Addonics AE5SACSU2 USB 2.0 External Drive Enclosure

Installation was surprisingly easy. I just took a SATA (Serial ATA) drive from my old computer, put it in the Addonics enclosure, then connected it to my new computer. My new computer recognized the attached drive almost immediately, without needing special drivers.

Now I can use the old hard drive as an external drive.

The Addonics package included the enclosure, a power adapter, a USB cable, connections for either IDE or SATA, a driver CD, and screws for securing the hard drive.

GOOD POINTS:
* Easy to install without tools.
* You don't need drivers if you use Windows XP.
* Cooling fan is nearly silent.
* Enclosure looks nice.
* Enclosure has a green power LED.
* Enclosure is roomy enough for a 5.25" drive (but works fine with 3.5" drives).
* Power adapter plugs in to the wall with a cord attached to the small "brick," so it doesn't cover up other outlets.

BAD POINTS:
* Instructions didn't exactly match the actual hardware (but they are good enough).
* The three-foot-long (92 cm) USB cable is a bit short.
* If you just need an enclosure for a 3.5" drive, this case is bigger that you need (It measures 10"×6.5"×2", or 26cm×16.5cm×5.5cm.)
* Power LED is one of those old yellow-green LEDs, not the newer pure green variety.

ive got lots of hard drives laying around from computers ive torn apart. i use these to build usb drives that i give to family members for sharing our digital photographs, i keep a photo vault folder on my network and all our pictures go in it and then i copy them out to the usb drives for getting and giving family pictures.

I have purchased 4 of these external enclosures over the last year and i've been happy with every one of them. If you need to create an external drive out of an IDE or SATA hard drive this is the enclosure you want. It's made of sturdy aluminum and setup/removal of the internal drive is easy. Although it is a bit bulky it can support a full size 5 1/4 inch CD/DVD drive too.

This was an expensive unit (I paid about $50) compared with others, but I went with it because of the reviews. I put a 120GB hard drive in there, and it -does- work, but I have some complaints. The USB cable provided is a little short (3 feet) for my uses. The AC adapter isn't built in, so I have an ungainly brick tangled with the cords behind my desk. And lastly, and most important, the fan is very LOUD. I have it next to a new iMac, and the noise difference from when this drive is turned on is very noticeable. These are my complaints, but if these things don't matter to you, this drive is decent besides these flaws. I liked the IDE/SATA interface options, and I think the case is sturdier than a plastic shell. Plus the harddrive mounts to the bottom of this enclosure in a sturdy way, so I'm not worried about it sliding all over the place.

Like another reviewer, I had a 500GB SATA II drive that was not being used, and after a lot of searching found this enclosure (it's easy to find enclosures for IDE drives, but not SATA).

The enclosure arrived, and in about 10 minutes, it was installed and running.

This model uses USB 2, but there is also one for Firewire + USB 2. I can't comment on the speed yet, but for a USB connected external storage, I don't much care if it runs at lightning speed. It will be mostly used for backup.

The enclosure is kind of cheap looking, and is a little large, but it is made of aluminum, and has a small fan, so it will help dissapate heat, and probably prolong the life of the drive.

I had originally ordered an enclosre from Adaptec, but it was disontinued, so I went with this one. The advantage of the Adaptec enclosure was that in addition to USB 2, it had an eSATA connection, which, with an eSATA adapter card would have boosted the speed considerably.

If you have a spare drive sitting around, and no spare room in your PC, this is a great way to put it to use for about $50.

Comes with AC adapter, USB cable, mounting screws, and drivers (if you're not using Windows XP). All you need is the drive.

I might have given it 5 stars if the enclosure wasn't so cheesy looking.

Due to a motherboard issue with chipset drivers, I had a couple of SATA drives laying around. The Addonics USB Enclosure helped out in a big way. The enclosure is large, more along the lines of a 5.25" drive enclosure. It has a ventilation fan and dissipates heat effectively. Very easy to put together and worked without any trouble. The only thing I didn't like is the plastic plate that covers the front. It doesn't clip in snugly over the opening of the case and can get jarred out of place. Overall a very good enclosure that works well.

Simplicity is what differentiates this drive enclosure from others in the market. The drive installation is quick and easy. Any IDE or SATA hard drive or half height ATAPI DVD+/-R/RW, DVD/CDRW, can be instantly turned into an external USB 2.0 storage. The sturdy aluminum material also ensures durability and tough handling in wide range of computing environments.This external drive enclosure converts SATA hard drive to USB 2.0. Package content: SATA-IDE/ATAPI converter (ADSAIDE), External Drive Enclosure USB 2.0 (AE5IDECSU2), user guide.