Maxit Mag - Thermaltake Muse 3.5 eSATA and USB2.0 Combo Review

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Thermaltake Muse 3.5 eSATA and USB2.0 Combo Review

Written by Maxit

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Thermaltake Muse 3.5 eSATA and USB2.0 Combo Review
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In The Labs

To test the performance of the enclosure, we used the Segate Barracuda 300GB 7200rpm SATA hard disk. Using the eSATA interface, performance was top notch. The unit responded aswell as the internal hard drives in our system in real world applications. The transfer rates using the eSATA interface are almost 25% to 35% faster than those with the USB2.0 interface. So if your motherboard supports SATA hard drives, this is defintely the best option. The USB2.0 is a useful addition, providing compatability with older systems and laptops. The combination of the two interfaces means this unti can go anywhere and share data.

One issue we did notice was the amount of heat generated by the unit. Even though the whole thing acts as a giant heatsink, high speed hard drives do run warm in the Muse as there is no fan to assist cooling. Though we didn't face any problem during our two hour test session, we certainly wouldn't recommend it for 10,000 RPM drives. Of course the plus side is that the unit is very quiet with only the hard drive to produce any noise.

Conclusion

The Thermaltake Muse 3.5 eSATA & USB2.0 combo enclosure has stunning looks and neat innovations to brighten up your external storage needs. We loved the tool-less installation and eye catching Transfer Meter. A flexible approach to interface connections with support for eSATA and USB2.0 will suit a wide variety of data storage applications. The price reflects the quality Thermaltake have put into this device and while not the cheapest on the market, it is one of the best looking and most flexible offerings for your money. Highly recommended!