External hard drive storage is very common these days with HDDs having capacities as large as 1TB. These external drives are very convenient for moving large amounts of data between computers fast and also for performing backups of sensitive data or just storing one’s vast collections of digital video and music. These high performance drives perform best when stored in specifically designed enclosures. This article presents the major features and advantages of Antec’s MX-1 actively cooled hard drive enclosure.

First of all, the MX-1 supports a large range of 3.5-inch hard drives with capacities up to 1TB. You can use it to transfer files to your computer either via USB 2.0 or eSATA ( external Serial ATA) connections. Just to give you an idea of how much faster data transfers over eSATA are compared to USB 2.0, note that the former can reach a maximum data rate of 3GBps while the latter can only do 480MBps; in other words, eSATA is faster by a factor of 6.

One of the benefits of using the MX-1 hard drive enclosure is its active cooling. Because the enclosure is actively cooled using a large built-in fan, the hard drive remains cool even under continuous operation maximizing data throughput and minimizing the chances of data loss. In fact, the fan can keep the HDD’s temperature up to 15 degrees lower than normal.

The Antec MX-1 is a nicely designed case built to be light (weighs only 1.4lbs) and yet sturdy while minimizing noise levels produced by the HDD and the enclosure’s fan. Its internal structure is made of a plastic-aluminum hybrid minimizing noise output. The external cell is made of carbon-glass to keep the weight down and provide a solid structure.

The MX-1 is easy to use as the installation of any HDD inside the enclosure can be performed with little effort. At the same time, there are no OS drivers that need to be installed and the cooling fan operates without the need for control from the main computer. All the appropriate cables including USB, and SATA to eSATA converter are provided in the box making it possible to use it in no time after purchase. The MX-1 will work perfectly with any recent version of Microsoft’s popular operating systems including Windows 2000, XP, ME (ok, so this one was never really popular,) and VISTA.

The Antec MX-1 actively cooled HDD enclosure is not only a well designed and high performance piece of equipment but it is also very affordable available in many places for less than $70.

Supplied by: Antec

Tags: Antec MX-1 HD enclosure