Akasa Elite S and Integral S 2.5″ Hard Drive Enclosures Review

1. Introduction2. Akasa Elite S Hard Drive Enclosure3. Akasa Integral S4. Akasa Card and Drive Reader5. Performance6. Closing Thoughts7. View All Pages

The Akasa Integral S is supplied in a thick cardboard box that is contained within an outer box which sports the livery.  The box is decorated in an black and white colour scheme which contrasts greatly with the red Akasa logo.  The front of the box is filled with a large image of the enclosure surrounded by a basic overview of it's features.  The reverse of the box provides a more detailed breakdown of its featured in a variety of languages.

Inside the box we find the enclosure within the carrying case that Akasa supply which gives it an extra layer of protection.  They also supply a micro USB 3.0 cable and a separate USB power cable so you can hook it up to your machine.  There are also a small selection of screws, a screwdriver and an installation sheet included in the box.

Akasa have decided to construct the Integral S out of aluminium which gives it a quality feeling.  This doesn't add too much to the weight of the enclosure, though, so it remains easily portable.  Rather than follow the industry trend of using brushed aluminium, Akasa have chosen to finish the Integral S in gloss black which looks great.  This should stand the test of time better than brushed aluminium which scratches readily.

On the one end of the enclosure there is a blue activity LED that illuminates an ‘Integral S' logo.  There is also a large ‘Integral S' logo on the top of the unit.  At the other end of the enclosure we find the micro-USB3.0 and 5V power connectors which are recessed slightly into the unit.  To install a hard drive into the enclosure we must remove the screws on either side of this panel and slide the innards out.

Installation is very simple, requiring us to slide the hard drive onto the SATA connector and then secure using four screws.  The hard drive sits on top of the PCB and the screws secure the two together.  The PCB and drive can then be pushed back into the enclosure and secured using the two screws.

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