Macally PHRS-250CC FireWire 400/USB2.0 External Storage Enclosure for 2.5" SATA HDD
by Macally
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List Price: Our Price: $28.99 You Save: $11.00 (28%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Macally PHRS-250CC FireWire 400/USB2.0 External Storage Enclosure for 2.5" SATA HDD
Customer Review: The most solid case I have ever used
Summary: 5 Stars
I had one of these cases that was designed for PATA (Parallel ATA) drives, and found it to be much easier to open, install the drive, and reassemble than any other external case I have used--and I have used a lot of them. Although constantly banged around in my backpack, and passed around among the students in my classroom, it never failed to function admirably. When copying large folders full of hundreds of files to student computers (iMacs), we found the Firewire connection to be much faster than any of the USB 2.0 drives we use.
So when I needed a portable SATA drive, I bought this one. I looked at various already-assembled units, but to get one with Firewire cost more than my home-brew drive using this case. And the reviewers of those drives confirmed what the pictures suggested: other cases might be lighter and more compact, but were often quite flimsy, had poor heat-dissipation, and allowed the drive to rattle around inside the case. This case secures the drive firmly with four screws. With a 640 GB WD Scorpio Blue drive installed, it does get warm, but no more than the same drive in an OWC Mercury Elite AL-Pro case that cost a lot more and is a lot bulkier. Neither of them gets so hot that they are uncomfortable to handle.
I hope that MacAlly will make one of these with Firewire 800 connections. But honestly, when I use Firewire 800 connections on other drives I don't see that big a difference in real-world usage.
The good:
Highest strength to bulk ratio of any case I have used.
Easy assembly.
Two Firewire ports allow daisy-chaining additional devices.
USB port always works well when Firewire is not available. It operates just fine with USB power on one USB port (i.e., doesn't require a Y-cable that hogs two ports)
Non-skid rubber strips on top and bottom keep the unit from sliding around.
The not-so-good:
No Firewire 800 option
A bit bulkier and heavier than others, but that's the price of strength.
The only other drive that I find tempting is made my Oyen, because they do have Firewire 800 drives available; but I haven't used one yet to know if it's worth the extra expense.
Customer Review: Great little unit and NO HEAT PROBLEMS w/ 500GB
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently purchased a new Western Digital 2.5" 500GB drive to use as a portable unit for my Macbook Pro laptop. I really wanted to use Firewire as the connection, and I was traveling right after deliver of the drive, so I hadn't picked up an enclosure yet. While I was in Singapore, I bought what looked like a nice, well built enclosure with USB and Firewire capability. The drive worked well in it... For about an hour! The unit was clearly not able to dissipate the heat generated by the 500GB drive and eventually the drive would just shut down until it was cooled. NOT GOOD!
Upon my return to the USA, I started looking for an option and found this unit. I did have some trepidation about this purchase, because the 500GB does generate a LOT of heat during operation, and I wasn't sure that ANY enclosure would dissipate it well enough to keep it from reaching a critical shut down point.
Now.. having tested the enclosure with my Firewire connection for more than 48-hours continuously running, there has been absolutely NO problem at all, and the case is only warm to the touch, whereas the first one could hardly be held in your hand it was so hot.
The Blue/Red LED is a little bright, but I'll take that as long as the case can keep my drive cooler. Well built, GREAT heat dissipation, and a very good Firewire cable included (The last case had a really cheap wire that barely stayed in the slots).
Very very happy with this purchase, and would certainly buy again if I have the need. RECOMMENDED!
UPDATE 17FEB2010 - I now own three of these units and they all perform flawlessly. I have a 250GB, 500GB and just added my third unit... a 680GB WD drive to one without any issues at all. These perform without heat problems, and used under both Windows and Mac OS. Perfect and will continue to buy these for future 2.5" external HD's.
Customer Review: Its pretty near perfect for what it is at this pricepoint!
Summary: 5 Stars
HI All,
I own a few of the Macally enclosures....mainly 3 older PATA models that only connected via USB and now 1 of these newer SATA models that supports both firewire 400 and USB 2.0.
The casing is built very well and allows for a perfect fit for all 2.5" SATA hard drives. The connectivity is simply, usb 2.0 and or firewire 400. I have used all of the macally units I own on Mac Pro's, Mac Book Pro's, Macbook's, and PC's. It works perfectly well and there are no issues. I know one review mentioned a registry hack to make firewire work on a pc...but in my experience that has not been necessary.
The performance is on par with any enclosure and really depends on the speed of the drive you put in there.... I have used it with 250-320gb 7200rpm drives and the speed is just fine for me. One of the PATA models I have is connected to an Apple Basestation so that it provides NAS type features. I have never had an issue with drives failing or heat or noise for that matter.
The LED's may be a bit on the bright side...but that can always be cured with a marker or a piece of tape....works great, if it annoys you.
Another test - which is why I got the SATA model - was to plug this enclosure into a NETBOOK (HP MINI 1035NR) running Windows 7. No issues! Works great!!!
I have used these enclosures on computers, as mentioned above, and also on media players - ie. PS3, Western Digital Media Player, etc....
It is a great unit at a great price.
Customer Review: No Need to End Up With 3 Drives
Summary: 5 Stars
When you install a new hard drive, what do you do with your old one? And how do you get your files from your old disk to the new one? And do you really want to buy a 3rd drive just to get your data from one to the other?
This is where this baby comes in. It's a specialized solid, heavy metal aluminum closure that your MacBook Pro hard drive fits in. So you remove the old drive, slap it inside this, connect the enclosure/old drive to your computer via the firewire or usb port built in to the enclosure. Install the new drive. And then transfer the files from your old drive (in the enclosure) to the new internal one.
So this converts your old internal drive (that you are replacing) into an external drive.
Brilliant!
No need to buy a third drive just to move files from the old to the new.
You will need a program to transfer the files over. I found one free on the net (SuperDuper) that worked perfectly. (I didn't use Migration Assistant.)
So save money by not buying a third unneeded drive and get this.
Check all the specs to make sure your drive will fit in the enclosure. In this particular model enclosure, the original drive that came in my macbook pro fit.
Oh-- this is a very high quality, solid enclosure. And I continue to back up important files on it.
Don't forget, you can back up to dvd, too.
I hope this helps.
Customer Review: Fantastic product
Summary: 5 Stars
I think this is one of the best hard disk cases you can get. I've had many different types of cases and Macally's consistently hold up to the abuse a mobile hard disk can get. They back up their durability with superior electronics.
I currently have a 250GB 7200 RPM Hitachi drive in this, but I've also run a 320GB 7200 RPM Seagate drive and both of them performed GREAT. Firewire always works, no additional power necessary. USB requires the second port to get the drive to spin up but one of the things I LOVE about Macally is that their power cable is a separate cable, allowing me to use an external USB adapter to spin the drive up before I plug the USB cable into the computer. This prevents some macs and pcs from shutting down a usb port that is demanding too much power. Very convenient. If you prefer the double-ended usb cables, this drive works fine with those too even though it does not include one.
I've used this on an IBM ThinkPad running Linux and on three different Apple Macintosh computers, a Macbook, a Macbook Pro (new model), and an iMac.
It is also such a durable case I never put it in a slipcover. I just toss these in my backpack and go.
Quality, durability, reliability, and protection - in one of the most portable cases out there. Get one, you'll love it.