Best Computer Hard Drive Enclosures
![Sabrent USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drive Lay-Flat Docking Station for 2.5 or 3.5in HDD, SSD [Support UASP] (EC-DFLT)](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/9148Oenwl4L._SS600_.jpg)
The Sabrent EC-DFLT SATA Lay-Flat Docking Station supports the direct insertion of Desktop 2.5"/3.5" SATA Hard Drives. Windows: 2000/XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10 (Both 32-bit & 64-bit versions) MAC: OS X Package Contents: When you register your new Sabrent product online within 90 days of purchase, your standard 1-year warranty coverage is extended to 2-years. UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol) support for even faster performance.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"However, this is NOT a good permanent drive for most Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) due to the sustained temperatures that can be generated, and the lack of active cooling devices. ----------. TERMS. I will use a few abbreviations here... --HDD - Hard Disk Drive - that is, a hard drive that has a disk that physically spins rapidly, usually between 4,200-7,500 RPM. --SSD - Solid State Drive - that is, a hard drive that uses flash memory like that used on USB flash drive (i.e., no moving parts). --SATA - Serial ATA - that is, the interface used to connect a hard drive to the computer internally or an enclosure externally. --USB - Universal Serial Bus - the port used to connect this external drive to your computer & the most common computer port used today (there are three different generations: 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, each which offer increasingly faster data transfer speeds). -----------------------. EASE OF USAGE & ACCESSIBILITY. This enclosure accepts both 3.5 inch and 2.5 inch hard drives, provided the drive uses a SATA interface (ex: if the hard drive uses IDE/PATA or SAS, it will not fit the SATA port on this enclosure.). ---------------------------------. LIMITATIONS & EXCESSIVE HEAT WITH CONSTANT HDD USAGE. While this is great enclosure for intermittent usage and infrequent backups, it is NOT the best choice for constant usage, especially with the higher speed HDDs. If you need an enclosure that offers you fast-access to numerous different 3.5 and 2.5 inch SATA hard drives, this is a great choice."
"4 stars because I haven't tested it much and I didn't speed test it or anything AND because it uses a proprietary power source which I will, no doubt, lose someday. I'm sure I will lose the power supply over time since it's not connected or built in."
"Very convenient way to hook up my old desktop drives to USB so I can use as backup drives or offload the files from the desktop when the motherboard died. However, I found that by pulling the USB connector out about 1/8" the drive was recognized and worked great."
"Another problem I had was that it interfered with the WiFi on my Mac Mini. The firmware would most likely had no effect on the WiFi problem either."
![Sabrent USB 3.0 to SATA External Hard Drive Lay-Flat Docking Station with Built-in Cooling Fan for 2.5 or 3.5in HDD, SSD [Support UASP and 6TB] (EC-DFFN)](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81xgzQdnpkL._SS600_.jpg)
Size: USB 3.0 with Cooling Fan. Serial ATA bus up to 6Gbps Signal bandwidth for fast storage backups.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"However, this is NOT a good permanent drive for most Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) due to the sustained temperatures that can be generated, and the lack of active cooling devices. ----------. TERMS. I will use a few abbreviations here... --HDD - Hard Disk Drive - that is, a hard drive that has a disk that physically spins rapidly, usually between 4,200-7,500 RPM. --SSD - Solid State Drive - that is, a hard drive that uses flash memory like that used on USB flash drive (i.e., no moving parts). --SATA - Serial ATA - that is, the interface used to connect a hard drive to the computer internally or an enclosure externally. --USB - Universal Serial Bus - the port used to connect this external drive to your computer & the most common computer port used today (there are three different generations: 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, each which offer increasingly faster data transfer speeds). -----------------------. EASE OF USAGE & ACCESSIBILITY. This enclosure accepts both 3.5 inch and 2.5 inch hard drives, provided the drive uses a SATA interface (ex: if the hard drive uses IDE/PATA or SAS, it will not fit the SATA port on this enclosure.). ---------------------------------. LIMITATIONS & EXCESSIVE HEAT WITH CONSTANT HDD USAGE. While this is great enclosure for intermittent usage and infrequent backups, it is NOT the best choice for constant usage, especially with the higher speed HDDs. If you need an enclosure that offers you fast-access to numerous different 3.5 and 2.5 inch SATA hard drives, this is a great choice."
"4 stars because I haven't tested it much and I didn't speed test it or anything AND because it uses a proprietary power source which I will, no doubt, lose someday. I'm sure I will lose the power supply over time since it's not connected or built in."
"Very convenient way to hook up my old desktop drives to USB so I can use as backup drives or offload the files from the desktop when the motherboard died. However, I found that by pulling the USB connector out about 1/8" the drive was recognized and worked great."
"When one of my desktops died it was looking like tons of family photos were going to be lost. I was frantic; photos of one of my son's birth, the other son's first Christmas videos, photos with family members that are no longer with us - gone! I picked up this little bad boy, connected as an external HDD to my office desktop and with a little findangling I was able to view the "Users" folder and "App Data"."
The Sabrent 3.5" to 2.5" Bay Drive Converter Kit easily transforms any available 3.5" bay drive to accommodate up to two 2.5" hard disk drives or SSDs. Converts an available 3.5" HDD bay drive to accommodate two 2.5" HDD or SSD (Solid State Drive).
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"So, the SATA and power connectors don't end up in the same place they would if this were a normal hard drive. So, this is not the adapter to get if your hard drive fits in a sled and slides into a bay where it connects to a backplane."
"It also recessed the SATA connectors back about an inch instead of bringing the connectors to the same 'flush' back as a standard 3.5" drive's connectors."
"Use straight plug sata cables and buy one of these splitters to solve the length and 2nd SSD power plug needs: Electop SATA Power Y Splitter Cable 6 Inch. Also be sure to use the screws that come with this bracket and not the ones from your old drive, some are larger and you can strip out the screw holes trying to mount it."
"Many power supply units come with right angles SATA connections, or have multiple terminals in line with each other. In other PC cases, I've had to use one SATA cable per drive just to get slack on the power connector."
"This product just works -- all of the units are dual drive adapters-- but when you have to put one in a Dell OptiPlex 780 Desktop (the small one - but not the USFF) -- it gets a little tight."
"Using those cables prohibits me from utilizing the adapter to its intended function of stacking 2 SSDs with straight connectors. Overall, I think the single bay adapter is the better choice for people that require right angle connectors, but this is a fine mount for people utilizing straight connectors as it gives them 2 bays for the price of one."
Best Computer Hard Drive Bags & Cases
Compact case to store or transport medium and larger portable hard drives.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I have several of these case to carry my WD My Passport external HD while travelling."
"There are many good reviews about this product, so I added few photos for you to look at it. Overall, I am very happy with this purchase, and it is well worth the five stars rating!"
"I purchased the "regular" size as the description seems to state that it fits the Seagate Slim drives. If you own the Seagate Slim, the "My Passport" version is the one that will fit, not the regular one."
"The case is good, fits perfectly with Seagate Backup Plus."
"My only note on this is I would say it should be referred to as a "rigid" case and not a "hard" case."
"Very small and light weight but seems to have good quality."
"This case will fit most 1-2 TB (regular and slim) external hard drives—. Just check the measurements of your hard drive and compare it to the measurements provided for this case."
"I ended up buying a second one to hold my RAV Power file hub (also the perfect fit in the mesh sleeve) and its accessories (flash cards, cables, chargers etc)."