Configuration:
Testing the
Icy Dock MB664US-1SB Screwless eSATA Hard Drive Enclosure was completed on a system with the following components:
» Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe motherboard
» AMD X2 6000+ processor
» 4GB (4x1024MB) Patriot 4-4-4-12 800MHz DDR2 memory
» Seagate 7200.10 80GB SATA II hard drive
» Seagate 7200.10 500GB SATA II hard drive
» Windows XP Professional SP2 (current)
While the M2N32-SLI has an eSATA connection on board, I will use the included SATA to eSATA bracket for the benchmarks.
Testing:
The Icy Dock enclosure will be compared to a similar enclosure from Eagle Tech that was recently reviewed on Bigbruin.com. A 500GB Seagate 7200.10 SATA II hard drive will be installed in both enclosures for testing, as well as being connected directly to a SATA header for an indication of stand alone performance.
The following list details the tests to be executed in order to gauge the performance:
» HD Tach RW 3.0.4.0
» HD Tune 2.53
HD Tach:
Simpli Software's HD Tach RW 3.0.4.0 is a benchmark dedicated to drive performance. The chart below details the reported access time, average read speed, and burst speed. Lower values are better for access time, while higher values are better for average read speed and burst speed.
The results of the benchmark show that the Eagle Tech T-Series enclosure outperforms the Icy Dock enclosure when connected by USB. However, when the enclosures are connected by eSATA the picture is different. The Icy Dock enclosure outperforms the Eagle Tech enclosure by approximately 55%! This will allow you to transfer your files to/from your system much faster.
