Galaxy Metal Gear Box 3500SASP

Zitat

The Galaxy Metal Gear Box offers similar performance to our motherboard SATA connection as it should since it is using the same connection and protocol for operation. The unit performed well in day to day operations over the past six weeks and even survived a couple of accidental drops in the lab. The quality of the case is very good. Its design is sturdy as our floor can attest to after getting dinged twice. Our only concern with the case besides the blinding blue LEDs is the flimsy mesh inserts that can easily be bent. The quality of the documentation and enclosed components are not up to the standards of the ICY DOCK unit but considering this unit sells for about $30 less then we fully understand Galaxy's decision to use value based components to keep the cost down.

Our noise measurements singled out our primary problem with the external enclosures we have tested to date. Unless they have drive mounting isolation or acoustical padding then several sounds that were not immediately noticeable with a bare drive will become noticeable once the drive is in the enclosure. The Galaxy did not vibrate as much with the Samsung drive installed as the ICY DOCK unit, which resulted in better noise management but all other sounds emanating from the drive were amplified by the enclosure. We suggest using this enclosure in the vertical position if you have a drive that likes to vibrate such as our Samsung T166 review unit.

Overall, we are not wild about the graphics design although we have seen worse, the lack of quick drive interchangeability between units, and the fact this external enclosure is not a true eSATA design which can limit its SATA performance portability appeal. However, the price is right, quality is good, and the unit performs as advertised. Anyone looking to add an external SATA hard drive to their system with the option of USB 2.0 portability could do a lot worse than the Galaxy Metal Gear Box.