Crucial SK01 External 2.5” Storage Kit
Product Type: External 2.5” Storage Kit with Installation Bay
Cost: ~ $30
Product Information: http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CTsk01
Crucial’s SK01 is an affordable external enclosure for 2.5” Serial ATA hard drives, which connects to the host computer via USB 2.0. The product offers more flexibility than average enclosures, though, as it comes with a drive bay that allows insertion of the external drive into an internal 3.5” bay and connects to your host PC via Serial ATA. Obviously, this is considerably faster than the USB 2.0 uplink, which is why Crucial positions the SK01 kit as suitable for solid state drives.
The main purpose of the Crucial SK01 is to capitalize on the key features of flash SSDs: flash-based storage can be extremely quick, which is why the latest devices are usually suitable for use as system drives. Flash SSDs are also very robust, as they don’t utilize moving parts, and some products are lighter than conventional hard drives, making them a great choice for mobile applications (although their capacities don’t come close to those of regular hard drives). Consequently, the storage kit tries to combine the best of both worlds.
SATA or USB 2.0
The SK01 supports any 2.5” SATA drive, be they flash SSD or conventional drives, either externally using USB 2.0 or through Serial ATA once the drive is inserted into the drive bay. It is possible to use SATA when you’re on the road, but you will have to attach the USB power cable and the SATA data cable. Since this is not very practical, USB 2.0 should be the main interface while you’re traveling. To eject the drive you only have to push the button on the right side of the bay frame. Crucial adds a protective bag for the drive enclosure, but the firm didn’t think of a solution for the USB cable, so you’ll have to come up with something to handle the USB cable separately.
