Rosewill RX81-MP-SC- SLV 3.5" SATA to USB & 1394 a/b & eSATA External Enclosure (Silver)

Pros: Case actually attaches instead of nearly resting on the foot so the case will not fall off as happens with so many hotter designs with feet.

Cons: Really awkward design requires more than 10 screws to mount the drive and assemble.

Uses a 5 pin DIN connector on the power supply.

Other Thoughts: Perforations on front panel are cosmetic and do not help dissipate heat.

Power supply failed and can't find a replacement. Rosewill had no answer when I asked where to get a replacement.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you very much for purchasing this unit.
We strive to provide the most reliable and highest quality products to our customers.

Please email us to better assist you with finding a replacement.

Please kindly contact the Rosewill support team
Phone: 1- 800-575-9885
Email: rma@rosewill.com

Thanks,
Rosewill Customer Care

Pros: Nice looking design.

Cons: No Fan. Flaky. 1 of 2 became very flaky early on. This was masked by the fact that the drive I installed inside also failed within 10 months.

Other Thoughts: I ordered 2 of these n May 2010.

Prior to drive failure, I continually had random freezes, drive problems waking from sleep, etc. SO when the drive failed, It removed suspicion from the enclosure.

2 1/2-3 months after replacing the drive (under warranty), I continue to have random freezes, problems waking from sleep but now with increasing frequency.

Since I have a second identical enclosure, I decided to swap the drives. As soon as I did this, the suspect enclosure randomly froze with a different drive.

But now I am just outside my warranty by about 4 months. UGH!

Pros: This unit has really been working great no problems. I got one and like it so much I got another. It has been running none-stop for 8+ months with 2TB in each case, working on a Mac network as backup for 3 Macs and 1 window machine.

Cons: I cant find anything I do not like with this case...:)

Other Thoughts: I was looking at getting a couple more but it looks like I was a little to slow newegg is now out of stock.. :( I almost never wright reviews but I think if you can find this case you will like it!!!

Pros: - supports Firewire 800 and eSata
- follows design aesthetic of apple computers- brushed aluminum, perforated vent.

Cons: - the power rocker switch broke from regular use. rosewill needs to source higher quality switches. users are going to be turning this unit on and off constantly, please use a better switch.

Pros: Like everything about! The blue light, doesn't bother anyone I know, construction was easy,stays cool temp wise. I don't care how it looks, it could be purple and I'd still buy it. Sad Newegg's not sure about carrying them anymore.Truly a solid dependable unit.

Cons: Non

Other Thoughts: First off, I'm a real photographer, I've used several units over the years and this one's the best. Bought two units to mirror each other, the only true way to back up. 1.5 seagate Barracuda's are inside, also a excellent drive I might add. Had no problems with units. Great price, variety of options. And I had to laugh when people said the blue light bothered them, give me break!

Pros: Every connection you could want except for USB 3.0.
Solidly built, easy installation.
Comes with every flavor of cable.
It's nice that they give you Firewire 400 and 800 connectors so you don't need a 400 to 800 cable if your computer only has FW400.

Cons: The power connector is a little flimsier than others I have seen and you have to pay attention when you're plugging it in. It's the ONLY aspect of this case that doesn't exude indestructibility.

Activity light may be distracting to some people, especially in low light environments. It IS bright, but it never bothers me because it rarely shines directly into my eyes. It will cast an unearthly blue glow on anything within 5 feet of it and that can be disconcerting at times. So far, I haven't developed any superpowers or genetic damage from being in its proximity.

Other Thoughts: The buffet of connectors was the original draw for me, as I move a lot of video files around variously configured computers. It's great to have complete connective flexibility.

Construction is solid, and I'm puzzled by other reviews that mention complex installation and too many screws. I removed 2 screws to free the drive tray from the stand, and 4 screws to remove the lid from the tray. 4 screws solidly anchored the drive to the tray without a trace of movement. Replace the 4 lid screws, slide the tray back in the stand, replace the 2 original stand screws and add 2 more from the included bag o' screws. (I was concerned at first when I saw only 2 screws out of 4 in the stand, but then I realized that they probably did that to make your initial opening of the case easier.) 12 screws for a rock solid unit is worth it for me.

Case comes in a tight, high density foam-lined box which was packed in a larger box and stabilized by a ton of heavy duty wadded-up paper. Absolutely solid.

Pros: This case worked perfectly until it died earlier this week. I used it for an external 1.5TB drive on my Mac Mini media server connected via FireWire/800.

Cons: It died a month after the warranty ran out.

Pros: It's great to have FW400 & 800, as well as USB2.0. Silver brushed aluminum looks good. Using one of the FW800 interfaces it functioned flawlessly providing scratch space for video editing.

Cons: The unit failed after just 16 months of service. Unfortunately I can't recommend this particular product.

Pros: -Many connection options

Cons: -Failure Rate. I have had two of these over the past two years, and they both have failed after about a year of use. One emits a high-pitched whirring when turned on and wouldn't mount, but when I put the hard drive in another dock it worked fine. The other had a broken power adapter, the light on the brick illuminated when plugged into the wall, but turned off when I connected it to the hard drive.

Other Thoughts: I contacted Rosewill support, I told them I knew that I was out of warranty but would like to buy a replacement power adapter. They responded saying that I was out of warranty, so they must not have read my email. Four or five annoying emails later, they told me I cannot buy a replacement power adapter if I'm out of warranty.
Bummer!

I've been using about 12 hard drives in 6 different enclosures over the last 5 years. I have had NO hard drives fail, and NO other enclosures fail, but two of these have broken.

I'd recommend avoiding.

Pros: bought it because it had 2 firewire connections for hooking up multiple drives

Cons: failed on me shortly after warranty. also, more trouble to install hard drive than other models.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you very much for purchase the RX81-MP-SC. The problem might be due to a defective unit and this has caused the unit to stop working so soon. We strive to provide our customers with the highest quality and most reliable products. Please kindly contact Rosewill support team either via phone at 800-575-9885 or via email at rma@rosewill.com so we may assist you with a replacement. We are eager to assist you in any possible way. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks,
Rosewill Customer Care