Q-Tec 750H

...in colour and has a Q-Tec badge on it. Inside, there’s a fan, a circuit board with a power molex connector and an IDE cable that goes into the board. The board is not secured and is only secured when you put the lid on and screw it on, as the screws go through the board into the lid from the bottom. I would prefer for it to be stuck down or something, as it sometimes moves about when I have the HDD case opened, and need to position it properly before ...
...these.

The Q-Tec case uses the newer and faster USB version so that’s a good feature found on this product, especially if you have large files to move to or from your computer since it can transfer files at a nice and fast transfer rate.

There is a fan with an exhaust to help cool down the HDD. I think that including one inside the case is a good idea because high temperatures is bad for hardware. Unfortunately, fans ... more

WHAT IS IT?

I’m reviewing the ‘Q-Tec USB2 HDD 3.5” Case’. Now many of you are probably thinking “What the hell is that?”. Well, it’s basically a case where you put your Hard Disk Drive (HDD) in, so you can use the HDD while it’s out of your computer. The HDD is the ‘storage disk’, usually found inside the computer and it is the place where you store all your software, documents and any other files you may have such as mp3s, pictures, etc. The HDD looks like a small silver box, with black plastic areas around the edges. It has a disk inside that spins around while data is read from it and written to it by a needle. You don’t see the ‘disk’, as it is enclosed inside the drive but you can usually hear it. People are usually referring to HDD capacity when they bring up numbers like 20GB, 40GB, 80GB, etc when discussing computer specifications. This capacity determines how much the disk can store.

The product design is quite simple. It’s basically a box with curved edges. It’s blue in and black in colour and has a Q-Tec badge on it. Inside, there’s a fan, a circuit board with a power molex connector and an IDE cable that goes into the board. The board is not secured and is only secured when you put the lid on and screw it on, as the screws go through the board into the lid from the bottom. I would prefer for it to be stuck down or something, as it sometimes moves about when I have the HDD case opened, and need to position it properly before putting the lid on.

In case you’re wondering, the ‘3.5 inches’ refers to the standard size of the hard drives we use inside the desktop PCs these days (the drive width). The “USB2” in the title refers to the USB 2.0 connection the case uses to connect to the computer. This is the newer version of the USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection that you can plug into the back (or the front with some computer cases) of your computer. USB 2.0 works the same way as USB 1.1 (the old version), but transfers data much faster. USB 1.1 transfers data at around 12MB per second whereas USB 2.0 transfers data at around 48MB per second. Printers, scanners often use USB (2.0) connections because they’re easier to connect and transfer data quite quickly.

INSTALLING

Installing the HDD in the enclosure is simple. Just unscrew the two screws and take off the cover. Place the hard drive in the case, plug the molex (power) connector into the hard drive power socket and the IDE (ribbon) cable connector into the socket, with the pins, on the HDD. This is just like how you would connect up the hard drive computer inside a computer. The enclosure easily accommodates a standard HDD so that it can be carried around with less to worry about. In other words, it fits nicely and you’re able to put the lid back on.

Plug one end of the USB cable to the HDD case, and the other end to a USB port in the back or the front of your computer. Plug the power in, install the driver from the driver CD included and you’re on your way. You will then be able to see the additional drive in My Computer or Windows Explorer in Windows.

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Inside the box, you get the HDD case itself, mounting screws, rubbing feet a driver CD, a USB 2.0 cable, power adapter and power lead, and user manual. The user manual contains a quick guide with photographs as illustrations, showing how to install a hard disk drive into the enclosure. It also tells you how to install the driver software off the CD and contains troubleshooting and FAQ sections.

THE GOOD

Advantages to buying one of these is that they’re not expensive and I feel that it is better than spending money on an expensive external Hard Disk when you can get one of these.

The Q-Tec case uses the newer and faster USB version so that’s a good feature found on this product, especially if you have large files to move to or from your computer since it can transfer files at a nice and fast transfer rate.

There is a fan with an exhaust to help cool down the HDD. I think that including one inside the case is a good idea because high temperatures is bad for hardware. Unfortunately, fans do not last forever so when the bearing on the fan starts to go, I wouldn’t know where to find a replacement like that.

On top of all that, it’s easy to install the HDD into the case and it’s easy to install the software. The user manual explains it all. Also, it’s from a company that makes all sorts of computer peripherals so I feel they can be trusted. I’ve purchased Q-Tec products in the past without any problems.

Oh, and while your friend shows you his/her 512Mb pen drive, you can show off your 120GB. Fair enough, it won't fit in your pocket unless youv'e got a big one but it's nice to be able to take your Hard Drive out of your case and still be able to use it.

THE BAD

I’ve read that the maximum capacity that it supports up to is 120GB. There are bigger HDD’s so an improvement that I can suggest would be for the device to support bigger drives.

Some people may not be comfortable with the installation. I think it’s extremely easy but I’m used to opening computers. Buying an overpriced external HDD means that you would not need to do this. I would consider the self-installation a bad point for this product for this reason.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

You can go to the Q-Tec website (www.qtec.info) to find the latest drivers for the product. Also, you can contact their Help Desk via the website. I haven’t had any problems with the product so I’ve had no need to do so.

PRICE

I got my one through Ebay for around £27 (inc. Postage). It was an auction and not a fixed price listing so price can vary. It's over £30 in online shops and that's excluding postage!

CONCLUSION

It’s cheaper than external Hard Disk Drives, it’s easy to install, it transfers data with a USB 2.0 connection so it’s fast, and it keeps your HDD cool, and it even works with Apple MACS!!! (Not that I have one). Even though it’s limited to HDD’s up to 120GB, most people will find that this is enough and there’s no reason why they couldn’t put another one in there once one is full. It’s great for backing up data! Overall, I think it’s well worth it!

I highly recommend one of these or a similar one. I think it's appropriate for home users or even businesses for backup and data transfer purposes.

Thanks for reading.
 

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