Vantec has added another member to the NexStar 360 lineup. The 3i boasts some things that we have not seen from Vantec in their many ages in the industry. In the past year or so we have seen motherboards feature energy efficiency, now we have it in hard drive enclosures. The 3i has an integrated controller that can regulate power to the drive resulting in less power consumption, less noise and longer drive life. Adding the real reason why we buy hard drive enclosures, which is for data storage, the new Vantec housing may be worth taking a look at. Packaging and contents
The new enclosure comes protected by a white and green box that one would say would represent the new ‘Green Earth’ movement. The rest of the packaging is typical of Vantec: an enlarged image of the enclosure on the front and on the back are product details.
Once in the box, the first thing you will see is another white product from Vantec. It seems Vantec is into the white theme this year. Remember the Vantec Hard Drive Dock we review last week? The white looks quite good on the 3i.
The enclosure comes with a short list of accessories to get the box going: one stand, power adapter, USB cable which you guess it is white. The rest of the list includes a software CD and screws for hard drive mounting.
Specifications
Model: NST-360S2i-WH
Device Support: SATA I/II Hard Drive
Device Size: 3.5”
Internal Interface: SATA
External interface: USB 2.0
HD Capacity: Up to 1TB
Data Transfer Rate: 480Mbps (12Mbps w/ USB1.1)
Power Supply: AC Adapter
Material: Aluminum
Dimension: 198 x 125 x 33 mm
Power Management Mode: Idle/Stand By/Power Down
Features
Power Management: Saves Power and Extends Hard drive Lifetime
Built-In Automatic Power Management Processor
Three Intelligent Power Management Modes: Idle/Stand By/Power Down
Supports 3.5” SATA Hard Drive Up To 1TB
Transfer Rates Up To 480Mpbs w/ USB 2.0
Attractive LED Indicates Power / HDD Activity
Aluminum Casing Cools Down Your Hard Drive
Hot Swappable: Plug & Play