I did an AgeStar external HDD box review not long ago.
That was a 3.5 inch container for the USB 3.0 interface. I was so amazed by the USB 3.0 performance, that I decided to upgrade my existing 2.5″ inch USB 2.0 box to the faster standard. Existing 2.5″ box gives around 40 megs a sec when copying a 2gb file. But recently I have to copy large amounts of data to and from this box on a daily basis, and sometimes I even boot from it, so improving speed was a natural desire. There was a sale at my PC dealer of choice, discounting a 16 dollar box to less than 8 dollars, and I’ve got some bonus to spend there, so I got the box for under 4 dollars. AgeStar again. I didn’t specifically choose it, it just seems to be the cheapest. As other Agestar items, this is also sold in big, colored box. Unboxing. The device is bundled with small pretty screwdriver, quality USB 3.0 to micro USB 3.0 cable, some bolts and a synthetic leather case. That’s the inside of the device. So, let’s do some speed test. The source is an SSD SATA drive. I placed my 2.5″ 5400rpm HDD inside this box – it is the same drive I used in my previous USB 2.0 box, and it gave 40 megs per sec. The new box gives over 70 megs per sec when connected to USB 3.0, so I doubled my speed. If you use a 7200 rpm drive, transfer speeds will be even higher. By the way, the box can be connected with micro USB 2.0 cable, and the speeds will be a bit higher than using a native USB 2.0 box, since USB 3.0 has a faster controller. I’ve been actively using the box for about 3 months, and the only problem I have is the connector. However, it’s a serious problem. I purchased a second cable, by Gembird, to keep at my work, and the computer has trouble recognising the device with the new cable. The cable is too thick and heavy, and after about 2 months of use, the female micro USB of the box failed and now only works in USB 2.0 mode. So I have plans to solder the cable directly to the board to avoid th connector altogether. This makes the cable non-detachable, but you can hardly use the box without the cable right? Also I’m really expecting those newer, lightning-style USB plugs to come out. They should make a difference.