| Antec MX-1 e-SATA Hard Drive Enclosure |
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Antec MX-1 e-SATA Hard Drive Enclosure
Build Quality:
Long known for well built and high performance products the MX-1 is no exception. This external hard drive enclosure boasts a carbon-glass filled frame for added structural integrity. We don't forsee anyone testing the impact strength of the enclosure or dropping it on concrete floors on purpose but if you do its nice to know the enclosure should stand up to the test, of course the drive within could very well die due to such a shock. Adding to the build quality of this unit is the mechanism for mounting the actual hard drive inside. Antec has chosen to include 4 silicon grummets which minimize vibration, noise, and help absorb small shocks to the enclosure. Additionally the MX-1 is actively cooled with an internal blower fan rated at a very quiet 22dBA. In testing the MX-1 we could not detect the fan noise unless we held the unit right to our ear, although the air flow from the rear of the unit was very respectable. The internal wiring and layout is clean and the connections are all very secure. The MX-1 has the highest build quality of any external hard drive enclosure we have tested.
Connectivity:
The MX-1 can be connected to your PC in one of two ways, via a USB 2.0 connection, or via an e-SATA port. The inclusion of e-SATA on the MX-1 allows for transfers of up to 3Gbps on e-SATA equipped computers. You will still need an onboard e-SATA port as regular SATA ports will not work with e-SATA drives. Only high end boards support e-SATA drives at the moment though support for e-SATA is growing. Those with an e-SATA onboard port can install the included e-SATA bracket very easily and operate this drive at speeds up the 3Gbps. e-SATA allows for transfer rates up to 6.25 times as fast as USB 2.0 and while this is theoretical bandwidth the actual speed gained is still many times faster than USB 2.0. Those without e-SATA at the moment can still connect this drive using their USB 1.0 or 2.0 ports. We would have liked to see a firewire connection of this device, however, there are very few users who utilize firewire compared to USB and the e-SATA port allows for much faster transmission speeds.
Specifications:
- Dual output interface - USB2.0 and eSATA (external Serial ATA) allows you to transfer data up to 480Mbps or 3Gbps respectively
- Support up to 750G SATA hard disk drive
- Unique HDD cooler brings fresh air in and around the HDD for maximum cooling to protect your valuable asset
- Two layer (plastic with aluminum) structure upper and lower covers to absorb HDD and fan noise
- Carbon-glass filled frame to reinforce the strength of the whole enclosure
- Built-in silicone pad to absorb HDD noise
- Included USB cable, eSATA cable, and eSATA bracket to convert internal SATA to eSATA
- Stand included
- Very quiet fan operation - under 22 dBA
- Noise Level: 20 dbA with the blower on inside the enclosure
- Supports Windows 2000 / XP / ME / VISTA
- Dimensions:
21.9 x 14.6 x 5.7 cm
Click on the photo for a larger image.
Setup and Performance:
Installing a hard drive in the MX-1 was very simple and required only a Phillips head screw driver and a SATA drive. The entire installation required 5 minutes and could be accomplished even without the directions. Hookup to the computer went flawlessly with Windows XP and transfer sppeds were quite fast in USB 2.0 and when utilizing e-SATA transfer speeds were as fast as to our internal SATA hard drive. This made backups and file storage a breeze. Using external hard drives as a backup device is now easier than ever with the MX-1 as you can reliably and quickly backup and entire PC to an external hard drive without the usual wait of hours that you might expect even with USB 2.0 devices. We were thoroughly impressed with e-SATA as a means of transfer.
Conclusion:
Antec has continued its trend of building reliable high performance devices with the MX-1 hard drive enclosure. We could not find any faults with this product and easily award it our Editors Choice Award. If you find yourself in need of external storage we suggest you check out the Antec MX-1 which offers easy connectivity for your PC today and instant speed upgrade for your PC tomorrow with e-SATA.
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