Antec Easy SATA

[kmote]

Antec Easy SATA
By: kmote

Introduction

To compliment their lines of enclosures and power supplies, Antec has a range of cooling products and accessories. Today I will be looking at one of their accessories designed to provide easier access to data stored on 3.5 inch SATA hard drives.

The Antec Easy SATA

The Easy SATA is a very simple item that fits into a free bay like any other 5.25 inch device. The front features a sprung door, hinged at the top and the rear provides a SATA interface. The tiny circuit board that supports the SATA interface is a simple pass-through that accepts a standard cable at one end and an HDD at the other.
There is also an eSATA port on the front of the unit, this uses the fixed cable emerging from the rear of the unit which you can see in some of the pictures.


Specifications

• Fits in 1 x 5.25" drive bay
• Supports 1 x 3.5" SATA HDD
• HDD size may vary depending on motherboard type
• Built-in eSATA port for external HDD allows easy, convenient data transfer
• Data transfer speeds of up to 3Gbps
• 1 x internal 600mm SATA data cable for eSATA connection
• Black finish blends in discreetly with any PC
• Hard drive locking switch for secure docking
• One (1) year parts and labour warranty
  Unit Dimensions:
• 42mm (H) x 147mm (W) x 160mm (D)
• 1.7" (H) x 5.8" (W) x 6.3" (D)
  Package Dimensions:
• 50mm (H) x 204mm (W) x 295mm (D)
• 2.0" (H) x 8.0" (W) x 11.6" (D)
• Net Weight: 0.6 lbs / 0.27 kg
• Gross Weight: 1.5 lbs / 0.68 kg

Image Gallery







Test System

• Intel e5200
• MSI P43 Neo
• Enermax Pro82+ 425W
• Samsung Spinpoint F1 250GB
• Samsung DVD R/W
• Antec SOLO
• Ubuntu 10.04
• Akasa Integral SATA enclosure
• Samsung 1TB

Installation & Investigation

Installing the Easy SATA is no problem, Antec has included screws if your case needs them (though no SATA cable) and the process is identical to an optical drive. I am impressed by the feel and build quality, it certainly doesn't seem likely to break. The flap for the HDD and the release button are both sprung well and are neither loose nor catchy.

Impressions

Inserting the HDD allows access to it as if I had attached it internally, which is not surprising considering the simplicity of the electronics. The eject button was a little disappointing in that I expected it to push the drive out slightly, but instead it just releases a small catch allowing you to remove the drive. This makes removing the drive a two handed task for the less dexterous user.
I tested the eSATA port using the Akasa Integral and the terabyte Samsung drive mentioned in the test system and until now I must confess that I have used these only with the USB interface. I found that the drive was only available if the enclosure was connected and switched on prior to the computer being booted but I think this is more likely down to either the enclosure, my motherboard, Ubuntu, or a combination thereof.

Pros

• Well made
• Simplistic design
• Works well
• Unlikely to fail

Cons

• Only in black

Conclusions

The easy SATA is a simple device and all the better for it. Solidly built without being expensive, it does no more and no less than you expect it to, and it does it well. Other than making the “release” button more of a proper “eject” button, there is nothing I would do to change the design. If you regularly need to grab bits of data off various SATA HDDs or want an inexpensive and highly compatible backup solution this is definitely worth a look.

Rating

I would like to thank Antec for allowing Tech-Forums to review the easy SATA and I look forward to evaluating more of their products in the future.

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