• Vantec NexStar NST-250U2 HDD Enclosure

    Vantec NexStar NST-250U2 HDD Enclosure

    Ameya Dalvi, Oct 21, 2005 1743 hrs IST

    The NST-250U2 design is nothing like the 3.5" variant...

    Neat looks, Aluminum alloy body, No disconnections, Sleek and Portable.

    Slightly Expensive, No screw driver.

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Last week we reviewed a 3.5" Hard drive enclosure from Vantec. Other than being a good performer, it had a smooth finish, soft edges and classy looks to go with. Today we have a 2.5" casing from the same company that shares a lot of attributes with its big bro. So let's find out where it stands in this vast pool of USB hard drive enclosures that the market is flooded with.

The NST-250U2 design is nothing like the 3.5" variant that I mentioned before, but it still looks very elegant. In fact, it somewhat resembles the LaCie external drive that we reviewed a few weeks back (designed by Porsche... remember?). The metallic grey aluminum body, with black side panels look cool. The piano finish of its elder sibling has been replaced by a matt finish. A read/write LED is present on the top of the casing while a mini-USB port and a connector for external power are present on the side panel. The input for a power adapter is present as an option just in case your USB port fails to provide adequate power. In our case, it wasn't necessary. The casing is made of an Aluminum alloy and measures 130 x 75 x 12 mm (L x B x D) and weighs 65 grams without any drive.



The bundle comprises of the USB 2.0 casing, a USB cable with an extender, a carry pouch, an instructions manual, a driver CD and 2 pairs of screws. I would have appreciated a screw driver in the package too because I had a tough time hunting for one that was small enough to be used with those tiny screws. And given the fact that you get one with even the 400 bucks casings, I don't see a reason why Vantec can't bundle one in their package.

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Discussion Board
samreth
,delhi, on Nov 17, 2005 01:19 AM
i bought one of these. a Gemini version with a power adaptor. I use it with a Parallel ATA Seagate Barracuda 160 gb disk. When i eject the disk in windows or os x the safe to remove dialog pops up but the disk keeps spinning.. please advise ??
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trakz
,Hyderabad, on Oct 25, 2005 06:02 PM
Where can i get this enclosure in Hyderabad.
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Dr. K. A. Rashe
,Manjeri, on Oct 23, 2005 04:54 PM
A data cord for USB with the other end that can be connected to any IDE drive like HD or CD ROM was shown in these columns that cost around Rs.500. The data transfer rate was almost the same if my memory is correct.
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james
,Chennai, on Oct 25, 2005 07:58 AM
Thats true Dr. But, your HDD will be then naked!!! :) its not exactly portable in that state aint it? so, a enclosure will come in handy (as it also includes the connectors).
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prashanth
,Bangalore, on Oct 23, 2005 04:35 PM
are you sure that it is only around 1,100rs. i mean a 40gb normal IDE hard disk itself costs about 2,200 and this is external with usb interface. wont it be costlier?
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Prasanna
,Mumbai, on Oct 23, 2005 06:14 PM
Mr. Prashant, pls do read the article thoriugh. this is 1100 for the casing and stuff which comes WITHOUT the Hardisk. The User has to BUY his OWN HDD. Thanks and Regards,
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prashanth
,bangalore, on Oct 24, 2005 04:13 PM
oh sorry abt that. i actually didnt read through the whole article was in a hurry...
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