Introduction

The Tsunami Ultimate II is a dual hard drive enclosure which is JBOD/BIG capable. This enables it to be used as two independent drives or combining the capacity of two hard drives. Unlike many dual hard drive enclosures, the Tsunami Ultimate II 3500 is priced at only £22. Does this cheap price impact in poor performance and quality? Time to find out…

About Tsunami

“Tsunami was founded in 1994 with one simple vision: Make technology delightful, enjoyable, and life- inspired. We have established manufacturing plants in emerging markets e.g. China and Brazil. Along the years, Tsunami has successfully developed itself as a main player in supplying innovative and high quality products globally. In 2007, based on its extensive experience, Tsunami Group has decided to extend their arms into the UK market.”

Features

• 2-bays 3.5” HDD enclosure
• Interface: SATA I, II to USB 2.0 (480mb/s).
• Support 2 X 3.5” SATA I, II Hard drives
• Support JBOD (2 Separated Disk) or BIG (1 Bunched Disk) mode
• External JBOD/BIG jumper switch
• 40 x 40 x 10mm Cooling Fan with great cooling efficiency
• Panel with air vent for better cooling effect
• OTB (one touch backup) function and software bundled
• Anti-skid rubber foot stand
• Dual colour LED display (Power and HDD access)
• Comes with 3 stylish changeable colour bezel
• Anti-shock design
• Hot swappable and truly Plug-n-Play
• Insulating designed PCB
• Soft-start for slow turn-on feature prevents high inrush currents
• Backward compatible with USB 1.1
• One year manufacturer’s limited warranty.
• Free unlimited online support

Specifications

• OS support: Windows Vista/XP/2000/Me/Windows98/SE, MAC OS (Drivers bundled)
• Power supply: AC100~240V,50~60Hz;DC5V/3A+DC12V/3A
• Case material: Aluminium (great heat dissipation)
• Size: L212 x W116.3 x H64(mm)
• Weight: 1.3 KG (GW)

]]> http://tech-reviews.co.uk/reviews/tsunami-ultimate-ii-3500-2xhdd-jbod-enclosure/feed/ 0 http://tech-reviews.co.uk/reviews/istorage-diskgenie-320gb-encrypted-portable-hard-drive/ http://tech-reviews.co.uk/reviews/istorage-diskgenie-320gb-encrypted-portable-hard-drive/#comments Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:06:36 +0000 Andrew http://tech-reviews.co.uk/?p=2581 Introduction

Data security is a very important issue for some people. For internal hard drives there are many solutions available to ensure your drive cannot be accessed. However, for portable hard drives, there really are very few working solutions. One such apparent  solution is iStorage’s diskGenie, a hardware encrypted portable hard drive which utilizes secure PIN code access. Let’s see how it performs…

About iStorage

“iStorage Limited provides high performance and ultra secure portable data storage and security products to users who need to protect their data held on PC’s, MACs and portable data storage devices.”

Features

• COMPLETE SECURITY with Real Time 256-bit AES Hardware Encryption and Pin Code Access
• EASY TO INSTALL and set up as no software needed
• CONVENIENCE via integrated USB2 so no extra cables or AC power needed
• ROBUST, PORTABLE compact design with shock mounting to protect from knocks
• ADMINISTRATION feature allowing up to 10 passkeys and passkey management
• COMPATIBILITY with any operating system incl. Windows, Mac, Linux
• GUARANTEED with 3 year warranty

Capacities Available

• 250GB
• 320GB
• 500GB

More information can be found here.

Introduction

Depending on what you need an external hard drive for, you’re either going to have a small pocket sized one or a larger one to sit on your desk.  The Consus is a great enclosure that fits in your pocket and has some great features.  Read on to see what those features are and how the Consus performs during testing.

About Eagle Tech

Eagle Tech Computers, Inc. is a trusted OEM supplier of power supply, rack mount chassis, network attached storage NAS (RAID, Gigabit LAN, Wireless 802.11a/b/g), external hard drive enclosures and other storage related products. Our extensive experience in designing, manufacturing and marketing high quality PC components that meet and exceed customer application requirements has enabled us to grow beyond manufacturing. Our core competence is in innovative external storage solutions. Recognizing the needs of modern computer users to store and share digital files across multiple platforms, Eagle Tech constantly monitors consumer needs to ensure timely development and introduction of innovative external storage products into the consumer market. We remain a high quality technology solutions provider dedicated to satisfying the demands of modern computer users – mainstream, enthusiasts and SOHO professionals. Eagle Tech understands the importance of your data and strives to provide customers with reliable and easy to use products that are backed with responsive technical support staff. If there is a more innovative way to store and access your important data, you can count on us to make it happen for you – at affordable prices, rugged constructions and stylish designs.

Features

• Ultra portable at only 0.4" thick
• Solid aluminium chassis
• Soft-glowing drive activity LED
• Integrated USB cable (no messy wires)
• USB powered (no bulky AC adapter)
• 3.0Gbps eSATA*
• Plug-n-Play ISB 2.0
• Usage: Easy add-on storage for mobile users

Specifications

Introduction

External Hard Drives are becoming more and more popular nowadays and with 3.5 Inch enclosures being more suitable for the home, this is where 2.5 Inch enclosures come in. The In Win AMMO Sata HDD Enclosure has many brilliant features that will appeal to many people among the general public but security is the main feature that has been taken into account while developing the AMMO, so lets see if their hard work has actually been worthwhile.

About In Win

“IN-WIN Development Inc., an ISO 9001 manufacturer of professional computer chassis, power supplies and digital storage devices, is the leading provider of enclosure solutions to system integrators worldwide. Founded in 1986, IN-WIN provides high quality chassis that conform to all safety regulations, as well as unsurpassed customer service.”

Features

• Supports 2.5" SATA HDD
• Unique Ammunition Cartridge Design
• Ultra strong protection with metal material
• Advanced Anti-vibration structure
• RFID Data Encryption
• Plug & Play and Hot Swap

Specifications

Introduction

Recently, it has become common for many people to have an external hard drive enclosure, these generally speaking have been purchased with the HDD already installed for a greater price than an enclosure and a HDD. This means that there is money to be saved by buying the components separately and fitting them yourself. With that in mind I introduce the Vizo Saturno.

Features

• Compatible with 2.5" SATA Hard Drive
• Support 480Mbps High Speed USB 2.0
• Support 3.0Gbps High Speed external Serial-ATA (eSATA)
• Dual One-touch Backup buttons for file and system (only under USB2.0 host)
• 4 functions in it :
  – One touch backup for file
  – One touch backup for system
  – USB to SATA HDD
  – eSATA to SATA HDD
• Slim, compact and portable design
• Aluminium housing for excellent heat dissipation
• Side vents improving advection for better system cooling
• Support plug and play & hot swappable
  * Must be attached to SATA 3.0G/eSATA 3.0G hot swappable compliant host to enable hot swappable function
• USB powered device, no external power is required under low HDD power consumption
• Extra power needed for high HDD power consumption or eSATA host used.

Specifications

• Case Material: Aluminium
• Host Interface: 480Mbps USB 2.0 (USB 1.1 Compatible) 3.0Gbps High Speed external Serial-ATA (eSATA)
• HDD Type: 2.5 " SATA HDD
  (Height: 9.5 mm, Maximum capacity up to 500G)
• One Button Backup: Backup / Restore / Synchronize file and system
  (ONLY under USB2.0 host)
• Power Supply: USB Bus Power
  – External USB POWER (DC 5V/1A, included)
  – External AC/DC Power Adapter (Option, AC input: 100~ 240Vac, DC output: +5V/2A, not included.
  – 10 Watt AC/DC Power Adapter is highly recommended.)
• Indicators: Blue for Power on / Red for file access
• Available colours: Mirror Black, Mirror Blue, Mist Black, Pearl White
• Model No.: SAT-250-BL, SAT-250-MB, SAT-250-WH
• Weight: 75g (without HDD)
• Dimensions: 135(L) x 76(W) x 15(H) mm

Introduction

External hard drives have grown in popularity considerably in recent years. Most of us have experienced at least one dreaded hard drive failure and so we’ve learnt the importance of backing up files. One hardware device which makes backing up effortless and fast is an external hard drive. These are also useful for mass portable storage. Today we’ll be reviewing an external hard drive enclosure from ‘Rosewill’. This 3.5” SATA enclosure supports all the modern standards and can support even a 1TB hard drive. Time to take a look at the RX81-MP-US…

 About Rosewill

“Not long ago we had an idea – bring quality hardware and affordable prices together. From that idea Rosewill was born. Formed from a top team of hardware professionals, Rosewill is dedicated to our mission to compete and win on price, quality, and service. We work only with the best partners – businesses we know and businesses we trust.”

Features

• Aluminium with internal metal chassis for optimized heat dissipation
• Fan-less with Unique Design
• Hot-swappable connection
• Support Linux 2.4.1.0 or above

Windows Requirements

• eSATA : Windows 2000/XP/Vista
• USB 2.0 : Windows ME/2000/XP/Vista
• USB 1.1 : Windows ME/2000/XP/Vista

Mac Requirements

• eSATA : Mac OS 10.2 or higher
• USB 2.0 : Mac OS 10.2 or higher
• USB 1.1 : Mac OS 9.1 or higher

Specifications

• Color: Black / Silver
• External Interface:
  – eSATA x 1 port
  USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 x  port
• HDD size: 3.5” SATA I/II HDD
  (supports up to 1TB)
• Chipset: J-Micron 20446
• Hot Swappable
• Product Size: 22.5cm x 13.5 x 3.5cm
• Material: Aluminium for optimized heat dissipation
• External AC Adapter: DC +5V/2A, +12V/2A
• Data Transfer Rate:
  – eSATA up to 3.0Gbps
  – USB 2.0 up to 480Mbps
  – USB 1.1 up to 12Mbps

Introduction

The demand for external hard drives has increased significantly in recent years, due to the need for more storage space and the added security from backing up data. A 500GB hard drive can be bought for as little as £35 and so pairing this with an external hard drive enclosure is a cheap way of protecting your data. The benefit of a hard drive enclosure over a pre-built external hard drive is that you can use one the old hard drives you may have lying around.

Features

• Compatible with 3.5″ SATA Hard Drive
• Support 480Mbps High Speed USB 2.0
• Support 3.0Gbps High Speed external Serial-ATA( eSATA )
• Dual One-touch Backup buttons for file and system( only under USB2.0 host )
• 4 functions in it :

  One touch backup for file

  One touch backup for system

  USB to SATA HDD

  eSATA to SATA HDD

• Sleek and elegant design
• Aluminum housing for excellent heat dissipation
• Built-in fan for better system cooling
• Support plug and play & hot swappable

Specifications

• Case Material : Aluminum
• Host Interface:
  480Mbps USB 2.0 (USB 1.1 Compatible)
  3.0Gbps High Speed external Serial-ATA ( eSATA )
• HDD Type : 3.5 ” SATA HDD
• One Button Backup: Backup / Restore / Synchronize file and
• Power Supply : AC/DC Power Adapter
  ( AC input: 100~ 240Vac , DC output: +5V/+12V)
• Indicators : Blue for Power on / Purple for file access
• Available colors : Black, Blue, Silver
• Model No. : URA-350SA-BK, URA-350SA-BL, URA-350SA-GY
• Weight : 400g (without HDD)
• Dimensions : 210(L) x 125 (W) x 34 (H) mm

Packaging

The Vizo Uranus arrived in a white and yellow cardboard box. The front of the box features a large picture of the Uranus and some of the enclosures main features. In the bottom left hand corner is a sticker which shows the colour of the enclosure in the box.

The back of the box gives a more detailed overview of the Uranus. It gives a product description, features, specifications, system requirements and package contents. The three different colours are also shown – black, grey and blue.

The Vizo Uranus was securely held in place with Styrofoam and is also kept from moving by a completely white box made of a strong cardboard. Contained within the box are the following items:

• The Vizo Uranus
• A Plastic Stand
• USB Cable
• eSATA Cable
• Screw fitting kit
• Cleaning Cloth
• User Manual
• Power Cable and Power Adapter
• Driver CD
• SATA to eSATA adapter cable w/bracket

The stand supplied with the Uranus helps to get air to the ventilation gaps on the bottom of the enclosure. The stand also has transparent rubber pads where the enclosure meets the stand helping to dampen the noise produced by the enclosure. The rubber pads also keep the enclosure in place and prevent it from moving about.

The user manual is a single sided A3 sheet which gives illustrated instructions on how to install a hard drive into the enclosure. It also features a diagram of the ports on the enclosure. The instructions are simple to follow and make the installation much easier.

The addition of a cleaning cloth is welcome as the glossy black surface quickly picks up finger prints and the cloth is very effective at removing them.

The USB and eSATA cables provided measure around 90cm and so these should be long enough for most people – however if you have your computer under your desk and want to have the enclosure on the opposite side of the desk you may find that the cable isn’t long enough.

Vizo Uranus

The Vizo Uranus is constructed of black aluminum and a strong silver plastic. On the right side of the Uranus the logo has been etched on in silver. The port labels are also etched on for: DC Jack, Power, eSATA and USB.

The left hand side of the enclosure is completely black. It would have been nice for Vizo to have the logo and port labels on both sides so that you can place it anywhere on your desk.

On the bottom of the enclosure is an air vent to help cool the drive. This vent is one of the main reasons for the supplied stand.

Inside the enclosure is a small fan which I found to be noisy. This fan meant that I turned the enclosure off for as long as possible. I also noticed that the fan shifts a very small amount of air so it may have been a better choice to have more vents instead.

On the front of the hard drive is a transparent strip which is lit up by an LED inside the enclosure. This is illuminated blue to indicate that the external hard drive is on and illuminates purple when data is being transferred.

Installation

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For this review, we’ll be installing an 80GB SATA Hitachi 7K160 – the same hard drive we used for testing the Vizo Luxon Advanced ED.

The Vizo Uranus arrives already open so there is no need to unscrew anything.

The first thing that needs to be done is removing the plastic drive cage from the aluminum cover. You will then notice a single connector which is capable of both providing power and a SATA connection. The hard drive easily clips onto this connector and you will notice that it is held firmly in place.

You then simply use four of the provided screws to attach the hard drive to the cage. Once this has been done you just slide the aluminum casing back on and attach it with the Allen key and screws.

Testing

Oddly enough, the results we achieved from Uranus were exactly the same as the results we gathered from the Vizo Luxon. This could be because it uses the same chip inside the unit.

Conclusion

The Vizo Uranus looks amazing when compared to most other hard drive enclosures available on the market.

It also performs superbly when used with eSATA; however it performed much worse when used with USB. As many motherboards don’t have eSATA built in to get the most from this drive you need to install the SATA to eSATA adapter cable and this requires opening up your computer. Many people may not feel comfortable with this and for some people with store bought computers they risk invalidating the warranty by opening the computer.

Noise is also a big issue for the Uranus – especially when data is being copied to it as it becomes a major distraction and drowns out all other noise, including music.

Pros

• Quick write speed with eSATA
• Amazing looks
• Solid Construction
• Well Packaged

Cons

• Short eSATA and USB cables
• Would be much more efficient at cooling if made entirely from aluminum
• Noisy
• Large power adapter

External hard drives are commonly used in all sorts of work places now whether it is an office or even just at home. One problem with external drives though is security – especially if you’re storing confidential data on your drive. One method of better securing personal files on a hard drive– which may be used in a number of places – is to install a removable disk enclosure in your chassis/s. One such manufacture which offers this kind of product is Enhance Technology. Introducing the Enhance IS210 removable disk enclosure…

About Enhance Technology

Founded in 1997, Enhance Technology has become the leader in engineering and manufacturing storage-centric systems and solutions, and makes premium RAID or JBOD storage disk arrays.

Features

• Military-grade quality aluminium/steel housing
• Durable low-noise cooling fan from leading brand
• Standard 5.25″ CD-ROM size enclosure
• Passive key lock reduces potential electronic points-of-failure
• One model supports both Serial ATA (SATA) & Serial SCSI (SAS)
• Audible fan fail alarm and mute switch
• Colour option: Silver (brushed aluminium) or Black

Specifications

• Description: 5.25″ removable disk module for 3.5″ disks.
• Disk Support: Both SAS & SATA 3Gbps disk drives.
• Host Support: 7-pin, SATA 3Gbps interface.
• Power: Standard 4-pin power connector.
• Cooling Fan: High-end ball-bearing 4cm x1.
• Security: Passive non-electronic locking disk tray.
• Indicators: ON/OFF LED, disk activity LED.
• Controls: Alarm mute button.
• Dimensions: 8.25″ L x 5.25″W x 1.75″ H.
• Ergonomics: Easy-pull tray handle.
• Colours: Black or Silver.
• Warranty: 3-Year Limited Manufacturer Warranty.

The Package

The IS210 arrived in a pretty boring OEM style box with thick foam padding protecting the product at all sides.

Also included with the drive is a collection of screws for installing a hard disk inside the unit and a couple of keys for locking up the drive.

The Enhance IS210

On the Outside

The IS210 features a black brushed aluminium front, top, and bottom. This looks pretty classy and sets a first impression of quality. Dotted about the drive are many screws for securing the various panels to the chassis of the unit. All these screws are black in colour and add to the ‘military’ style of the drive.

At the front of the Enhance is a honey comb grill in the centre and a robust steel handle which can either be flat against the drives facia or protruding for easy drive removal. The chrome joints at the end of the handles seem to very strong and of high quality. To the right of the handle is a lock – the same sort of lock you’d expect to find on a bike lock – this is chrome in colour and seems very durable.

In terms of indicators and switches, the IS210 has just two LED’s and one switch. The top light indicates whether the drive is on and the one below it is for HDD activity. These LED’s are the norm for most external drives like this. Oddly though, the switch is a mute button. Eh? Well… the IS210 has a built in alarm feature which buzzes when your hard disk gets too hot. This is a nice feature to include when your sacred hard drive gets too hot and you don’t know it.

The back of the drive has an array of connectors and ports. From left to right there is a 3-pin header for the onboard 40mm fan which is installed at the front, two SATA ports for primary and master and a Molex connector. The alarm speaker is also situated here (just below the Molex port) and looks very similar to a Bios buzzer. I found it a bit unfortunate that the IS210 is powered by only Molex, as most people now ditching Molex altogether for just SATA.

Going Internal

All the internals of the drive are made from steel. This considerably adds to the weight of the drive, but makes it feel a lot more robust and shock proof.

The rear connector, where the hard disk plugs into is very similar to the port we saw on the Vizo Luxon. It’s a one piece connector which slots into the drive providing it with both a SATA connection and power. This one-piece connection is nice to see as it makes installation easy and allows for no wondering cables inside the IS210.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a 40×40x20mm fan at the front of the drive. This fan is manufactured by Delta Electronics. Doing some research on the fan revealed that at 12V, it operates at 6300RPM producing just 24dBA. This is relatively quiet – according to the specs.

Having a wonder around the unit, revealed there isn’t any rubber noise dampeners. This is a shame as these can further help to reduce the humming from disk drives.

Installation

Installing the drive in a system is relatively similar to installing a DVD drive. It slots into an available 5.25” bay and is then screwed in place with 8 of the included screws – four at each side. The drive then connects up using a Molex for power and a single SATA cable which goes straight to your motherboard.

To install a hard drive into the enclosure it’s also pretty simple. The first task is to slide the bay out of the enclosure. Then all you have to do is screw the hard drive in place from the bottom of the bay. Once secured in place, just slot the drive in place and it’ll connect itself up to the rear connectors, easy enough.

Noise

When installed, I was a bit surprised by the noise levels. It’s rated at 24dBA – which is pretty quiet – but there’s no way this thing is that. The fan is very whiney and gets annoying within minutes. This probably isn’t a problem if the enclosure was used in a server environment. However at home, the fan is just too noisy to be able to put up with.

Conclusion

The Enhance IS210 is a great hot swappable hard drive enclosure. It offers great security, good quality and an easy installation. Aesthetically it also looks pretty good.

But one real downfall to this product is its acoustical noise. Its fan is pretty whiney which quickly becomes annoying.

Introduction

External hard drives are being used more frequently now because of the new digital era and the fact people are now – – at last – – starting to backup data. Prices for external hard drives have also fallen massively, with prices ranging from as low as £50 for a 320GB model. However, if you have an old PC which you are not using, you may be able to use the hard disk from that, this will mean you will just need to buy an enclosure, costing as little as £20. If you haven’t guessed already, we’ll now be reviewing a hard drive enclosure. Introducing the Vizo Luxon Advanced ED.

About Vizo

VIZO Technology Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and designer of computer peripheral products serving customers around the world. Established in Taiwan in 1992, VIZO has expanded and now operates in the market completely reorganized and prepared to meet the demand for high quality products which are “Made in Taiwan”.

Features

• Compatible with 3.5″ SATA Hard Drive
• Supports 480Mbps High Speed USB 2.0 and USB 1.1
• Supports 3.0Gbps High Speed external Serial–ATA (eSATA)
• Real 3 GB/s Chipset for eSATA speed
• Aluminium housing for excellent heat dissipation
• Side vents improve convection for better system cooling
• LED light indicates working status and file transfer
• Stylish outlook with sleek design
• Supports plug and play & hot swappable

Specifications

• Case Material: Aluminium
• Host Interface:
  480Mbps USB 2.0 (USB 1.1 Compatible)
  3.0Gbps High Speed external Serial–ATA (eSATA)
• HDD Type: 3.5″ SATA Hard Drive
• Indicators: Blue for Power on / Purple for file access
• Available colours: Black, Blue, Silver
• Weight: 400 g (without HDD)
• Dimensions: 210(L) x 125 (W) x 34 (H) mm

Packaging

The Vizo Luxon Advanced arrives in a nicely styled blue and white cardboard box. On the front of the box are some short features which the Luxon entails and a large graphical image of the drive. A sticker is placed in the corner of the box – – highlighting the colour of this particular enclosure.

The back of the box has a product description of the Luxon and the features, specifications, system requirements and what the package includes all listed neatly. There are also some small photos of what the Vizo looks like in all three flavours of colours: Black, Grey and Blue.

There certainly is alot of information on the packaging about the Vizo. However, I was a little surprised to find it was all in English.

After removing the outer packaging, there is another box inside. The next box is made from thicker cardboard and is completely white on the exterior. This box ensures that the Vizo cannot encounter any damage.

Inside the box, you will find the following, most of which are in plastic bags:

• 3.5″ HDD External Enclosure
• Plastic Stand
• USB Cable
• ESATA Cable
• Power Cable
• Screw Fitting Kit
• Cleaning Cloth
• English User Manual

On the bottom of the stand are small rubber feet in each corner to stop the hard drive from vibrating and to stop it from slipping. Many external hard drives do not have anything to dampen vibrations, so I’m glad Vizo have paid attention to this. Also, there are transparent pieces of rubber seated in the inside edges of the stand, this again, helps to stop vibrations from the enclosure and stops it from moving around inside the stand.

Another nice feature is the supplied cleaning cloth. As you probably know, fingerprints show up very easily on aluminium – – especially glossy black spray painted aluminium – – and it’s not always simple to remove them. Therefore, including a micro fibre cloth was a very good idea.

The manual for the Luxon Advanced ED is all in English. To be honest, I wouldn’t really call it a manual as it’s merely an A3 sheet with six installation stages. However, it’s very easy to follow due to lots of diagrams and photos being used with the text – – that is, if you can read English.

The screw fitting it is just six cross head hard disk screws and six Allen key screws – – which secure the outer part of the Vizo to the ‘frame’. Also included with it is a small Allen key screwdriver – – very useful if you don’t have Allen keys at hand.

The USB and eSATA cables are black and around 90cm in length so should be long enough for most people.

Vizo Luxon Advanced ED

This product is made from sleek black aluminium. On the right hand side of the Luxon is some sort of graphic made from silver squares and there are labels for the ports: DC Jack, Power, eSATA and USB.

On the left hand side of the drive, there is no graphics, just a sleek black panel. I was hoping that there might be some rubber nipples on this side to stop the drive from vibrating when laying the drive horizontally.

Along the bottom edge there are vents to allow air to reach the hard drive. From this photo you should be able to see how thick the aluminium is, around 2mm.

The paint finish on the Vizo Luxon is certainly something Vizo should be proud about. It’s really shiny, to give you an idea, look at the photo below – – this baby is like a mirror! Also, the paint is actually quite thick. I tried scratching away some of the paint at the edges with a metal ruler and it took a good few minutes to scratch away even the first layer.

At the back of the Advanced ED there are the following ports:

• USB
• eSATA
• DC Jack

There is also a power switch. All these are clearly labelled and the trading standards labels are also shown.

The front of this external hard drive enclosure has a transparent plastic strip which is about 8cm long. When the drive is on, this strip lights up blue and when the drive is in use (transferring data) the strip lights up purple. This light comes from an LED which is built into the unit.

Here is the frame of the Luxon removed from its aluminium shell. The frame is unfortunately made from a silver coloured plastic – – not so good for thermal dissipation. To secure the plastic frame inside the Vizo’s shell four Allen key screws are installed – – one at each edge.

Installation

Installing a hard drive in the Luxon is a very simple process – – if done correctly. For this review, we’ll be installing an 80GB SATA Hitachi 7K160.

On the PCB inside the plastic frame there is a single socket which provides both power and a SATA connection to your hard drive. This means that you will have no trailing wires inside the enclosure.

Carefully aligning up your hard drive with the single socket, you should be able to clip your hard drive directly into the socket. Once connected, the hard drive should be firmly held in place.

After connecting up the drive, you need to screw the drive in place. This is done by screwing four of the included hard disk screws into the hard drive from the base of the frame. The hard drive should then be safely in place.

You could just leave the hard drive out like this now and start using it. However, it might look a bit better with its outer casing installed. To install this, you simply align its screw holes up with the ones on the frame then screw it in place using the included Allen key and Allen key screws.

That’s it. Now just connect the drive up to your computer using either the USB or eSATA port.

Testing

To test the performance of the Vizo Luxon Advanced ED we’ll compare the average read speeds, random access time, burst rate and CPU usage using three different connection methods: USB, eSATA and SATA. This will enable us to compare the performance of the hard drive with the performance of that of the enclosure using the two connection methods.

To make the sure that it’s a fair test. We will reboot the computer after each test and make sure that the same background programs are running for every test – – so the CPU usage starts at the same percentage for every test. Only one factor will be changed throughout all the tests, that is, the variable (connection method).

Test system configuration is as follows:

The HDD used with the Luxon: 80GB SATA Hitachi 7K160.

Below are all of the results from the four different tests. As you can see, the eSATA and straight SATA connection beats the USB connection by a considerable amount in all tests, although, it shares the same random access time with a straight SATA connection.

The CPU usage from the USB connection was a big let down at a massive 12.4%, that’s four times the amount of the straight SATA and double that of eSATA.

The read speed results were a little weird; I thought that straight SATA maybe faster than eSATA, but it seems the reverse. The eSATA beats straight SATA speeds by 6mb/s – – this isn’t a huge amount, but a large enough amount to make and tell a difference. Unfortunately, USB speeds stay averaging at 33.3mb/s – – this is a similar speed to the flash drive we tested a few days ago.

Another area which was a big let down was the burst rate. The USB connection only achieved 27.8mb/s, whereas eSATA averaged at 127mb/s and straight SATA scored a massive 171.7mb/s.

I have sorted the data into graphs below, to make it easier for you to compare results.

We have found from these results, eSATA really does kick ass. We didn’t expect better results from USB speeds as most USB enclosures gain similar results, so it’s certainly not the Vizo’s fault – – just the USB connection altogether.

Conclusion

The Vizo Luxon Advanced ED is a really sleek looking enclosure. Its hard aluminium shell with mirror black finish looks more than just hot.

Not only does this enclosure look stunning, it also performs very well. The eSATA speeds from this drive are overwhelming, with it beating the read speeds of a straight SATA connection and having a 0.2 second advantage in random access time. However, it doesn’t perform too well in USB operation, but we cannot blame this on the enclosure as nearly all USB enclosures achieve similar speeds through this sluggish connection method.

So to conclude, if you’re thinking of buying an enclosure, the Vizo Luxon Advanced ED is a great buy, but for goodness sake, don’t use this drive on the old tired USB connection, when eSATA speeds with this enclosure simply rule.

Introduction

Nowadays everyone has a flash drive. The prices for USB drives have fallen dramatically in recent years meaning it’s now a good time to replace your old sluggish drive. But why would you want to do this? Well, with the release of Windows Vista and Ready boost (enabling you to use Flash Drives as RAM); the transfer speeds on many drives has increased so transferring your files will be quicker than ever. Also, programs can now be installed on drives, enabling you to run Email Clients, Office Tools etc all off of your USB stick. However, to do this, a vast amount of disk space is needed on your drive, but don’t fret, 4GB flash drives can now be had for around £30. Today we’ll be testing a new drive from Lexar, the 4GB JumpDrive Lightning, lets see if this drive really lives up to its name.

About Lexar

“A wholly owned subsidiary of Micron Technology, Inc., Lexar Media, Inc. boasts one of the most comprehensive offerings of memory product lines in the industry. We deliver high-quality, award-winning products in every memory category: USB flash drives, all popular form factors of memory cards, DRAM computer memory for PCs and Mac systems, and solid state drives (SSD).”

Features

• Transfer, store, and share important files at blazing speeds
• Carry photos, music, video, and more anywhere you go
• Distinctive design in a stylish stainless steel case
• Includes PowerToGo™ software: Install and run many Windows® programs from the drive
• Enhanced for Windows Ready Boost
• Encrypt and share files with Secure II software
• Limited lifetime warranty

Specifications

Packaging

The Lexar JumpDrive Lightning arrives in a cardboard packet with a small transparent ‘window’ – – allowing you to see the drive. The front of the packet is fairly colourful with blacks, blues and greys and a graphic of the drive. Some short specifications listing the Read and Write speeds are also listed on the front. At the back of the package, the colour scheme is continued and there are features which the Drive boasts to do – – listed in seven languages – – and a systems requirements table, listing what Operating Systems the JumpDrive and software are compatible with:

• The Flash Drive – – Windows Vista, XP and Mac OS x
• Secure 2 (encrypts files) – – Windows Vista, XP and Mac OS x
• PowerToGo (run programs from drive) – – Windows Vista and XP.

Inside the cardboard package you will receive the JumpDrive Lightning itself and a small technical support warrantee booklet – – which is multilingual. Normally you’d expect to find a Lanyard and USB extension cable with most drives – – although half the time you’ll probably never use these. Well I don’t.

Lexar JumpDrive Lightning

The drive we’ll be reviewing today is the 4GB variant, but 1GB and 2GB models are also available.

The Lexar JumpDrive Lightning is a long but sleek drive styled in polished stainless steel.

Equipped on the outside of the drive is a blue LED indicator which is located in an indent in the centre of the drive – – where it cannot be damaged easily. Just to the right hand side of the LED are the words ‘Lexar’ printed in an opaque grey.

Around the edges of the JumpDrive is a black rubber ‘frame’ which helps protect the Lexar from any knocks and drops that it may encounter.

The cap protecting the USB connector locks on very tightly to the drive and is actually very difficult to remove. When removed though, the cap can be pushed onto the end of the JumpDrive so it cannot be lost while the drive is in use.

Testing

The rig we use to test Flash Drives is Rhys’ work computer. The hardware contained in this computer is as follows:

Our tests include:

• Testing any Software Preinstalled on the Flash Drive
• Awarding the drive an Endurance Factor (wear and life expectancy) – – calculated by dividing the average performance (normal condition, i.e. sequential write) to the lowest performance (high-stress condition, i.e. same block re–write).
• Calculating the Average Read Performance – – Calculated for all five file sizes
• Calculating the Average Write Performance – – Calculated for all five file sizes
• Giving a Device Index Score – – Representing the performance of the drive using the average speed from all five file sizes.

To make the tests fair, we reformat and wipe the flash drives clean when doing performance related tests (e.g. bottom 4 tests).

All speed and endurance tests were calculated using SiSoftware Sandra’s Removal Storage Benchmark.

The Software

Preinstalled on the JumpDrive is the Power2Go software which is a bit like Portable Apps. If you haven’t heard of Portable Apps before, it is what it sounds, Portable Applications which can be installed and run from your own flash drive. This is quite a useful feature and there is a large library of programs that can be downloaded (for free) and installed onto the drive.

Also with the drive is a piece of software called Secure 2, this allows you to create partitions on the drive, encrypt partitions and files, decrypt partitions and shared files off the drive safely. This is quite a good feature in my opinion as it’s feels great knowing that if you lose your drive, all your data is safe.

All this software that is installed on the drive is handy and only takes up 42mb of the drive. If you didn’t want the software for some reason, you could just reformat the drive and it would delete it all.

Results

Unfortunately we don’t have any other drives available to compare the Lexar with; however, we have provided some synthetic benchmarks for other drives in a graph below to give you an idea on how it performs compared to other drives.

Below is the read and write speeds for the Lexar JumpDrive Lightning using different block sizes of files. The package advertised the drive as having a 30MB read speed and a 21MB write speed. This is proved from the results when using a total block size of files equalling 64MB. These speeds are pretty impressive making this drive a great performer to Windows Vista’s Ready Boost feature.

SiSoftware Sandra calculated the JumpDrive Lightning as having an endurance factor of 22. This score compared to the scores from other drives in the graph below, is an okay score, but we didn’t really expect the drive to outdo the drives from ATP – – those bad boys are designed for the Army.

The Device Index score was slightly lower than the score offered from the other drives. However, we’ve proved from the Read and Write speeds table above, the JumpDrive Lightning is a quick performer at only higher file sizes.

Conclusion

The Lexar JumpDrive Lightning is a drive which certainly offers a lot. For one thing, it’s very stylish and feels of great quality – – so appearance is one area that this drive certainly doesn’t lack in. One thing that did bug me a little about the chrome finish though, is that finger prints show up on it very easily, so you’ll often find yourself wiping it to get rid of those greasy fingerprints. However, if you haven’t got an OCD for fingerprints, I’m sure you’ll live.

Performance wise, this drive is an obvious successor in the large file sizes with files being read at nearly 31MB/s and files being written at 22MB/s – – this is great for anyone transferring media to their flash drive or wanting to make use of Vista’s Ready Boost. The all round speed for different blocks of files wasn’t so successful though, which impacted on the Device Index score. However, the Index score was still quite impressive and compared well to some of the top flash drives on the market.

The Software installed on this drive is quite impressive. With Encryption, Decryption and the ability to create different partitions, you can do just about anything with this drive! Another part I liked about the drive is the portable applications. There are a couple of programs already installed on the drive, but the actual drive has a massive library of programs which can be downloaded and installed straight to it. I found these Portable applications very handy.

It’s safe to say, the Lexar JumpDrive Lightning is a great drive and one that should seriously be considered if you’re out to buy a new flash drive.