How hard is it to install an external hard drive enclosure? Is it worth purchasing one or should I just try and install my old internal IDE drive into my new computer? Is the Sabrent Hard Drive Enclosure worth the price?
I had a lot of questions when I started searching for a way to get the data off one of my old IDE drives that was in a now broken computer. I decided I would buy a hard drive enclosure, but which one? I searched the web and read countless reviews on hard drive enclosures and finally decided on the Sabrent 3.5 Sata/IDE Hard Drive Enclosure with a fan. I was pretty excited about what these enclosures could do according to reviews and the Sabrent seemed like a perfect match for what I needed. After all, 3.5 Hard Drive Enclosure could be used as a Sata Hard Drive Enclosure (newer hard drives) or a IDE Hard Drive Enclosure (older hard drives). This versatility makes it ideal especially as an Portable Hard Drive Enclosure.
Some of the Features and Specifications are:
- Solid Aluminum Case
- Built-in cooling fan for efficient heat dissipation
- Supports both SATA / IDE 3.5″ drives
- Supports any drive capacity
- High speed USB 2.0 and E-SATA interface (e-sata is not available for IDE drives)
- Plug and play, hot swappable – sweet!
- Front power switch
- Flashing LED indicator light
One of the cool features is I can swap out hard drives. So, all my hard drives that have been collecting dust and I kept saying one day I will try and install them to see what is on them, I can now rediscover the wealth of information that is store on them. Yes, I know, if it was a wealth of information I probably would have done something sooner, but hey, a guy can dream 
The following is my experience with purchasing and installing this hard drive enclosure.
I bought this item new and it usually sales for $29.99, however I got it for $26.88 from Amazon. Now here was the deal breaker for why I went with Amazon instead of TigerDirect was because it qualified for free shipping.
Since I selected the free Shipping, I thought it would take a while, but I actually had it in my hands 4 business days later!
The box comes with everything you need to plug in your old internal IDE or SATA drive and connect via USB to your new computer.
I have to say when I got the Sabrent 3.5″ hard drive enclosure from Amazon I honestly didn’t believe it was going to be so easy to install. It is crazy easy. I made the video below from opening my Sabrent hard drive enclosure for the first time. I had never installed one before and didn’t know what to expect, but if you watch the video, I am sure you will be as amazed as I was.
How to Install a Hard Drive Enclosure
I hope you are as excited as I was to finally find something that will display the data from my old drives. You might have other reasons, there are so many possibilities. Also, the fact you can hot swap out drives is awesome! Not-to-mention it is external and portable.
So, to recap from the start of this review:
Question:
How hard is it to install an external hard drive enclosure?
Answer:
Crazy easy. You saw the video, it is just amazingly easy
Question:
Is it worth purchasing one or should I just try and install my old IDE into my new computer?
Answer:
Definitely worth purchasing one and I always told myself I would install the IDE drives eventually, but I never did. These enclosures are just so easy to install and I can hot swap out other drives with it.
Question:
Is the Sabrent Hard Drive Enclosure worth the price?
Answer:
For me, yes; plus getting free shipping made it that much more enticing. The ease of use and knowing I now have access to data and some old memories is worth it for me.
Anyway the following link will take you directly to the Amazon page to order a Sabrent 3.5 Sata/IDE Hard Drive Enclosure with a fan or if you would prefer a different model or a different company you can always search Amazon, there are a lot to chose from. However, I plan to buy more of these for my own use.
I wish you well and take care,
John David
