Rosewill RX81US-HT-35A-BLK Hard Drive Enclosure Conclusion

Installation

Connected by USB the drive can be plugged in and is automatically detected and ready to use in seconds. However, if you have just installed a new hard drive into the enclosure, it must be partitioned and formatted before the computer will detect the drive through USB. An unformatted drive will be detected as an “unknown USB device” and can not be used.

Connecting the drive by eSATA requires that the computer be off when you connect the drive so the BIOS can detect the drive when the computer is booted. Once Windows is running you can then remove the drive at any time using the “Safely Remove Hardware” feature but you will not be able to plug the drive back in until the computer is shut down. The same is true for Mac users and PC Linux users. Using eSATA you can install a new hard drive and connect it before partitioning. Once connected you can partition and format the drive using the operating system.

Performance

File transfers via USB 2.0 complete at decent speed but if you plan to use the drive for large files or many files at once you may want to use the eSATA interface as it is much faster and better capable of handling very large files. For example, if you are recording video on the fly you need the best speed capability to avoid dropped frames so you would choose eSATA for the fastest data rate. Also, if you are backing up your computer to the external drive you may want to use the eSATA connection so the backup takes less time to complete.

If you need your drive to be quickly attached or removed you would use the USB connection so you do not have to shut down the computer each time you connect the drive. With USB you can also just unplug the drive and go if you need to instead of having to use the “Safely Remove Hardware” feature of Windows.

I use the drive with an eSATA connection to my media PC for video and music playback and it works very well. I have had no issues with playing HD content and no lag or dropped frames. I can even edit HD video with the drive in real time via eSATA 300.

Concerns

The external casing does get a little warm but so far it has not posed any problems and never has it reached a concerning temperature. The only issue I can claim is with the internal drive tray. The drive tray is only held by screws on one end and the other end shifts slightly inside the casing. If you have the drive sitting stable on a desk or table top this may never cause any issue. However, the drive should be more secure inside the enclosure.

Rosewill RX81US-HT-35A-BLK hard drive enclosure

The enclosure is a very good device for attaching an external hard drive to your computer whether it is a Windows PC, Linux PC or Mac. Transfer speeds are good with USB and fantastic with eSATA. Keep in mind that in order to get the fastest transfer speed with eSATA you should use a drive that is SATA 300 capable. I would also recommend spending a few extra bucks and getting a longer eSATA cable and/or USB cable for easier connection.

Pros: USB and eSATA connectivity, includes cables, easy assembly, nice looking.

Cons: Drive can shift inside the enclosure, included cables are short.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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