At the 2008 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show,
Thermaltake had a rather large display filled with eye catching systems loaded up with their latest and greatest components. While there were plenty of interesting new cases, coolers, and power supplies, an item less prominently displayed in the back corner of their area grabbed my attention.
The BlacX Hard Drive Docking System is a small black box that connects to a host computer via USB 2.0 and allows for either 2.5" or 3.5" SATA drives to be popped in and out for quick and easy access.
For such a simple device it seems like a great idea, and it makes you wonder why no one thought of it sooner. While the Thermaltake version was the first one that I ever saw, in the months since CES I have seen that a few other manufacturers obviously think it is a good idea too, as they have jumped into the market with their own versions.
Before taking a look at the unit provided for review, let's take a look at some of the published data taken from the Thermaltake product page.
Features:
» Patented Design
» RoHS Compliance
» Supports All 2.5" & 3.5" SATA HDDs up to 1TB !
» Hot-Swap Capability for Rapid Multi HDDs Access & Exchange
» Supports USB 2.0 Transfer Speed up to 480Mbps
» Windows & Mac OS Compatible
» Compact Docking Station Design maximizes Heat Dissipation & Exhaust
» Windows Vista Ready !
Specifications:
» Model: N0028USU
» Interface: SATA to USB 2.0
» Transfer Rate: Up to 480 Mbps (Max)
» SATA Compatible: SATA I & II
» HDD Compatible: All 2.5" or 3.5" SATA HDD up to 1TB
» OS Compatible: Windows Vista / XP / 2003 / 2000 / NT / 98 / 95 Mac 10.3 and later
» RoHS Compliance: Yes
» Material: ABS Plastic
» Power Input: 100-240V / 50-60Hz / 1A ; Output: 12V / 2A
» Dimension: (L x W x H) 5.12" x 3.55" x 2.56" / 130 x 90 x 65 mm
Packagaing:
The packaging for the
Thermaltake BlacX is shown in the image below. You get a good look at the product (made to look extra cool with a Western Digital Raptor X drive installed), as well as a list of the key features and specifications.
On the front of the box we see a detail that was not mentioned in the features and specifications, and that is that the BlacX is covered by a 3 year warranty.
