Author: Andrew Schembri Date: September 27, 2008 Manufacturer: Vantec Provider: Vantec

A Closer Look » Page 1: Vantec NexStar 3i Power Management Hard Drive Enclosure

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Items promoting being “green” have been cropping up all over the place, and the computer industry is no different. From 80 Plus certified power supplies, to slower spinning hard drives, computers have become more efficient and generally less toxic to the earth. Vantec would like to do their part to further the cause with the Vantec NexStar 3i Power Management.


Packaging


The front and the back of the package give information about the drive and give percentages of how much power one can save with this device.


What’s Included?

• NexStar 3i Power Management Enclosure
• Power Cord
• USB Cable
• Screws
• User Manual
• CD with drivers for Windows 98 and Power Management utility
• Stand

The power cord and USB cable are about 4 feet in length. While the USB cable is of adequate length, I feel that the power cord is a little bit short.


Specifications

• Model: NST-30S2I-WH
• Device Support: SATA I/II Hard Drive
• Device Size: 3.5”
• Internal Interface: Serial ATA
• External Interface: USB 2.0
• HD Capacity: Up to 1TB
• Power Supply: AC Adaptor
• Material: Aluminum
• Dimensions: 198 x 125 x 33mm
• Power Management Mode (Default): Idle (3 seconds)/ Stand by (3 minutes)/ Power Down (5 minutes)

Other than the power management features, the NexStar 3i is basically the same as the original NexStar 3. There are four modes of operation for the NexStar 3i: Activity, Idle, Stand by, and Power Down, with the last three of them being the power saving modes. Really, when the unit is in idle mode, it is not saving any power, it is just the hard drive requesting less wattage due to the armature not moving. The power management modes save the following amount of power, with the baseline being active:


Features

• Power Management: saves power and extends hard drive lifetime
• Power Management software included
• Built-In Automatic Power Management processor
• Three Intelligent Power Management Modes: Idle/Stand By/Power Down
• Supports 3.5” SATA Hard Drives up to 1 TB
• Transfer Rates up to 480Mpbs w/ USB 2.0
• Attractive LED Indicates Power / HDD Activity
• Aluminum Casing Cools down the hard dive
• Hot Swappable: Plug & play

Notice that eSATA is not listed as a feature. There are a couple reasons for this. First, most consumer SATA controllers do not support hot swapping, and secondly, Vantec’s Power Management application (discussed later) can only communicate via USB.

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A Closer Look » Page 1: Vantec NexStar 3i Power Management Hard Drive Enclosure Page 2: A Closer Look Page 3: Installation Page 4: Software Page 5: Testing