ICY BOX External 2.5″ HDD USB 3.0 Enclosure Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. ICY BOX HDD Enclosure4. Testing Methodology and Performance5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

The ICY BOX External 2.5″ HDD Enclosure is a decent product which doesn't deliver class leading performance or an eye catching design. The chassis has a quality finish and they have included a silicon protection cover to make sure you don't scratch or damage the surface.

The ICY BOX is as small as it possibly could be for a 2.5″ device making it perfect for putting in with a laptop or taking it to school or work. It is a shame that the USB cable cannot somehow be incorporated into the design of the silicon case as I suspect you might end up forgetting to pick-up the cable as well. They have bundled a short cable which can make positioning difficult.

The performance of the device is average, but we would love to see an enclosure that utilises the full and unlocked potential of USB 3.0. We feel that due to the large SSD price drops, there is more and more chance that you might fit a 120 GB SSD into an enclosure like this. However with this device (and most others on the market) you won't be able to use the SSD at anywhere close to its full speed.

In terms of price the ICY BOX 2.5″ external HDD Enclosure retails for £17.99 and while we would prefer to see faster performance and a longer USB cable, it will satisfy the needs of a wide audience without breaking the bank.

Pros

• Easy to install 2.5″ HDD
• Gives 4x faster speeds than USB 2.0
• Includes silicon cover

Cons

• USB cable is a bit short
• Performance could be much better

Kitguru says: A useful 2.5″ USB 3.0 enclosure at a low price. Just don't expect wonderful performance if you want to use an SSD drive.

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