





Brand | VANTEC |
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Model | ST-530S3-BK |
Size | 5.25" |
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Type | Office Products |
Material | Aluminum |
Internal Interface | SATA |
External Interface | USB 3.0 |
Number of Bay | 1 |
Specifications | Device Support: CD+ROM/R/RW, DVD+ROM/RW Blu-Ray |
Operating Systems Supported | Microsoft Windows Vista/7 or Mac OS 10.6 |
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Features | Transfer Rate Up to 5Gbps w/USB 3.0 Easily Add a 5.25" SATA Device to Any System with USB Hot-Swappable: Plug & Play Without Rebooting Integrated Cooling Fan Easy Installation Without Opening Your Computer Aluminum Case |
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Dimensions | 252 x 172 x 49mm |
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Date First Available | August 20, 2012 |
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Pros: I have been buying Vantec products for many years now and there are quite a few around here still in use. I find them to be well designed, but cheaply made: my complaints are all electronics that fails intermittently or after a few hours/days of use. I have had a few duds over the years, including with the previous model of this very enclosure. In general they either fail right away or begin to fail after a year or so of constant use. Usually the failure is expressed in them failing to register consistently, or at all. Yet for all my complaints I have been unable to find better quality replacement for products from this company: the "other guys" are the same, except they are much harder to find here and therefore more expensive. These products are the known evil and I keep buying them. Doesn't mean I am happy with them. This enclosure is designed exactly like the previous model, but sports a few odd decisions like the use of USB 3.0 type A connector on the back, even though the proper connector would be USB 3.0 type B (seriously, standards anyone? Type A is for USB Hosts!). Beware, misuse of the USB A-to-A cable to come with this enclosure can interfere with or even damage your USB ports! As with the previous model, the bezel tends to come off on its own. The enclosure itself works, however. I have not had my optical drive disappear on me so far, not even intermittently. I have no problems using it from both Linux and MacOS without any special driver. These enclosures are getting hard to find for some reason and are not coming down in price anymore, so get one if you think you will need one in the next year or so.
Cons: cheap electronics, improper use of a type-A connector on the back, bezel tends to come off on its own, no eSATA port
Overall Review: It gets the job done, but I wish manufacturer would stop sacrificing quality just to save a few bucks. Heck, I would happily pay a few extra bucks for something I can depend on to perform well and lasts 5-6 times longer.