A friend of mine recommended one of these when I expressed my frustration at not being able to install larger capacity hard drives into my PC due restrictions with my older motherboard, which would only allow me to install up to 100 Gb disk. I already had 2 x 80 Gb disks, but I had already ... Read review
Advantages: Easy to install, easy to use, instant storage Disadvantages: Novelty of blue light wears off quickly! Doesn't come with stand as image shows
A friend of mine recommended one of these when I expressed my frustration at not being able to install larger capacity hard drives into my PC due restrictions with my older motherboard, which would only allow me to install up to 100 Gb disk. I already had 2 x 80 Gb disks, but I had already filled them with applications, movies, photos, MP3 and the general detritus you accumulate thanks to a broadband internet connection.
These boxes ... ...work either on USB 2.0 or Firewire (IEEE 1394a), reason being that my old motherboard does not support USB2.0 but I have a firewire card that I use to download film from my digital video camera. Opinions are divided on which is quicker, USB 2.0 is quoted as 480 Mbps, whereas Firewire is quoted as 400 Mbps. Some say that Firewire is quicker as it was designed to work quicker, while USB2.0 has just been tweaked to be quicker than USB 1.1 (see article ... more
A friend of mine recommended one of these when I expressed my frustration at not being able to install larger capacity hard drives into my PC due restrictions with my older motherboard, which would only allow me to install up to 100 Gb disk. I already had 2 x 80 Gb disks, but I had already filled them with applications, movies, photos, MP3 and the general detritus you accumulate thanks to a broadband internet connection.
These boxes come in various configurations, but I chose one that would work either on USB 2.0 or Firewire (IEEE 1394a), reason being that my old motherboard does not support USB2.0 but I have a firewire card that I use to download film from my digital video camera. Opinions are divided on which is quicker, USB 2.0 is quoted as 480 Mbps, whereas Firewire is quoted as 400 Mbps. Some say that Firewire is quicker as it was designed to work quicker, while USB2.0 has just been tweaked to be quicker than USB 1.1 (see article at http://www.cwol.com/firewire/firewire-vs-usb.htm for a more detailed argument). Either way, each method is a reasonable solution. I have tested the USB2.0 connection on my non-Firewire laptop and found no major difference.
Cables for either USB or Firewire are supplied as standard, and both a decent length and quality. To install it, all you need is any IDE hard disk (in my case I selected a Samsung 200Gb 7200rpm hard disk, based on cost), secure it into the box, plug in the box's IDE and power connector, screw the lid shut, fit the power supply and plug it in. The box is completely plug and play and hot swappable.
When the power is on, the sides and front of the box had a blue light that goes off when the disk is being accessed, giving a flickering effect. The blue light looks pretty cool, but to be honest, the novelty wore off pretty quickly.
The box is a reasonable size, barely bigger than the drive you put inside it, along with the connectors, so it is about the size of hardback novel. The external power supply that is supplied with the box is also quite discreet, again with a reasonable cable length. As there is no fan, the unit is very quiet, but not silent. The box feels well made from aluminium and can be stood horizontally or vertically.
I bought my Icy Box and drive from Eclipse Computers in Coventry, which is local to where I work, although I could not find the same item cheaper elsewhere or online.
All in all a very handy piece of kit.
Finally, no, I don't know why it is called an Icy Box...
Advantages: Fast speed, great looks Disadvantages: Slighty noisy operation on startup
ICY BOX can be considered as a top-end hard disc enclosure with sophisticated looks and a great finish it creates a very modern look complete with neon blue lights on its edges. I bought the ICY BOUGHT to install a 250 GB Maxtor hard disk I bought to act as extra storage space for my laptop, whose 100 GB had filled up quickly with a growing collection of media files. The plug and play nature also lets me transfer large files between PCs and my laptop ... ...easy thanks to easy access provided by the four thumb screws which are simply to remove by hand. The IDE and power cables then simply slot into the appropiate slots on the rear of the hard disc.
The enclosure is for a 3.5" hard drive with ATA-133 connectivity. The device is a nice size to sit on a desk with dimensions of 11.7 cm (h) x 22 cm (l) x 3.7 cm (d). The power supply is provided by a removal cable that connects at the rear of the enclosure ...
jackcurran 16.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of RaidSonic ICY BOX IB-351UE
Product Information for "RaidSonic ICY BOX IB-351UE" »
Manufacturer's product description
RaidSonic's target is to develop innovative products, which enrich and perfect the use of mass storage in a functional, aesthetic and high quality way. By the consequent use of high-class components and materials, RaidSonic has positioned its products in the upper level market segment. PRODUCT FEATURES: Aluminum case with grate; Hot Plug & Play and Hot Swappable; Low noise without fan; Power switch on the back; Vertical and horizontal adjustable; Support IDE / SATA HDDs; USB2.0, 1394a, USB 2.0 & SATA, USB 2.0 & 1394a or SATA interface; Power supply, data cables and sockets in the scope of supply.
