iDsonix SuperSpeed USB eSATA to SATA Hard Drive Docking Station For 2.5 or 3.5in HDD/SSD

Screen Shot 2013-12-14 at 11.41.24 AMAs the menagerie of computers in my office evolved over the years, I needed to manage, upgrade and backup all of them at some point. It’s an ongoing task, which can sometimes be really frustrating. Hard drives are easily the most valuable elements of all of my computers, since a faulty memory card can easily be replaced, while the stored data is oftentimes irreplaceable. This is why I have come to really value an easy access to my hard drives, especially for troubleshooting and repair. And this is why I am such a big fan of hot-swappable external hard drive enclosures – they allow you to access your internal hard drives almost as easily as you can access the external ones.

There are essentially two main version of the external HDD docking station that I am aware of – the more common one where you insert the HDD vertically, and this one where you can slide it in horizontally. iDsonix makes both kinds, and it will ultimately come down to your preferences. I prefer this one as it look makes the HDD look less exposed when sitting on my work desk.

This docking station comes with two cables – USB 3 cable and an eSATA cable – as well as a power supply. The power supply is a medium-sized brick that lays flat onto the power outlet – not the most convenient setup if you are using a power strip for all of your electronic devices. The cables look sturdy and durable, while the docking station is lightweight and well made. The docking station has an on/off button, as well as small LED disk availability indicator.

The docking station accepts both the 2.5″ as well as the 3.5″ HDDs. I’ve been able to test it with both, and it worked as advertised. The disks would easily slide right in from the side and would attach securely.

I’ve tested this docking station with three different computers – Mac Mini running Mavericks, a Windows 8.1 laptop and a Windows 7 desktop. The dock was recognized immediately with all of these machines. I was able to use it with both the USB 3 and USB 2 ports, and the difference in transfer speeds was obvious. I have not been able to test it with the eSATA cable though. eSATA provides transfer speeds that are comparable with USB 3 standard, but it has some other technical features (such as a dedicated transfer not shared with other devices) that make it a potentially more powerful standard when working with dedicated HDDs in a well controlled environment. It is, however, a not very widely used standard.

I have been very happy with this docking station so far. It has helped me backup and restore several of my old HDDs. If you do a lot of fiddling with your computers then this is an essential accessory to have. Highly recommended.

 

Bojan Tunguz

Bojan Tunguz was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which he and his family fled during the civil war for the neighboring Croatia. Over the past two decades he has studied, lived and worked in the United States. He is a theoretical physicist with degrees from Stanford and University of Illinois. Tunguz has taught physics at several prominent liberal arts colleges and has been writing about physics, science and technology for more than a decade. He also has a wide spectrum of interests, and reads and writes about current events, society, culture, religion and politics. Over the years he has reviewed many of the books that he has read, and posted his reviews on various online outlets. In 2011 he had become a top 10 reviewer on Amazon.com, where he continues to be very active. Aside from reading and writing, Tunguz enjoys traveling, digital photography, hiking, and fitness. He resides with his wife in Indiana. You can follow my review updates on the following pages as well: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tunguzreview Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tunguzreviews Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104312842297641697463/posts

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