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Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

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  • Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

    Here is a summary or excerpt from an article that has just been published on DPNow:

    Hard drive docks can provide a higher performance and more flexible solution for photographers with lots of data to back up. We review the Icy Box eSATA/USB 2.0 2.5/3.5 inch hard drive dock.

    Click here to read the whole article...

  • #2
    Stephen

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    • #3
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      • #4
        Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

        It just has USB ports Ian, though the internal drive is eSata All the docks I have seen seem to be intended for USB
        Stephen

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        • #5
          Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

          Originally posted by Stephen View Post
          It just has USB ports Ian, though the internal drive is eSata All the docks I have seen seem to be intended for USB
          SATA and eSATA (external SATA) are different; SATA is the hard drive interface and eSATA is for connecting SATA drives externally using things like a dock or cased external drive. SATA connectors (data and power) are different to eSATA ports (data only). And eSATA is much faster than USB (or even FireWire) and only USB 3.0 is in the same performance league. Depending on the drive itself, the real world transfer performance could be between 2 and 3x faster with eSATA.

          I understand that some Macs do have eSATA ports (they all use SATA internal drives).

          Ian

          PS All the eSATA docks I have seen include USB 2.0.
          Founder/editor
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          • #6
            Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

            I'm not sure where I got the eSata thing from, I'm pretty sure the drive and the dock are just Sata. However the fact that I was getting the message about it drawing too much power from the USB port makes me wonder
            Stephen

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            • #7
              Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

              I would think that the dock you bought was faulty in some way. Some USB devices that rely on power from the USB port can demand too much, but all the hard drive docks I have seen use a separate power supply. 1.8 inch drives often found in slim USB-powered external drives are one thing, but 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch hard drives require more power than a USB port can deliver.

              The SATA specification covers data and power connectors for the bare drives. eSATA is a specification that enable SATA communication with an external SATA drive using a different type of cable (and connector) again. With external SATA (eSATA) devices power is expected to be sourced separately and not from the host computer, so there is no eSATA power arrangement.

              Inside the eSATA device, like an eSATA external hard drive or an eSATA dock, the bare SATA hard drive plugs into SATA connectors (power and data) and these are connected to an eSATA controller that often includes a USB controller enabling either connection to an eSATA capable host computer or a USB port on a host computer (not at the same time though!).

              eSATA is much faster than USB 2.0 (though there is much less difference with USB 3.0) and so if your computer has an eSATA port you should use that instead of USB 2.0.

              Ian
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              • #8
                Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

                Originally posted by Stephen View Post
                However the fact that I was getting the message about it drawing too much power from the USB port makes me wonder
                The USB 2.0 port suplies 500mAH to the conncected device, while that of USB 3.0 port supplies 900mAH.
                Have you checked if the connected device assumes USB 3.0 connection (or 900mAH power supply) ?

                One more possible cause imho is that if the USB cable you used is too long then the BASS power supply from the USB port could be not sufficient enough.

                My portable HDD works well only if it is connected to a PC body directly. If I use an extension USB code (only 15cm or so) then the HDD does not work properly. The green light turns on but when writing the data, the colour changes to orange, meaning the power supply is not suffucient.
                Looks like quite delicate in that sense.

                These are just what I thought after reading your comment now.
                yoshi

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                • #9
                  Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

                  Thanks for the info Yoshi, much appreciated.

                  I have a series of powered external HDs that are plugged into a USB hub which in turn is plugged into a router. This enables me to wirelessly access them all via my network, usually one at a time though.

                  However the sata dock I refer to was connected directly to the back of my iMac and although it was powered the same as the others, it was not happy and kept dropping the connection. I got a refund on that particular unit and am still waiting for an alternative unit to be delivered
                  Stephen

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                  • #10
                    Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

                    Originally posted by DPNow View Post
                    Here is a summary or excerpt from an article that has just been published on DPNow:

                    Hard drive docks can provide a higher performance and more flexible solution for photographers with lots of data to back up. We review the Icy Box eSATA/USB 2.0 2.5/3.5 inch hard drive dock.

                    Click here to read the whole article...
                    Docks or external HD cases with USB3.0 port in addition to eSATA are getting more easily available imho. The price has also declined by at least 20% or more since the last summer.

                    It looks to me that the manufacturer wants to clear the inventory of the old type devices. If prices are reasonable it's of course ok but are they?

                    As you pointed out the speed of USB3.0 is faster than USB2.0 by 10 times theoretically and in the real world by 3 times or so.
                    Copying huge photo data and others from internal HDD to the external HD case (with HD inside of course) is quite fast, thanks to USB3.0 (or eSATA).

                    I would ask the price of USB2.0 type to be less than a third of USB3.0 type.
                    yoshi

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                    • #11
                      Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

                      I see. So you got a sort of lemon then.
                      Hope you get a good one soon.

                      Incidentally I'm now tackling with a wireless network. It shouldn't be that difficult according to pre-information but I'm struggling.
                      yoshi

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                      • #12
                        Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

                        I've been using the Freecom Hard Drive Dock Pro since last year. I didn't need the eSata connection (it'd be no use to my netbooks), but I did need the facility to plug in old PATA (IDE) hard drives from my ancient desktops.

                        It would have been nice for them to include the cables for IDE but, even so, it works well for my needs.

                        I've been meaning to get some SATA hard drives to use with the dock but the price difference between a bare bones hard drive and one in a case, like the Samsung Story Station, is so small that it's almost not worth the saving.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

                          Originally posted by JSR View Post
                          I've been using the Freecom Hard Drive Dock Pro since last year. I didn't need the eSata connection (it'd be no use to my netbooks), but I did need the facility to plug in old PATA (IDE) hard drives from my ancient desktops.

                          It would have been nice for them to include the cables for IDE but, even so, it works well for my needs.

                          I've been meaning to get some SATA hard drives to use with the dock but the price difference between a bare bones hard drive and one in a case, like the Samsung Story Station, is so small that it's almost not worth the saving.
                          I think you make a good point, but only if a faster interface like eSATA or USB 3.0 is not of value (and certainly for now as you explain, it's not relevant for you). But an eSATA dock like the Icy Box is a lot faster than USB 2.0. I also value the simplicity of having one dock on the worktop, just one power supply, and a neat pile of bare hard drives that can be interchanged very conveniently as required.

                          Ian
                          Founder/editor
                          Digital Photography Now (DPNow.com)
                          Twitter: www.twitter.com/ian_burley
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                          • #14
                            Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

                            Originally posted by yoshi View Post
                            I see. So you got a sort of lemon then.
                            Hope you get a good one soon.

                            Incidentally I'm now tackling with a wireless network. It shouldn't be that difficult according to pre-information but I'm struggling.
                            yoshi
                            Hi Yoshi, can we help at all with your wireless network problems?

                            Ian
                            Founder/editor
                            Digital Photography Now (DPNow.com)
                            Twitter: www.twitter.com/ian_burley
                            Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/dpnow/
                            Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ianburley/

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                            • #15
                              Re: Icy Box eSata/USB 2.0 hard drive docking station review

                              Originally posted by Ian View Post
                              Hi Yoshi, can we help at all with your wireless network problems?

                              Ian
                              Thanks Ian, I may ask for help but meanwhile I'll do my best.
                              yoshi

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