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Vantec EZ-Swap SATA to SATA HDD Dock

     Vantec was kind enough to ship out their new EZ-Swap SATA to SATA Removable Hard Drive Dock to share with you guys this time around. Vantec has been known for quiet sometime now for making functional, yet useful modding supplies for us such as the UV reactive PCI slot covers and UV reactive cable sleeving and molex connecters. Vantec is also known for making a high quality product, lets see if they live up to their reputation! Lets get started!

First let's take a look at the product specs as listed on Vantec’s website:

Product Description:

     Unlike standard IDE hard drives, Serial ATA (SATA) hard drives feature faster speeds, easier configuration, and the ability to change hard drives without having to turn your system off first.  Thus, Vantec introduces the Serial ATA EZ-Swap Mobile Rack.  The SATA EZ-Swap Mobile Rack combines the features of our IDE EZ-Swap with the convenience of SATA.  The SATA EZ-Swap is hot swappable, features a keyed lock for security, a built-in fan for cooling, and a built-in LCD that display hard drive up-time, temperature, and fan status.

Features:

• Compatible With 3.5" SATA Hard Drives (HDD)

• Swap HDDs w/o Turning Off Or Opening Your PC

• Aluminum Case w/ Additional Cooling

• Temperature Display w/ Alarm

• SATA Interface

• Blue LCD Display

• Anti-Dust Hard Drive Casing

• Easy And Secure Three-Step Key Lock.

• Up To 150 MB/sec Data Transfer Rate

• 40mm Rear Cooling Fan

• Power/HDD Access Indicator

Specifications:

• Model: MRK-200ST-BK

• Interface: Serial ATA

• Material: Plastic and Aluminum alloy

• Supported Data Transfer Rate: 150MB/sec

• Dimensions: 148 x 42 x 235.5mm

• Weight: 750g (without hard drive)

• Package Includes: User Guide
  Keys (2)
  All applicable mounting hardware

     Upon opening the box, I discovered the EZ Swap. I knew that I had seen this drive before… but couldn’t place where I had seen it. I was going through a list of sponsors from all of the LAN’s that I attend and finally figured it out. I had seen them being displayed by Icy Dock; a division of Cremax; and was quick to call up Vantec to find out who made this dock. Vantec claimed that they manufactured they bay, yet I was still skeptical. While at MillionManLAN3 in Louisville, KY, I saw this bay being displayed. Soon after taking the bay apart to get some pictures for the review, I discovered another clue on the issue of whom the manufacturer of the bay is- ICY DOCK was stamped on the PCB for where the drive enters the rack. Finally, I decided to check out Cremax’s website. Sure enough, its there. After getting off of the phone with them, I was finally down to the bottom of my little mystery, Cremax DOES manufacture the drive bay, or at least part of it anyway.

     The drive is made of plastic and aluminum and didn’t feel cheaply made at all, it felt very high quality. Installing was a piece of cake, while taking me only about 4 minutes to install the rack, the hard drive into the enclosure, and connecting all connectors and jumper setting. You have the ability to set if the drive is a master or slave for purposes of the LCD display that is located on the front of the enclosure. The LCD is for status display of course, showing whether the drive is Master/Slave, the temperature (can be show in either C or F with the hit of a button), and the fan status. The LCD also can show you how long the drive has been turned on in total hours.

     There is a simple fan in the rear of the dock to blow air through the enclosure to help dissipate any stagnant heat from within. The top of the enclosure isn’t locked, but just held in place by a clip. Security is taken care of by a simple lock located underneath the silver releasing mechanism. Power to the setup is handled by a standard molex connector which takes care of the LCD power and the power for the hard drive it self.

Rear view of docking cage.

Rear view of docking station.

Front view of docking cage without the docking station.

     Putting the HDD into the enclosure is simple- just slide off the top, place the drive in and slide it forward, turn it over, put some screws in and replace the top. All you have to do now is slide it into the bay, and you’re ready to go.

     Overall, the drive is well put together, fashionable, and functional. I highly recommend this drive setup to those of you that are modders, or out of HDD bays (like myself), or just want something to spruce up your case. The hot swapping also makes this a great choice for those of us that are constantly on the go and wish to take our precious data with us.

Of course a white one would have been nice, but this gives you an idea what it looks like installed.