Assemble-Free USB 3.0 Drive Case and Connector
01/01/11 23:14 Filed in: Portable USB3 Drive
What could be simpler than this? A SuperSpeed SATA drive carry case that doesn't require ANY 'installation' - Just plug to USB 3.0 docking connector to any SATA I or II hard drive or SSD and slip it into its leather carry case. No screws required.
ineo iPile Plus
2.5-Inch SATA External Hard Drive Dock to USB 3.0 with Leather Pouch
Best Hard Drive For USB3 Disk Enclosures?
12/31/10 21:24 Filed in: Hybrid Hard Disks
Given the huge leap in SuperSpeed USB 3.0's potential bandwidth, you really want to match the USB3 drive enclosure with the fastest hard drive mechanisms you can find. Currently, all SuperSpeed disk cases currently shipping are using a SATA I/II drive interface chipset. (Perhaps by the end of 2011 we'll start seeing 6GB SATA III enclosures become available.)
Pairing a SuperSpeed dock or drive case with something like the SSD Hybrid storage options from Seagate delivers cutting edge performance, high-capacity at a very affordable price per gigabyte.
Seagate Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drive
2.5" 250-500GB Capacities
...is an interesting option. The Momentus XT series combines a 250 to 500 GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s drive with 32 MB Cache AND 4GB of SSD Flash Memory in a 2.5" form factor drive. The onboard 4GB of NAND Flash makes this a hybrid of Solid-State technology combined with the increased capacity and affordability of it's conventional spinning platters.
Built-in Firmware optimizes and caches data intelligently for smooth Read/Writes automatically - and makes the drive cross-platform, OS-independent, Mac and PC compatible. Expect this 'best of both worlds' hybrid SSD drive approach to become more common from other drive manufacturers - and even more affordable. Currently the 500GB model is around $120 - perhaps a $50 price premium for the novel SSD technology inside.
For pure, no holds barred performance - consider matching your USB3 enclosure with any Sandforce controller chipset SSD drive now available. These latest generation Sandforce drives are the fastest SSD drives ever - with Reads AND Writes around 275Mbps well suited to making the most of SATA II bandwidth, and filling as much of USB 3.0's pipeline as possible.
Wether it's something like the OCZ Vertex 2 SSD, or Corsair Force series - Solid-State drives in 120GB and up capacities are cheaper than ever - ideal for a super-fast, super-speed USB3 backup drive solution you can assemble yourself. With these latest generation of SSD's offering pricing down to $2 per Gigabyte, and top-level data transfer rates: They're a great match for USB 3.0.
Pairing a SuperSpeed dock or drive case with something like the SSD Hybrid storage options from Seagate delivers cutting edge performance, high-capacity at a very affordable price per gigabyte.
Seagate Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drive
2.5" 250-500GB Capacities
...is an interesting option. The Momentus XT series combines a 250 to 500 GB 7200RPM SATA 3Gb/s drive with 32 MB Cache AND 4GB of SSD Flash Memory in a 2.5" form factor drive. The onboard 4GB of NAND Flash makes this a hybrid of Solid-State technology combined with the increased capacity and affordability of it's conventional spinning platters.
Built-in Firmware optimizes and caches data intelligently for smooth Read/Writes automatically - and makes the drive cross-platform, OS-independent, Mac and PC compatible. Expect this 'best of both worlds' hybrid SSD drive approach to become more common from other drive manufacturers - and even more affordable. Currently the 500GB model is around $120 - perhaps a $50 price premium for the novel SSD technology inside.
For pure, no holds barred performance - consider matching your USB3 enclosure with any Sandforce controller chipset SSD drive now available. These latest generation Sandforce drives are the fastest SSD drives ever - with Reads AND Writes around 275Mbps well suited to making the most of SATA II bandwidth, and filling as much of USB 3.0's pipeline as possible.
Wether it's something like the OCZ Vertex 2 SSD, or Corsair Force series - Solid-State drives in 120GB and up capacities are cheaper than ever - ideal for a super-fast, super-speed USB3 backup drive solution you can assemble yourself. With these latest generation of SSD's offering pricing down to $2 per Gigabyte, and top-level data transfer rates: They're a great match for USB 3.0.
Sleek and Stylish USB3 Backup Drive Enclosure
12/03/10 08:07 Filed in: Hard Drive Enclosures
With it's sleek contoured styling - Here's the ineo iPile Super Speed USB 3.0 2.5-Inch SATA External Drive Enclosure
. Build your own USB3 backup drive with this SATA II hard drive interface enclosure and enjoy ultra-fast backups when connected to a USB 3.0 port - or enjoy backward compatibility when connected to legacy USB 2.0 and 1.1 systems.Laptop and Desktop USB 3.0 Drive Enclosures
11/24/10 21:01 Filed in: Hard Drive Enclosures
Connectland USB3 Case
For 9.5mm Laptop SATA Drive
Full-Size USB 3.0 Drive Case
For 3.5" SATA Drives
DIY USB3 Backup Kit
AcomData Laptop Enclosure
For those wanting to assemble their own external USB3 backup drive solution - make sure the bare drive you choose is well suited to SuperSpeed's potential bandwidth. In an ideal world, the current crop of SATA II SuperSpeed enclosures should be paired with 7200RPM drive mechanisms with the maximum amount of onboard cache available. Currently, all the USB3 enclosures are still using internal SATA II chipsets. You may want to shop for a SATA III drive mechanism which will offer more flexibility down the road.
A Solid-State SSD flash disk also offer tremendous backup speed improvements - if you have the budget and can live with SSD's current 64gb-512Gb disk capacities. If you have the money - pair any of the laptop size USB 3 cases with a current generation fast SSD drive that uses a SandForce or Indilinx controller for maximum Write speeds well-matched to backing up data over USB 3.0.USB 3.0 paired with SATA II drive enclosures currently provide data transfer rates comparable to eSATA - with far more convenience and flexibility - while delivering data rates via USB3 that rival an internally and directly connected drive. USB 3.0 is delivering on the promise to back up data in typically one third to half the time: Minutes, not hours for Terabytes of data.
For 9.5mm Laptop SATA Drive
Full-Size USB 3.0 Drive Case
For 3.5" SATA Drives
DIY USB3 Backup Kit
AcomData Laptop Enclosure
For those wanting to assemble their own external USB3 backup drive solution - make sure the bare drive you choose is well suited to SuperSpeed's potential bandwidth. In an ideal world, the current crop of SATA II SuperSpeed enclosures should be paired with 7200RPM drive mechanisms with the maximum amount of onboard cache available. Currently, all the USB3 enclosures are still using internal SATA II chipsets. You may want to shop for a SATA III drive mechanism which will offer more flexibility down the road.
A Solid-State SSD flash disk also offer tremendous backup speed improvements - if you have the budget and can live with SSD's current 64gb-512Gb disk capacities. If you have the money - pair any of the laptop size USB 3 cases with a current generation fast SSD drive that uses a SandForce or Indilinx controller for maximum Write speeds well-matched to backing up data over USB 3.0.USB 3.0 paired with SATA II drive enclosures currently provide data transfer rates comparable to eSATA - with far more convenience and flexibility - while delivering data rates via USB3 that rival an internally and directly connected drive. USB 3.0 is delivering on the promise to back up data in typically one third to half the time: Minutes, not hours for Terabytes of data.
Why USB 3.0 For Hard Drives? USB 2.0 Seems Good Enough
11/23/10 20:29 Filed in: USB3 Backup Drives
The shift towards USB 3.0 SuperSpeed computer peripherals is well underway. Many computer accessories are just aching to break past the speed limitations of USB 2.0 - most notably for a USB 3.0 Drive which can provide immediate and dramatic benefits for copying, transferring and backing up data in a fraction of the time it currently takes.
The USB 3.0 spec's 5GBps bandwidth far exceeds the capabilities of any hard drive mechanism currently made, even the fastest currently shipping Solid-State drives. So those who've made the switch to a SuperSpeed drive are typically seeing real-word 2x to 3x backup speed improvements - with plenty of unused bandwidth of USB 3.0's theoretical 10x increase.
Ultimately - as we're already seeing with USB 3.0 hard drive
market - the meager cost differences of a USB 3 controller chip have become trivial. All the major drive manufacturers like LaCie, WD, Iomega, et. al. are now shippingUSB3 capable hard drives - at the same price points as USB 2.0 models. USB 3.0 backward compatibility with legacy USB 2.0 and even 1.1 ports make a SuperSpeed backup drive the most versatile and valuable computer accessory you can own.
The USB 3.0 spec's 5GBps bandwidth far exceeds the capabilities of any hard drive mechanism currently made, even the fastest currently shipping Solid-State drives. So those who've made the switch to a SuperSpeed drive are typically seeing real-word 2x to 3x backup speed improvements - with plenty of unused bandwidth of USB 3.0's theoretical 10x increase.
Ultimately - as we're already seeing with USB 3.0 hard drive
market - the meager cost differences of a USB 3 controller chip have become trivial. All the major drive manufacturers like LaCie, WD, Iomega, et. al. are now shippingUSB3 capable hard drives - at the same price points as USB 2.0 models. USB 3.0 backward compatibility with legacy USB 2.0 and even 1.1 ports make a SuperSpeed backup drive the most versatile and valuable computer accessory you can own.
