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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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Macally PHRS-250CC FireWire 400/USB2.0 External Storage Enclosure for 2.5" SATA HDD
Customer Review: Sudden failure after 2 weeks use
Summary: 3 Stars
Weird failure of motherboard - FW interface went dead after backing up activity and prompted the computer to report improper disconnection. Of course, one cannot argue with a computer, because it wasn't me who 'unplugged' the HD. Anyways, the lights were on, but no activity, yet the drive was spinning idle. There was no drive visible to mount.
I swapped to USB interface, and that prompted the drive to loop-hickup - that part of circuit was almost faulty. It got to register the drive as present, but unable to mount.
So, I used a second case to test the drive, which appeared a bit shaken up. Had to do intensive repair, which is still going as I am typing this note. (I tend to leave the complete backup and reformat option for last, and this is just about the backup drive)
I then inserted a good HD into this case, and again no activity.
This confirmed the motherboard FW interface went kaput.
The drive has not been moved from floor location, where's been placed ever since I got it started. Hence no physical abuse.
I requested a replacement - hopefully this will increase longevity.
So, be aware of this type of sudden death. Do not attribute it to a failed drive. Eliminate ambiguity first.
Customer Review: Works -- but units vary in perfomance
Summary: 3 Stars
I now own two of these cases. They're cheap and durable. The construction is solid and well designed. The install of the hard drive in the case is very easy. It works, with a catch.
I don't have a Firewire port on my laptop. The first one I purchased easily powers up a hard drive with a single USB port. It works on my new hard drive as well -- I used the first one to get data off the hard drive and it worked fine. I ordered a second unit to house that hard drive. The second unit requires a second USB connection dedicated to power. When I switched the hard drive to the new enclosure -- from the old one -- the single USB connection will not power the same hard drive the the first unit worked with. I called their Tech support number and was told that this is the result of parts variation -- the chipset of the board -- and that makes sense. They report that this is within the performance variation they would expect and why they include the USB power cable.
I can only connect my hard drive to the laptop, not the hard drive and my iPhone at the same time. Bummer, but not a deal breaker... just an annoyance. I'll buy a different enclosure model the next time I need one.
Customer Review: Excellent Hard Drive Case
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the second MacAlly case I've purchased - both the same. I use them for bootable back up hard drives for my operating systems. The compact aluminum case is very well made and looks good in use. It is easy to take apart when installing a 2.5" SATA hard drive, and offers 2 Firewire 400 ports, and 1 USB 2.0 port, and a port for an A/C power hookup.
The set includes the necessary cables to hook up whichever kind of interface you are using - Firewire or USB. The necessary screws are provided to fix the hard drive to the slide-out base plate with the ports and LED "On" light. There is also a handy On/Off switch on the back port panel. The two Firewire ports allow for daisy-chaining Firewire devices.
The set also includes a CD with the English version of the installation instructions, and the drivers needed if the device is to be used with a Windows system. There is a printed page included that provides the installation instructions in French.
It's a very well made, easy to assemble, and complete package for setting up a 2.5" SATA external drive. Highly recommended.
Customer Review: Solid enclosure (Beware 9.5mm drive height limit)
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this to do a drive swap on my laptop.
First, 'Hi-Speed' for this product refers to Firewire 400, not 800. Others have mentioned it but I'd like to reiterate it for those missing this fact.
Second, I didn't catch that the max disk height for this enclosure is 9.5mm. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR A DISK BIGGER THAN 9.5mm. Not sure why they didn't just make it another 1 mm bigger to accept the larger height drives out there. But it was in the description and that was my bad. I ended up not using the outer shell while I copied my old drive to the new (10.1mm). I then slid the old drive into the case. It is snug.
I have to laugh at the rubber strips they promote for shock absorption. They do help keep the unit firmly on the table. The biggest plus is that the case shell itself is solid aluminum and not cheap plastic except for the end caps.
It came with firewire cables, a usb charger, a usb cable and drive screws. Very pleased.
Customer Review: easy to use, reasonably well made enclosure
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this enclosure when I needed to upgrade the hard drive on my Macbook. I bought a 500g HD, used a free program called "Super Duper" to create a bootable clone, then switched out the drives. It was simple; all I needed was a couple of screwdrivers. Now the old drive works well in the enclosure as an external drive.
The enclosure is sturdy and well made. It isn't as sleek looking as my old verbatim drive, but the aluminum is much less flimsy.
It comes with a nifty firewire 400 cable, an adaptor for adding an ac power source, and a USB cable
I have only two complains:
1) one of the four screws holding the enclosure was stuck; I did manage to eventually get it out, but it wasn't simple.
2) I'd prefer an enclosure with firewire 800. I used an adaptor with no problems, but that would be a nice addition!