Hard drive enclosures supporting USB 2.0 and eSATA seem to be everywhere, and we have taken a look at a fair share of them in reviews at Bigbruin.com. Despite the wide arrays of styles, the main idea of all of them is to allow you to transfer data to and from your computer as quickly and as easily as possible.
The enclosure of interest for this review is from
Kingwin, a manufacturer of computer components that has been in business since 1992. Their Z1-35EU-BK USB 2.0 and eSATA Hard Drive Enclosure is shown in the promotional image below, and the first look confirms that it definitely earns some style points. Analyzing the speed and reliability will take a bit more effort, but hopefully the sporty appearance is an indication of performance.
Before taking a look at the Z1-35EU-BK USB 2.0 and eSATA Hard Drive Enclosure provided for review, let's look at some published data taken from the
Kingwin website...
Features:
» Model: Z1-35EU-BK.
» 3.5" Aluminum E-SATA + USB combo black external enclosure.
» Front illumination LED with rear on/off switch.
» SATA Interface.
» Applicable for PC, notebook, and Mac.
» SATA 3.0 Gbps data transfer rate.
» USB 2.0 480 Mbps data transfer rate.
» Suitable for all 3.5" SATA h.d.d.
» Strengthen aluminum coating finish.
» 1 stand.
» Plug & play, hot-swapping capability.
Specifications:
» Interface: E-SATA + USB Combo.
» Data speed: USB 2.0: 1.5/12/480 Mbps./SATA: 1.5/3 Gb/s.
» H.D.D support: 3.5" SATA Hard Disc.
» Color: Black.
» Rear panel connection: USB B receptacle/E-SATA connector.
» Dimension: 8 1/4"(210 mm)L x 1 1/2"(40 mm)W x 5 1/4"(130 mm)H.
» Support OS : Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Vista; Mac OS 10x & Above.
» Interface: USB 2.0 and ESATA.
» Weight: 2.5 lbs (1134 g) / unit.
Packaging:
The packaging provides a good look at the enclosure itself, as well as a few images and plenty of text to describe the basic features and specifications. While the enclosure is suspended in a clear frame for easy viewing, the accessories are all stored in a cardboard box hidden off to one side.
