The Basics:
The retail box for the
Icy Dock MB452UK-B is a little misleading as to which enclosure is actually in the box. They have two different models on the front of the box; one of which is the the high end model that comes with a LCD display that displays some nice statistics for the drive. The back of the box shows how it can be swapped with an internal hot swap 5.25" drive bay (not included) and the rear of the enclosure. The LED indicators are simple enough; powered on is a green LED and HDD access is an amber LED.
The LCD display (not included with the review sample) has many nice features including; hard drive read/write accessing, failure audio alarm indicator, HDD overheat status, HDD master/slave status, fan status, H.U.T.R. indicator (HDD usage time record). On the top of the box we see which model is actually inside the box.
The packaging holds the enclosure very securely in the box. The cables and instructions are pretty straightforward.
Exterior:
The enclosure isn't too fancy in its appearance, but it is very solidly designed. The Aluminum keeps the unit cool and protects the drive from any incidental physical damage.
Orange feet (seen above) can be flipped out to better stabilize the enclosure when used in the upright position.
Cooling a hard drive doesn't need to be too complex, which is the case here. The sides have many holes for decent ventilation, as well as a 40mm exhaust fan in the rear. In addition to the fan, the rear panel also houses inputs for the power and USB 2.0.
