1 April 2008 @ 15:46Masscool external drive enclosure
When I replaced the hard drive in my MacBook a few months ago, I was left with an unused 2.5″ 80GB SATA drive. I knew right away that I should get an external case to put that in. I did some research and determined that the Masscool UHB-UES254 would be the best choice for me. I found one at Newegg.com for less than $20.
The Masscool UHB-UES254 is a sleek enclosure that was even smaller than I had anticipated. It is simply a smooth rectangle without feet or other protrusions that would catch on a pocket or a bag. This case is very easy to carry around. The ports are all on the same end of the enclosure, and include, power, mini USB, and eSATA. The enclosure can be USB bus-powered, or powered via a power adapter.
The enclosure opens from the end with the ports. Two small screws hold the drive secure, and two even smaller screws fastener the end on the case. I’m not sure these screws would hold up to a lot of use, but if you aren’t planning to swap drives often, they should be fine. Masscool also included an extra of each of the screws.
Also included in the box was a mini CD with drivers. I didn’t need this, so I can’t comment on its contents. Masscool also ships with the enclosure a carrying bag, a small screwdriver, a USB Y-cable, a USB power cable, an eSATA bracket to connect to the motherboard and drop into a PCI slot, and an eSATA cable.
Since my desktop is a Mac Pro and it has a couple available SATA ports on the motherboard, I decided that I could install the eSATA card there. Unfortunately, the SATA cable is only about 12 inches long, and would not reach from the PCI slot to the SATA port on the motherboard. If I can get an SATA extension cable, I will install the eSATA card.
Installation and setup was a breeze, and I would recommend the Masscool UHB-UES254 to anyone looking for a 2.5″ drive enclosure.
You can buy the Masscool UHB-UES254 from Newegg.com:
MASSCOOL UHB-UES254 Black External Enclosure
Read the rest for more 2.5″ drive enclosures.
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by Jon | 2 comments | Tags: deals, hard drives, masscool
Posted in hardware | Link to this
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Once MASSCOOL UHB-UES254 review mentioned eSATA bracket it and totally omitted enclosed eSATA cable, and everything about eSATA.I expected more information about eSATA connection option. This review left me unsatisfied.
Since the Masscool UHB-UES254 enclosure was used with a laptop without an eSATA interface, the eSATA option could not be tested, only commented about its inclusion in the kit. The USB interface was used for this review.