Taking a look at the latest external hard drive enclosures, I am drawn to the eSATA capable devices for the speed and dependability but I also like the portability of USB 2.0 as well. So what do I get? I get one that is capable of both connections.
How does USB 2.0 compare to eSATA and what are the benefits of each? The USB 2.0 connection allows you to hot swap the drive and still delivers a great transfer speed. On the other hand, eSATA gives you better speed and stability for running operating systems but you can’t just plug the drive in and access it without rebooting the computer. Today I will take a look at Rosewill RX81US-HT-35A-BLK enclosure to find out how well it satisfies the craving for both portability and speed in a hard drive enclosure.
Design
The Rosewill RX81US-HT-35A-BLK is a black enclosure with rounded edges. The rear panel of the enclosure is designed very simply with the USB, eSATA and AC power ports along with the power switch. The drive tray is easily accessed by removing four screws on the rear of the enclosure, then the tray slides out. The hard drive is installed by sliding it onto the SATA data and power connections then screwing the drive to the tray. Slide the tray back in and replace the screws on the rear of the enclosure and installation is complete. The enclosure is compatible with any3.5” SATA 150 or 300 hard drive up to 1TB in capacity. USB 2.0 supports data rates up to 60MB/s and eSATA supports 150MB/s and 300MB/s depending on which type of hard drive you install.
The enclosure comes with both eSATA and USB cables so you don’t have to buy any additional cables to use the drive; however, the cables are rather short (approximately 18 inches). My computer has eSATA on the front panel and with the included eSATA cable the drive has to sit directly against the side of my computer with no room for slack. There is also included an SATA to eSATA bracket that installs in a card slot on the rear of the computer for those who do not have an external SATA port.
Features
Standard USB 2.0 high speed transfer rate
Suitable for all 3.5" SATA HDD
eSATA transfer rate up to 3.0Gbps(NCQ support)
All aluminum, to enhance heat dissipation
Foot-stand for vertical style
Plug and play / hot swappable
OS support Win 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista/Mac OS 8.6 above.
