Docking Station: StarTech SuperSpeed USB 3.0 eSATA Hard Drive Docking Station with Cooling Fan (SATDOCKU3SEF)

Product Details

Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 4.7 x 8.3 inches ; 2 pounds
Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
ASIN: B0055PL2YI
Item model number: SATDOCKU3SEF

By : StarTech
Price : $52.24
You Save : $19.75 (27%)

Product Description

The SATDOCKU3SEF Hard Drive Docking Station (eSATA/USB 3.0 to SATA) delivers quick and easy access to a 2.5in or 3.5in SATA hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD) through either eSATA or USB connectivity, making it compatible with almost any system.The docking station features a built-in 80mm cooling fan that provides increased reliability and lifespan to HDDs by keeping the drives cooler. The variable fan speed control allows for on-the-fly adjustments for any type of HDD, or to balance cooling with noise.The docking station supports full eSATA data transfer rates of up to 3 Gbps, and USB 3.0 transfer rates up to 5 Gbps while backward compatible with USB 2.0 system transfer rates of up to 480 Mbps.For an even more versatile storage solution, this eSATA/USB 3.0 HDD docking station can be used with our SATA to IDE hard drive adapter (SAT2IDEADP) enabling you to use 2.5in or 3.5in IDE hard drives with the dock.

Technical Details

Built-in, variable speed 80mm cooling fan keeps the hard drive running cool in almost any condition
The docking station offers both eSATA and USB 3.0 host connections, with support for data transfer rates up to 3 Gbps and 5 Gbps respectively and is backward compatible with USB 2.0 host connections (480Mbps)
Backed by a StarTech.com 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support
80mm cooling fan with variable speed control (including Off)
Top slot-loading design with bay door
High speed eSATA host interface with supported transfer rates up to 3 Gbps
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 compliant host interface with support for transfer rates up to 5 Gbps
Supports both 2.5" and 3.5" form factor hard drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD)

Customer Reviews

Years ago, I abandoned enclosures for the open-air architecture of an HDD dock. I've purchased various docks as they've been released with chipsets that progressively supported larger densities. However, they were all not quite what I needed. Until now.
I've always actively cooled a docked drive by positioning a case fan behind the HDD. This was always sort of a pain; I had to rig a 12V adapter, which made plugging/unplugging the fan fun, not to mention often knocking it over in the process (I had wire guards installed on both sides to prevent damage to the fan blades). It also took up some real estate on the desk. But, I always found two constants: The larger the drive, the hotter it ran, and during large data transfers, having the fan running kept the drive much cooler.
I had been using two older Startech docks for the past year. One had arrived DOA, which Amazon promptly replaced, and both had worked flawlessly since. But, there was still the fan annoyances.
Then, I saw that Startech had released this new model with an integrated fan. YES! Note: I did some price checking, and I found them cheaper at Overstock, which with shipping, were still cheaper than Amazon's price with the free Prime shipping. I placed my Overstock order at 3PM and had the docks the next day (for $2 shipping)!
I have a LOT of external HDD's, and I manage a LOT of data, so I require multiple docks. However, I only have one eSATA port in my HP DC7900. So, I also bought a Syba SD-PEX-JM1A2E PCIe 1x PATA / 2x e-SATA Card. Microsoft is not supporting USB3.0 until W8, and most of the reviews I've read on the 3.0 cards out there, the bottom-line performance doesn't really exceed eSATA, whose price point is still much lower than 3.0. I also have an older Plextor 760A optical PATA optical drive, which is one of the best-performing read-error-correcting drives I've ever used, so the Syba's IDE connector was an added bonus (I replaced two cards in my machine with this one).
The Syba card and Startech docks have turned out to be a killer combination. As mentioned in reviews on the Syba, on sleep or shut down, it sends a command to the Startech's that power them down. I also experienced a much faster data rate from the Plex thru the Syba than the previous IDE card I was using.
The Startech docks's are awesome. I can't rate the USB3.0 performance, but the eSATA transfer rate is plenty fast.
There are manual eject buttons on the front; on the older Startech models, you had to yank the drive out of the connector while holding the dock down.
That thumbwheel on the side is a fan speed controller. Cranked to the max, the unit has a definite audible whine, and when two are running simultaneously, it's downright loud. I backed the fan speed switch down halfway, which dropped the noise to just about nil, but holding my hand in front of the fan, I didn't feel much change in airflow. I tried a few large backups at the slower speed, and the drives were just slightly more warm, but perfectly acceptable.
It should also be noted that this dock supports 3TB drives. I haven't gone there yet; I let at least a year go by after a higher density streets before I adopt, as the failure rates are almost always unacceptable in that time period.
All-in-all, me happy boy. I can't recommend this dock (and the Syba card) more highly.

The StarTech Superspeed USB 3.0 hard drive docking bay is all that it claims to be and then some.Set up was very easy and straight foward and the drive bay is easy to operate and fast!The bay is a little noisey but its fan works great and has adjustable speed.The fan noise didn't bother me and the intelligent power profile was a pleasent surprise.Well woth the money.

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