Introduction:

Vantec NexStar MX eSATA Version Dual HDD Enclosure

    Vantec is one of those companies that doesn't specialize in just one product. They are well known for some of their cooling, but I think they are best described as a company that "Makes the little things that everyone uses, but no one thinks about". Connectors, drive bays, heatsinks. Stuff we all need for our systems, but usually doesn't get placed high on the list when you are planning a build.

Front packaging

Side

Quick features

Technically, this will be the 2^nd Nexstar MX review on Virtual-hideout in the last 9 months. I say technically because while the name might be the same, and the units are almost identical, there is one extra port on the back now, and it changes things substantially.

Back

Features list

Open box party?

Features:

Supports dual SATA I/II Hard Drives Up to 2.0 TB of Storage

USB 2.0 External Interface Allows You to Transfer Data Up to 480 Mbps

eSATA External Interface Allows You to Transfer Data Up to 3Gb/s.

Front Ventilation and Rear Fan for Better Air Circulation and Cooling

Stylish Aluminum Case to Draw Away the Heat

Support 4 Different Configuration Mode: JBOD / individual / Raid 0 / Raid 1

Simple Plug & Play Connection; Does Not Require Drivers

Arcsoft Totalmedia Backup™, Archive Photos, Music, Video and Data with Three Easy Clicks

Specifications:

Model:	NST-400MX-SR
Modes Support:	Individual/JBOD/RAID 0/1
Device Support:	3.5'' SATA I/II  Hard Drive (2)
Device Size:	3.5''
Internal Interface:	Serial ATA
External Interface:	USB 2.0/eSATA
HD Capacity:	Up to 2TB
Power Supply:	AC Adapter
Material:	Aluminum
Dimension:	197 x 123 x 72mm

I’ve gone through more than a few external hard drive enclosures, and I think I’ve got a pretty good handle on what to expect. The hard drive electronics are very standardized between companies. No one is going to get any more speed out of USB 2.0, the limits were reached a long time ago compared to IDE and SATA hard drive speeds.

Out of the box

Back ports

Side view

e-Sata, which is really just a standard Sata cable with a different connector, has a lot more room for faster speeds. Most hard drives still haven’t maxxed out the original 150MB/s that you can get out of the original Sata specs, let alone the 300MB/s of Sata II.

Front lights

Exaust fan

Power Switch/ports

Because the Nexstar does not have a CPU or any other smart controllers to speak of, it is not designed to take any work away from your PC’s CPU. There should be no real difference in speeds when a drive is connected normally in your PC, or though the e-Sata connection on the MX.

Bottom

Internal cage

Sata slots

So where the Nexstar MX has to make a name for itself is in its construction, the materials, layout and ease of use. Those are the things that really matter.

Control board

Front view

Screw holes

The Nexstar starts out very well, for a 2 hard drive unit, it’s surprisingly small, but feels very sturdy. The aluminium body is thick enough to protect, and it is finished in a brushed flat black coating that isn’t going to collect fingerprints.

Drives mounted

Bottom

Cables and supplies

The external power supply is a standard adaptor, it ensures that the Nexstar doesn’t add any extra heat to the hard drive bays. Airflow is also surprisingly good for such a compact unit, the fan is very quiet, but still seems to keep the drives cool. My testing showed the drives were only about 4 or 5 degrees hotter than when they were inside a tower. 

Manual

With stand

Powered up

Installation of the hard drives has a few more screws than the average unit, I don’t know if the back really needs 4, but it will hold everything very securely, and I don’t think the average user will really be swapping out drives very often. It is designed to just put the drives in, and forget about them.  To select one of the RAID settings, there are 4 dip switches on the internal PCB board that the drives attach to. I have used other enclosures that put similar switches or dials externally. I prefer Vantec's option, as you really don't want to accidentally change this setting after you have data on the drives, or have someone maliciously change the settings without your knowledge.

Performance:

The speeds are roughly what I was expecting.  No surprises here. It is one of the few times I would actually use something in RAID 0, mostly for storing photo’s and movies for my laptop. Not a mission critical application, as I also have things backed up on my NAS with RAID 5, but the extra speed is very useful when loading a large RAW files for editing.

Burst speeds are very high with RAID 0, but they are not maintained. RAID 0 will only really increase speeds during large file transfers with eSata, small file transfers can actually take longer, as multiple drives have to synchronize to find the parts of a file, and your PC has to sort out the information as it comes in.

Conclusion:

Drives in use

Dip Switches

I really like the overall look and feel of the Nexstar MX. It’s one of the best little drive enclosures I’ve used. I don’t know if adding eSata is worth doubling the price from the previous version, but it does allow for much more than a doubling of speeds. I have been loading the MX on my PC using eSata, which takes very little time, then I access it on my laptop via USB 2.0, as my laptop does not have Sata, let alone eSata. Since I am not going to be transferring all the data off to my laptop at once, the USB 2.0 is fast enough for things like movies and even games.

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