Rosewill RX35-AT-SU SLV Aluminum 3.5" Silver SATA USB 2.0 External Enclosure

Pros: Easy installation when looking at screws and the holes they go in. Installed a 1TB WD Green drive that came out of a damaged WD enclosure. The drive was recognized and formatted correctly. The computer recognizes the drive model inside the enclosure.

Cons: Switches on the back feel flimsy. Won't be a problem for drives that are always on or rarely used. I wouldn't put much faith on the switch or constantly unplugging the cables from the drive.

Overall Review: This drive will be used as a backup to the primary external used at a local historical society. They plan on keeping it in a safe and only use it once a month. Should work for that purpose.

Pros: This enclosure worked great for my 2tb hdd for storage on my network, easy install of hdd. All in all great product for my needs imo.

Cons: none

Overall Review: Id recommend this product.

Pros: Well constructed Easy setup Adequate instructions.

Cons: None, it does just what it's supposed to do.

Overall Review: Popped the drive in, secured half a dozen screws, plugged it in and I was good to go. Can't complain about that. I like Rosewill stuff.

Pros: This is a follow up review. I normally don't do this, but I have been pleased with this external hard drive enclosure. I have a 750GB drive in it, it never gets hot, always turns on and off, it is always recognized by my Windows 7 operating system, and runs totally quiet.

Cons: Zero cons at this time...months later

Overall Review: If you are looking for a good hard drive enclosure look no further, especially at this low price!

Pros: Bought this external enclosure for an old 250GB SATA HDD. Everything fit perfectly. I liked the little mount that came with it to stand up. I'd recommend if you need to power up 3.5 HDD's via USB.

Cons: The only con I have is that after a while the case gets really hot. I know that it's aluminum and it's mean to dissipate the heat from the HDD but I can melt ice on this thing in literally seconds. It gets that hot!

Overall Review: When will they ever get these 3.5HDD's to be powered via USB already? I hope USB 3.0 will send enough power to run them without an external power supply.

Pros: Cheap, sturdy, aluminum, comes with everything you need, simple and quick. I am far more of a 'function over form' kind of guy, but these cases even look better than average in addition. Quickly becoming my favorite external HD enclosure brand/model. I prefer using 3.5" 7200rpm HDs in my external storage (as opposed to 2.5" 5400rpm laptop drives) due to speed and durability, so I am looking at powered solutions. I have used other makes of enclosures, plastic and aluminum both, but the Rosewills have proven both cheaper and better - a rare combination.

Cons: That LED is something else. It is located at the BACK of the case, and shines the length of the HD bay. This means that when you look at it from an angle, it is sort of dim. But if you get it full on, it is BRIGHT. As in, SPOTLIGHT bright. Very focused - like a search light. Not a big enough issue to dock it an egg, but would it kill them to tone it down a bit or maybe even use a wide-angle lens to make it both softer and more easily seen from an angle. One of these things will make a good night light in a dark room, so if you are thinking of using it in a bedroom PC situation, point it somewhere non-reflective and not at the bed, or you might find sleeping somewhat difficult.

Overall Review: I have used seven of these so far, paired MOSTLY with Samsung F3 drives (the 250GB SATAs most recently) or with WD Black drives (last used a 750GB Black for a client. I have also used Seagates twice. I mention this because of the three drives (WD, Samsung, Seagate), the coolest and quietest have been the Samsung F3 families. Those drives are quiet and cool. Performance-wise, the WD Blacks have consistently edged out the Seagates and Samsungs in MOST usage categories. The Seagates I have used with these have all been post-Maxtor models, and those thing run HOT. Almost hot enough to cause worry. Best not use a Seagate in one of these and then wedge it in some nook or cranny - heat will likely kill it. Use a Samsung or WD and don't worry about it. I really wish that the black version of these weren't a 5-spot more than the silver, but really, who cares about the color? It doesn't make any difference to the enclosure.

Pros: About twenty days short of owning this for an entire year, it hasn't failed me yet. The case is nice and sturdy, recognized by XP, Vista, and 7. I don't mind the blue LED light.

Cons: As some others have noted, it may run hot, so your mileage may vary. Not really a con, since it does state there is no active cooling fan. Speed is sacrificed by the USB 2.0 interface, so you may as well get a "green" hard drive. I'm using a WD Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB and it runs hot. Luckily, I don't leave it on except when I need to dump large files into it or copy something out.

Overall Review: As others have pointed out, they've found ways to deal with the heat. Just exercise common sense. It's still a solid buy.

Pros: Great assembly, solid construction and I like the power adapter which has a normal DC cable rather than one of those big cables so many other enclosures use.

Cons: Honestly, none. It's a fair price and does everything it should do as well as it should.

Overall Review: I see people mentioning the LED and the USB cable a few times, so let me put some perspective. The LED is nice and subtle -- if you're looking for it, you can see it easily in any lighting, but it won't distract you the way so many other drives do. Overly bright LEDs are all too common on external drive enclosures, so there is no shortage of enclosures that can meet your needs if you want it brighter. The USB cable is a standard 3-foot cable. For most desktop users that is perfectly adequate and I'd be annoyed if it were longer since it would just tangle with other things by hanging off the back of the desk.