StarTech.com Infosafe 2.5in SATA HDD Enclosure & PCIe 2 Port USB 3.0 Card Adapter Review

👤by Vinh Thai Comments 📅22-07-10
Conclusion
Through this article, two different StarTech.com products were examined: the StarTech.com InfoSafe 2.5in SuperSpeed USB 3.0 SATA Hard Drive Enclosure (SAT2510BU3) and the StarTech.com 2 Port PCI Express SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Card Adapter (PEXUSB3S2).

Both of these products support the new USB 3.0. The advantages of this new version of USB are many. Two should be mentioned. Firstly, the theoretical maximal throughput at 5.0 Gbps ensures that high bandwidth devices will be used to their full potential. Devices such as solid-state drives (SSD) might take advantage of this. Secondly, USB 3.0 supplies up-to 900 mA of power to a single device. Some 2.5in hard drives require more than 500 mA (the limit of a single USB 2.0 port) to start-up. As such, one USB 3.0 would be enough to power these hard drives that are installed into a USB 3.0 compatible HDD enclosure.

Packaging on these products was excellent; no resources were wasted. Product manuals were easy to read and well written. The information on the products through StarTech.com’s website was easy to find, concise and detailed. I hope other companies will follow StarTech.com’s example of simplicity and precision.


The StarTech.com 2 Port PCI Express SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Card Adapter (PEXUSB3S2) and the StarTech.com 2.5in SuperSpeed USB 3.0 SATA Hard Drive Enclosure (SAT2510BU3)


The StarTech.com hard drive enclosure was sleek looking with its brushed black aluminum plates. The enclosure itself was very sturdy, although it may not look like it. Its small size and light-weight makes it ideal for portability. The included carrying pouch was a nice touch, but its quality left more to be desired. For one, the thickness and the sewing could be improved. Also, a strap to seal the pouch should have been included to secure the enclosure.

As for performance, the HDD enclosure made full use of the installed SATA 3 Gbps hard drive. When connected to a USB 3.0 port, the HDD enclosure had admirable read performance that matched both eSATA and SATA connectivity. As for its USB 2.0 performance, it matched other USB 2.0 HDD enclosures currently on the market.

The major downsides of the product were the miniscule screws that secured the aluminum plates. For those who are planning to install and remove hard drives frequently with this enclosure, they might want to look elsewhere for an easier to use enclosure.

In a nutshell, the StarTech.om 2.5 in USB 3.0 SATA hard drive enclosure is simple, sleek, portable and fast. Although the MSRP at £41.11 (inc. VAT) or USD$46.99 seems quite high, its price tag of approximately USD$30 at online stores is similar to other USB 3.0 HDD enclosures.

With all of this mind, the StarTech.com InfoSafe 2.5in SuperSpeed USB 3.0 SATA Hard Drive Enclosure (SAT2510BU3) is given Vortez Hardware’s Gold Award.



StarTech.com 2.5in SuperSpeed USB 3.0 SATA Hard Drive Enclosure (SAT2510BU3
Pros
+ Adequate included accessories
+ Excellent product manual, product web page and packaging
+ Modest price-tag
+ Sleek looking and sturdy build
+ Small and light-weight
+ Superb read performance through USB 3.0 and USB 2.0

Cons
- Carrying pouch could be of better quality and have a strap
- Short 1 year warranty period
- Small screws used to secure the aluminum plates



The StarTech.com 2 Port PCI Express SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Card Adapter is a PCIe adapter card that can be installed into a vacant PCIe x1 slot. With the proper third-party drivers installed, the device will gives two USB 3.0 ports that are backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1.

With its black PCB, the adapter card should fit nicely with any motherboard on the market. The device also comes bundled with a low-profile bracket for installation into a slim computer case.

The adapter card pulls power from both the PCIe slot and a molex connector. The latter seems to be optional, however, because the adapter card could power external USB devices fine without it.

In terms of performance, the USB 3.0 transfer speeds were excellent with the StarTech.com 2.5in HDD enclosure. The card adapter’s USB 2.0 performance was much better than the USB 2.0 performance of the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H. It was quite remarkable, honestly.

As far as pricing goes, the StarTech.com card adapter has a MSRP of £36.41 (inc. VAT) or USD$44.99. The price is not too bad, honestly, because the device can be found for as little as USD$30 from online stores.

Unfortunately, other USB 3.0 add-on cards, such as the “EVGA USB 3.0 Host Card”, are sold at a similar price. In other words, besides the lifetime warranty, the StarTech.com card adapter does not have any features that set it apart from all the other products.

To make things worse, a competitor product, the “ASUS U3S6 USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gbps”, features the same NEC Electronics chipset as the one found on StarTech.com product and it has a few extra features such as support for SATA 6 Gbps and solid capacitors. What is shocking is that this ASUS product has more features than the StarTech.com but it still has a similar price-tag on the market (approximately USD$30).

All in all, the StarTech.com USB 3.0 controller adapter card is an inexpensive and easy solution to add USB 3.0 support to a computer system. Performance of this card adapter is top notch and installation is a snap. Price-wise, the StarTech.com product leaves more to be desired. It simply does not shine brighter than other products on the market.

As such, the StarTech.com 2 Port PCI Express SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Card Adapter is awarded Vortez Hardware’s Silver Award.



StarTech.com 2 Port PCI Express SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Card Adapter (PEXUSB3S2)
Pros
+ Excellent product manual, product web page and packaging
+ Excellent USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 performance
+ Lifetime warranty
+ Half-height card with bundled low-profile bracket
+ Molex plug (optional?)
+ Sleek black PCB

Cons
- Mind-boggling driver CD
- Price-tag leaves much more to be desired



We would like to again thank StarTech.com for providing us with this sample. To discuss this article or product, please visit our forums.


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