I am shopping for an enclosure. Actually, two, but for now, I just want an idea of what to look for and which ones are the most recommended.
Do you think it should have a fan or is it okay to be fan-less because of the aluminum shell? In the past, many critics emphasized getting one with a fan but maybe now it's not essential? I have been using a Vantec Nexstar 3 enclosure that has the eSATA and USB interface for connections and so far it's been fine. But, I want to make sure I am getting a decent one and I just discovered there are a few makes and models that come with a built-in fan. I thought it might be a good idea. However, some of the newer terabyte drives are these 'green' models and don't produce a lot of heat for a hard drive. I might not need an enclosure that has a fan for such drives. However, if I wanted to house a drive I ALREADY have, should I bother with an enclosure that has a built-in fan?
Please recommend and suggest an enclosure. I thought external drives and enclosures would be pretty popular with laptop owners at least until solid state drives come down in price. I think it is the best way to store data and increase the storage capacity for your laptop. It's also useful for desktops as well if you store a lot of data.
I did try to google for choices and did a search of the forums to no avail. If you think a fan-less enclosure is sufficient, please suggest a brand/model but if you think I should get one with a fan, please state why and suggest a model! Thanks!
Oh yeah, these are the only ones with fans that I know of that might be good and are available in my area:
Antec MX-1 Actively Cooled External Hard Drive Enclosure USB2.0 eSATA Black
Thermaltake MAX4
If I don't need one with a fan, I am thinking the one I have is sufficient. What do you think?:
Vantec NexStar3 NST-360SU
Do you think it should have a fan or is it okay to be fan-less because of the aluminum shell? In the past, many critics emphasized getting one with a fan but maybe now it's not essential? I have been using a Vantec Nexstar 3 enclosure that has the eSATA and USB interface for connections and so far it's been fine. But, I want to make sure I am getting a decent one and I just discovered there are a few makes and models that come with a built-in fan. I thought it might be a good idea. However, some of the newer terabyte drives are these 'green' models and don't produce a lot of heat for a hard drive. I might not need an enclosure that has a fan for such drives. However, if I wanted to house a drive I ALREADY have, should I bother with an enclosure that has a built-in fan?
Please recommend and suggest an enclosure. I thought external drives and enclosures would be pretty popular with laptop owners at least until solid state drives come down in price. I think it is the best way to store data and increase the storage capacity for your laptop. It's also useful for desktops as well if you store a lot of data.
I did try to google for choices and did a search of the forums to no avail. If you think a fan-less enclosure is sufficient, please suggest a brand/model but if you think I should get one with a fan, please state why and suggest a model! Thanks!
Oh yeah, these are the only ones with fans that I know of that might be good and are available in my area:
Antec MX-1 Actively Cooled External Hard Drive Enclosure USB2.0 eSATA Black
Thermaltake MAX4
If I don't need one with a fan, I am thinking the one I have is sufficient. What do you think?:
Vantec NexStar3 NST-360SU