External hdd enclosure and eSATA card

[mcurphy]

I've got a WD 320GB SATA drive that I want to use for backups.

I'm looking for recommendations for hdd enclosures and eSATA cards to get this up and running. This is the first I've dealt with an external backup solution, so I know nothing about the enclosures, and not sure what to look for.

I'm also new to eSATA cards, but I assume I won't have any problems installing the card into my Gigabyte S3 board?

Thanks,

mcurphy

 

[gramboh]

I use the Vantec NexStar (I think that's the model name) enclosure for my IDE drive. It's fanless, but made of aluminum so it acts as a heatsink (the enclosure gets warm but not hot when the drive is in use).

They have a version with both eSATA and USB2 connectors which is useful incase you have to connect to a PC without eSATA for some reason.

It also looks pretty silck and is reasonably priced.

Sorry I can't help ya with the eSATA card. If you want to save money just buy a $9.99 SATA port (not sure how to describe it). It fits into an expansion port and the SATA cable plugs into one of your mainboard slots. It's not true eSATA so you might lose hot swapping (not sure on that).

 

[mcurphy]

Thanks for the suggestion. I was checking out some of the Vantecs and they seem pretty nice. I also like the idea of both eSATA and USB2 as I'm sure that would come in handy. I don't think a fan will be neccessary as the drive will rarely be used since it's only for backups.

I'm not familiar with the SATA port option you described, but I think I'll stick with my plan for actual eSATA card if there are some good ones around. It seems like a more efficient way to transfer.

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Imyourzero]

What about this one?. The ratings are positive and it even comes with an eSATA bracket. There were a couple of people with this enclosure in another thread and they seemed to like it a lot.

 

[Binky]

I use the Vantec USB2/eSATA and it works great. No fan but seems to stay cool enough. It comes with an internal eSATA braket. This plugs into one of your onboard connectors.

My P965 board has an issue with the external drive in 3.0gbs mode. I had to jumper the drive down to 1.5gbs to make it work with this setup. My older 939dual system had no problem with the 3.0gbs setting.

 

[mcurphy]

Thanks for the replies. I was originally set on getting a PCI card that offered eSATA, to ensure that I could hotswap the drive, but I am now strongly considering using the bracket. It looks like a much cheaper option as some of the cards run $30-$50. And I figure it won't be that big of a hassle to shut down my pc if I need to connect or disconnect the drive.

I've also been reading a few threads that discuss the hdd speed problem. Apparently many people run into this problem of having to resort to SATA I speeds even though their drives are SATA II. At first I thought this was a big bummer, but upon further reading I realized that modern hdd's aren't even capable of filling the bandwidth of SATA I at 150MB/s. So no matter what speed or interface you connect at, your drive will always be the limiting factor and restrict your transfer rate to at most 75MB/s. I found that very interesting! I didn't realize that SATA II drives with rated speeds of 3GB/s will never even come close to that speed with current 7200rpm drives.

 

[RebateMonger]

I use several of these Apricorn EZ-Bus SATA housings.

They have a nice horizontal fan, are all-aluminum, and have NOTHING between the drive itself and your SATA controller. The housing has a standard SATA connector, but the drive comes with both SATA and eSATA cables.

Be sure that your motherboard's SATA controller can handle hot-swap. Not all can. Otherwise, you may need a separate SATA controller card that's rated for hot-swap.

I've also used their USB 2.0/IDE version of this same housing, with zero problems.

 

[n7]

Another vote for the Vantec Nexstars.

Mine works great, & is damn nice looking to boot

 

[corkyg]

Vantec Nexstar and Vantec cards work well together. I have put this on another thread or two, but it applies. Like n7 says - good looking as well.

eSATA

 

[V00D00]

I just picked up an eSATA pcmcia card on ebay for $22. I also bought a IDE to SATA converter ($9). So hopefully I'll have a high bandwidth connector for both IDE and SATA drives on my laptop. I'll post some benchmarks when I get them (should be next week).

 

[FreedomGUNDAM]

My recommendation would be the Icy Dock MB559 from newegg.com for $70 plus shipping.

Icy Dock MB559

I currently using a Seagate 320gb in the MB559 without any problems. Excellent construction .

 

[John]

Originally posted by: Imyourzero
What about this one?. The ratings are positive and it even comes with an eSATA bracket. There were a couple of people with this enclosure in another thread and they seemed to like it a lot.

I use and sell a lot of those AZiO eSATA enclosures. They are constructed well and the price is very attractive.

 

[Boyo]

I recommend using the Vantec NexStar 3 with eSATA and USB 2.0. Great enclosure and it won't break the bank.

 

[mcurphy]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I have definitely decided on getting the Vantec NexStar 3.

The problem I am having now is deciding whether or not I need to purchase an additional eSATA PCI card to hook the drive up. I know it comes with a bracket, but does that really enable eSATA with my mobo (Gigabyte S3)? I have read conflicting reviews on this and am really hoping someone can clear it up.

I want to ensure that I am using the top transfer speeds, and hot swappable would be nice but not absolutely neccessary.

 

[Skitzer]

Originally posted by: Imyourzero
What about this one?. The ratings are positive and it even comes with an eSATA bracket. There were a couple of people with this enclosure in another thread and they seemed to like it a lot.

I had been looking for this very item for a few days so I just bought this with a Seagate 250GB Sata II drive. Thanks Imyourzero !!!

 

[Old Hippie]

I want to ensure that I am using the top transfer speeds,

All SATA's have the same transfer speeds. If you want hot swap, get the card.

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: Old Hippie

I want to ensure that I am using the top transfer speeds,

All SATA's have the same transfer speeds. If you want hot swap, get the card.

Thanks again for clearing everything up

 

[Zepper]

I just ordered a Rosewill (the same as Sabrent cards as far as I can tell) RC-210 PCI card with one internal connection and one eSATA. I can let you know as soon as it gets here how it works, but it may be off sale by then. But you could look and see if your mobo has support for eSATA in the controller and BIOS, then all you would need is the connection.
.I have heard that you have to have ACPI enabled to do true eSATA. You should probably do some homework on eSATA before making a decision which way to go - start with Wikipedia and go from there to original sources if you still aren't sure . I think once you choose to set ACPI enabled or disabled, you have to reinstall windows if you want to change it later.

.bh.

 

[mcurphy]

Originally posted by: Zepper
I just ordered a Rosewill (the same as Sabrent cards as far as I can tell) RC-210 PCI card with one internal connection and one eSATA. I can let you know as soon as it gets here how it works, but it may be off sale by then. But you could look and see if your mobo has support for eSATA in the controller and BIOS, then all you would need is the connection.
.I have heard that you have to have ACPI enabled to do true eSATA. You should probably do some homework on eSATA before making a decision which way to go. I think once you choose to set ACPI enabled or disabled, you have to reinstall windows if you want to change it later.

.bh.

I know my motherboard, Gigabyte 965P-S3, does not support eSATA.

A PCI card would have a controller to enable eSATA, wouldn't it? And then I wouldn't have any BIOS options to adjust as the controller on the card will handle everything?

Or can I NOT use eSATA at all since my board does not include eSATA support?

I've been trying to research and understand eSATA, but I have come across a lot of conflicting reviews and arguments. My final conclusion was that if I ordered a Vantec NexStar 3, placed my WD 320GB SATA II hdd in it, and connected it to my PC via eSATA to an eSATA PCI card, then I would be all set. Does that sound right?

EDIT BTW, could you give me a link to the card you ordered? I'd like to compare it to a few others I am considering. Thanks!

 

[Zepper]

The card has its own BIOS to support its features. But it is still not totally stand-alone. Research eSATA on the M$ site and elsewhere so you are sure you have things set up to use eSATA (BIOS settings, windows updates, etc).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816132007

.bh.

 

[Binky]

How do you know that your board doesnt support eSATA? Get and enclosure and try it before buying a card. If it doesn't work, try jumpering the drive to 1.5gbs.

 

[Imyourzero]

Originally posted by: Skitzer

Originally posted by: Imyourzero
What about this one?. The ratings are positive and it even comes with an eSATA bracket. There were a couple of people with this enclosure in another thread and they seemed to like it a lot.

I had been looking for this very item for a few days so I just bought this with a Seagate 250GB Sata II drive. Thanks Imyourzero !!!

No problem! Let us know how you like it.

I'd say it would be hard to go wrong with the AZiO or the Vantec. The Icy Dock that someone mentioned is really nice but I don't use an external enclosure often enough to justify the $70 price tag. There are also some good reviews for the Galaxy Metal Gear Box and the OKGear enclosures, but I'd probably feel safer going with one of the more popular ones as they have more reviews to back them up.

 

[Zepper]

I received my RC-210 controller. It has a nice red PCB that matches my mobo. The eSATA connector is true: fully shielded with the straight instead of hooked contact tongue. Supports all Windows from 98SE thru Vista. Has the Silicon Image 3512 chip which supports hot-swap - I'm hoping it supports that on the internal connector as well as I don't have a true eSATA cable yet. I wish the RC-210 had come with one but that would probably have bumped the price up substantially and the mfr could never know what, if any, connector would be needed on the far end. Now to see if it will let me set my new drive back to SATA 150.

.bh.

 

[TMoney468]

I'm a little late in this thread but another good brand for HD enclosures is Bytecc. I've been looking at getting this enclosure for my MBP:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817145388

I have two other enclosures by them and I'm impressed with the quality and the heat dissipation of the enclosures. After doing some HD-intensive DVD backups on them, they're barely warm to the touch. So others who have used the Azio, it's a pretty good enclosure/brand? I'm deciding between the Bytecc and Azio...

 

[Skitzer]

Got the enclosure and drive yesterday. This one
Well constructed and a a quality enclosure. Hooked it up using the eSata bracket connected to one of my Sata 3 ports and it works perfectly. Faster than USB 2.0 by far. My motherboard apparently supports eSata (wasn't sure at first) and I can connect and disconnect it without any problems or having to reboot anything. I've also hooked it up to my eMac using the USB and it works fine that way as well.
Overall great purchase! Thanks again Imyourzero.