDE compatibility though . And that RaptorX looks a little unhappy to be hamstrung by the USB 2.0 interface.

That's a terrible product name btw...I'm not sure how that one slipped by the marketing dept .

 

[Old Hippie]

And that RaptorX looks a little unhappy to be hamstrung by the USB 2.0 interface.

Yep! I couldn't believe they would come out with a half-ass product.


I think the concept is great (2.5" and 3.5" compatable, external HDD with no cover), but they didn't think it thru.

 

[Vehemence]

Hmm...the USB does seem put-off ish.

Originally posted by: AmberClad
That's a terrible product name btw...I'm not sure how that one slipped by the marketing dept .

Bahaha, true!

 

[nerp]

This could be slightly useful for a tech who has to dump user data off drives before blasting them and reinstalling windows because of some spyware or virus. But for someone using this as a viable external storage solution, seems a little too "naked" to me.

 

[Zepper]

Should have been USB/eSATA combo. No sense doing only USB for HDDs any more. Sad... See the Silverstone MS05 for a nice external solution for notebook drives.

.bh.

 

[jackschmittusa]

Saw that yesterday and thought it would be a great bench tool to replace my adapters with their power bricks, yard of cables.

Second thoughts were about SATA only, and the fact that it has an opening on the top. I clean out enough filthy rigs that dust is a problem on the bench. I can see the hole on top collecting a lot of dust if left out.

 

[Synomenon]

I remember seeing these on Engadget last year:

http://www.geekstuff4u.com/index.php?cPath=34_57


Looks like they're finally becoming available.

 

[Zap]

Looks pretty neato. I've been using my first USB enclosure for years (may have died a few weeks ago though) without the cover on because of overheating and of course constant drive swapping. I've since purchased "enclosureless" USB adaptors and have used those.

 

[Old Hippie]

I can see the hole on top collecting a lot of dust if left out.

Does this mean there will be a market for "BlacX" covers....avaliable in your favorite colors, with or without company logo. :laugh:

 

[MichaelD]

It's got a spring-loaded door covering the opening, but as you can see, it's got a hole in it for 2.5" drives. That's just bad design.

The lack of E-SATA is a real ding against it. I totally agree with having USB2.0; it's ubiquitous these days. But E-SATA is coming'round too. Even a lot of new OEM rigs have E-SATA and 99% of the motherboards any of us would buy has it.

Neat idea though; much better than just having a bare drive sitting on your desk with the wires running to it.

 

[AmberClad]

That's an interesting point about the 2.5" HDD hole. A better design would have been to add an additional smaller door for the 2.5" slot, with the hinge for it on the side opposite from the bigger door. So if you plug a 3.5" in, both doors would swing down, but only the little door swings down for 2.5".

Eh, I'm not sure if I described that in a way that makes sense...

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: AmberClad
Eh, I'm not sure if I described that in a way that makes sense...

Perfect sense.

Bleh, tried to draw some ASCII art but it looked terrible in the preview.

 

[Davegod]

"Patented Design" - just not patented by thermaltake

http://www.engadget.com/2007/1...dd-stage-rack-at-last/
hitting their source I found an alternative that's both using esata, has a easy cover for the hard drive and works as a usb hub to boot
http://www.geekstuff4u.com/pro...rs_id=&products_id=640

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: Zap
Perfect sense.

Bleh, tried to draw some ASCII art but it looked terrible in the preview.

Hehe, I actually tried the same thing when I posted that, but then I remembered that the forum software removes "unnecessary" spaces.

Originally posted by: Davegod
"Patented Design" - just not patented by thermaltake

http://www.engadget.com/2007/1...dd-stage-rack-at-last/
hitting their source I found an alternative that's both using esata, has a easy cover for the hard drive and works as a usb hub to boot
http://www.geekstuff4u.com/pro...rs_id=&products_id=640

$75.00 :shocked:? My eSATA ports are begging me to get one to finally put them to use...yet for that price, I could get a pretty decently-sized HDD. I hope to see a larger company, either Tt or someone else, making something similar for a much more palatable price.

 

[Old Hippie]

hitting their source I found an alternative that's both using esata, has a easy cover for the hard drive and works as a usb hub to boot
http://www.geekstuff4u.com/pro...rs_id=&products_id=640

Now we're talkin'! :thumbsup:

 

[Knowname]

meh, I'm currently actually trying to get one of these things to work.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817122107

 

[Synomenon]

Wow, I guess no one saw that same link I posted above...

 

[Old Hippie]

Originally posted by: IsLNdbOi
Wow, I guess no one saw that same link I posted above...

Thanks for the link! :thumbsup:

I inquired about a release date. I might hafta have one of these.

 

[Old Hippie]

$75.00 ? My eSATA ports are begging me to get one to finally put them to use...yet for that price,

Don't forget the $26.38 shipping! :shocked:

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: Davegod
"Patented Design" - just not patented by thermaltake
http://www.geekstuff4u.com/pro...rs_id=&products_id=640

Now, that makes sense. I can ignore the price - that is subject to change.

The bigger question is, since all new laptops use SATA HDDs, when will they all start having an eSATA port in addition to yesterday's USB ports?

 

[RebateMonger]

SATA drives seem to have industry-standard locations for their connectors. I don't believe that IDE has that.

The USB interface is unfortunate. That seems weird, although it's probably because most PCs don't have hot-swap-compliant SATA ports unless you put in a add-in card.

One mini-review says that an eSATA version is planned. It OUGHT to be a bit cheaper, since no SATA-to-USB adapter is required.

 

[JackMDS]

I think it is a Marketting decision.

Right now every one has USB outlet on thier PC, not many people have a eSATA plug/jack in the back.

 

[corkyg]

Looks like Asus has broken the ice with an eSATA port. Too bad it is on such a moose of a laptop!

eSATA

 

[Old Hippie]

I remember seeing these on Engadget last year:
http://www.geekstuff4u.com/index.php?cPath=34_57

Ordered one. Let's see how it looks in the flesh.

I'm gonna try to do one of those "Zep reviews" on Techimo.com.

 

[Auric]

Given a free bay, the MRA-200 trayless SATA rack is hep. They cost $15-20 and are available under various brand names and also a fan-equipped variant. Works great with my olde timey mobo and allows hot swapping with the free proggy "HotSwap!".