As mentioned in the introduction storage solutions are an important aspect of our digital lives and though they are inexpensive they are one of the best investments you can make today.

The ICY DOCK MB981U3-1SA is a versatile docking station with the ability to not only take advantage of the SATA interface but also older drives that use IDE, thanks to an easy to use adapter. This adapter is concealed within the unit and so the changes of losing it or it being obstructive is very slim. We even have an eject button which helps to reduce possible damage to the drive – completely removing the need to pull or tug at the drive in question.

As we near the end of 2011 USB 3.0 has slowly but surely gathered momentum and now features on many of the devices we frequently use. The ICY DOCK MB981U3-1SA takes advantage of this faster interface and though we don’t quite get the quoted ‘10 times faster’ transfer speeds we do experience a significant improvement over the older USB 2.0. Even if you don’t have a USB 3.0 port it is backwards compatible – meaning that if you only have USB 2.0 the device will still work, the transfer rate will just take a hit as its constrained to the USB 2.0 interface.



Priced at £35inc. VAT the ICY DOCK MB981U3-1SA is a great value for money buy – if you are looking for an inexpensive portable docking station then the MB981U3-1SA is a great choice.

Though I am very impressed by what I have seen today in the MB981U3-1SA it does have quite a lightweight feel to it and being entirely plastic doesn’t reassure you of amazing build quality – but look at the price, it’s not like you can expect aluminium construction.

The bottom line is The MB981U3-1SA is an inexpensive means to ensuring your data is backed up and thanks to the USB 3.0 functionality we are able to transfer data at an increased rate compared to USB 2.0. I would recommend you buy one!




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