Author: Mikhail Ivanenkov Date: December 14, 2007 Manufacturer: Eagle Tech Provider: Eagle Tech

Further Inspection » Page 1: Introduction, Product Details

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Massive external storage is no longer a dream. You can now retain all your favorite shows, movies, games, music, and whatever else on a single hard drive (in most cases) and you can do so without resorting to ramen noodles. Just as important as the hard drive is the external enclosure. What interface to choose? How should it look? How loud is it? What kind of cooling does it provide? Is it portable? Today we'll be taking a look at Eagle Tech's W Series external USB enclosure and attempt to answer all these questions.


The enclosure ships in the cardboard box with handle shown above. Decent presentation and you surely wouldn't miss the color on a store shelf.


Box contents include the enclosure, power adapter, USB adapter, driver CD, and installation manual. As you can probably guess, the size of the unit and power adapter makes this a bit less than ultra-portable. You can still take it with you, but if mobility is your primary focus there are smaller, better suited products (usually housing 2.5" drives). The CD contains drivers and an installer - unnecessary but included just in case. The manual however is perfect. It explains setup with pictures (in color!) step by step, including screen by screen instructions on how to format a new hard drive using Windows' Administrative Tools, something the average user is rarely familiar with.


The enclosure itself is a solid piece of black aluminum with a rounded contour - definitely stylish. The logo can be found on either side.



The back includes a power switch and ports for the power and USB cords. Here you'll also find a pair of screws used to remove the internal tray. The front has a reflective black plastic finish and a pair of red/blue LEDs, one for power (the Eagle Tech logo) and one that blinks during activity.

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Further Inspection » Page 1: Introduction, Product Details Page 2: Further Inspection Page 3: Testing, Conclusion