Bjorn3D.com Bjorn3d.com – Satisfying Your Daily Tech Cravings Since 1996
Even though it is popular to use a network attached storage sometimes it is nice to have storage closer to the computer, for example for Timemachine backup on a Mac or just as a way to add more storage space on a laptop with a small SSD. The Startech enclosure we are reviewing today, the StarTech Thunderbolt Dual SSD Enclosure S252SMTB3, comes with a Thunderbolt interface that not only lets you daisy-chain it with several other peripherals but also offers a lot of bandwidth making it a perfect option for increasing the storage space on a Mac Book Air or other computer with little initial storage. After testing it turns out that it performs just as well as expected with just a few minor complaints. Read on to find out more.
Specifications and Features
| Hardware | |
|---|---|
| Interface | Thunderbolt |
| Bus Type | Thunderbolt |
| Number of Drives | 2 |
| Drive Size | 2.5in |
| Compatible Drive Types (Type and Rate) | SATA |
| Drive Installation | Fixed |
| Number of 2.5 inch bays | 2 |
| Supported Drive Height(s) | 15mm |
| Fan(s) | Yes |
| Fans | 1 – 50 mm |
| Fan Bearing Type | Ball Bearing |
| Chipset ID | DSL3510L/INTEL |
| Connector(s) | |
| Drive Connectors | 2 – SATA Data & Power Combo (7+15 pin) Female |
| Host Connectors | 2 – Thunderbolt™ (20-pin) Female |
| Performance | |
| Maximum Data Transfer Rate | 10 Gbps |
| Type and Rate | Thunderbolt – 10 Gbit/s |
| UASP Support | No |
| Type and Rate | SATA III (6 Gbps) |
| RAID | No |
| Max Drive Capacity | Currently tested with up to 2TB 5400 RPM hard drives |
| Hot Swap Capability | No |
| Temperature Alarm | No |
| Software | |
| OS Compatibility | Windows® 8 / 8.1 (32/64bit), 7 (32/64), Vista(32/64), XP(32/64) Windows Server® 2012, 2008 R2, 2003(32/64) Mac OS® 10.x (Tested up to 10.9) Linux |
| Physical Characteristics | |
| Color | Silver |
| Enclosure Type | Aluminum |
| Max Drive Height | 0.6 in [15 mm] |
| Product Length | 5.2 in [133 mm] |
| Product Width | 3.7 in [93 mm] |
| Product Height | 2.5 in [63 mm] |
| Product Weight | 17.3 oz [490 g] |
| Indicators | |
| LED Indicators | 1 – Status (Power) |
| 1 – Drive 1 Activity | |
| 1 – Drive 2 Activity | |
| Power | |
| Power Source | AC Adapter Included |
| Input Voltage | 100 ~ 240 AC |
| Output Voltage | 12 DC |
| Environmental | |
| Operating Temperature | 5°C to 35°C (41°F to 95°F) |
| Storage Temperature | -20°C to 70°C (-4°F to 158°F) |
| Humidity | 5% ~ 95% RH |
| Packaging Information | |
| Shipping (Package) Weight | 47.4 oz [1344 g] |
| What’s in the Box | |
| Included in Package | 1 – Thunderbolt 2.5” HDD Enclosure |
| 1 – Thunderbolt Cable | |
| 1 – HDD installation screw kit | |
| 1 – Universal Power Adapter w/ regional power cables (NA/EU/UK/AUS) | |
| 1 – Rubber foot set | |
| 1 – Instruction Manual | |
Since this merely is a drive enclosure there are not any special features to speak of. There’s room for two 2.5″-drives with a max height of 15 mm and a small fan can keep them cool if needed. Two Thunderbolt connectors handle the connection to the computer and any other peripheral you want to hook up.
Thunderbolt
Thunderbolt is an interface that offers a lot. It combines PCI Express (PCIe) and DisplayPort (DP) into one serial signal alongside a DC connection for electric power and you can daisy chain up to 6 peripherals including displays and storage enclosures. So far the interface however is pretty rare in PC laptops and computer though and the few motherboards from Gigabyte and ASUS that offers Thunderbolt cost an arm and a leg. Most laptops today come with a mini-DisplayPort which is the same form factor as a Thunderbolt connector but only carries the display signal. The one computer maker that has invested heavily into Thunderbolt is Apple. We’ve seen before with FireWire that Apple does not have a problem going their own way and right now all their computer-products come with a proper Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 (the newer version with up to 20 Gbps of bandwidth).
Review Overview
Build-quality - 9
Performance - 8.5
Features - 8.5
8.7
The StarTech Thunderbolt Dual SSD Enclosure is a great little Thunderbolt-enclosure that not only can daisy-chain other devices but also offers great performance for your SSD-drives regardless if you use RAID0 or RAID1.
How this is “Great performance” when those SSDs should go up to 1,2 GB/s in raid 0? Even internal MBA m.2 SSD is getting up to 738MB/s reads. This product looks like “half-way” developed, bacplane, poor fan mounting solution… 225$ ?! For what, 20$ Thunderbolt chip ??!
Hello Christopher Help please. I just bought one of these caddy’s BUT it seems dead, could you tell me PLEASE IF I just put the power supply to it, should I get any lights working / fan working or drives spinning up when its NOT connected to a computer. At this time when I plug the power supply in I get nothing. Your answer would be apricated thank you. Best Regards David and happy NEW YEAR TO YOU