Author: Mikhail Ivanenkov Date: December 16, 2007 Manufacturer: Vantec Provider: Vantec

Testing, Conclusion » Page 1: Introduction, Product Details, Installation

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Today we'll be looking at yet another external HDD enclosure. Vantec has been around for some time and focuses a lot on visual presentation. The NexStar 3 features sleek styling, plug & play functionality, and supports both USB and eSATA interfaces. Let's see how it stacks up against the competition.


The unit comes packaged in the box you see above, definitely retail shelf material.


Inside you'll find the enclosure, a plastic stand for vertical placement, AC power adapter, USB cable, eSATA cable, a SATA-to-eSATA bracket (kudos to Vantec for including this), driver CD for those using older systems, and an installation manual.


The enclosure is one of the best we've seen. The body is a solid aluminum piece painted a deep reflective blue. The front and rear panels are surrounded by chrome panels and the design in general is very appealing. Just beware of fingerprints - they show up very easily.



The front features a thick clear plastic panel beneath which you'll find a secondary black panel. Under the logo is a blue LED for power/activity status. The back side contains a power switch, AC port, USB port, and eSATA port. Here you'll also find holes for a couple screws - these are used to secure the internal HDD tray.


Speaking of which, the tray slides out with minimal effort.


Here I installed a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 drive with the provided screws. All you have to do is place the drive down, make the connections, and secure it. Everything sits perfectly. When sliding the tray back in, remember to reconnect the LED pins.

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Testing, Conclusion » Page 1: Introduction, Product Details, Installation Page 2: Testing, Conclusion