Monday, April 1, 2013

Anker 2.5 inch eSATA and USB 3.0 tool-less enclosure review




This is a short review of the tool-less 2.5" combo eSATA / USB 3.0 enclosure.
These currently retail for $28 on Amazon.

I needed something that could easily swap out drives without hassle. The enclosure fits 2.5 drives up to 12.5mm in thickness. eSATA is capped at 3Gbps and the USB controller is an ASMedia 2105.

There is no installation or screw. This is a clever tool-less design that allows you to popu-up your 2.5" drive. The spring mechanism takes up some space so this is definitely not a small enclosure. It is well built and made from sturdy aluminum.






eSATA and USB 3.0 ports adorn the back. This is an USB 3.0 bus powered enclosure. eSATA requires power and you simply use the USB 3.0 cable for power. If both plugs are connected, eSATA takes precedent.







Performance, I was getting close to 200 MB/sec from a Samsung 830 SSD with USB 3.0. This is the typical USB 3.0 mid-range enclosure speed. eSATA is capped at 3GBbps.



I benchmarked the eSATA from my Thinkpad running Ubuntu 12.04. With eSATA, I was getting  220-230 MB/sec.




With standard HDD, your speeds will be much slower.

Conclusion.  Overall, it is a decent enclosure that is extremely flexible. The quick-release is a nice touch.


Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/2-5-Inch-External-Enclosure-Tool-free-Installation/dp/B005B5G4S6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364871328&sr=8-1

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