Tuesday, April 23, 2013

MB981U3S-1S EZ-Dock review - posted by hardwareheaven.com


Icy Dock provide consumers with a wide range of devices which allow installation of hard drives in both external and internal locations. A few months ago we looked at their internal drive bays which offered a wide range of options for 2.5" devices and then just a few weeks ago we covered the Icy Dock IcyRaid external storage device. Now with a completely different option we have one of Icy Docks hard drive docks on our test bench, complete with support for 2.5" and 3.5" devices as well as USB 3.0 and eSATA................read the full review

MB973SP-2B FlexCage review - posted by servethehome.com


The Icy Dock MB973SP-2B is a hot swap tray-less backplane that adds a great feature for workstations, USB 3.0. Hot swap SATA backplanes such as the Icy Dock MB973SP-2B are very common to make swapping hard drives in and out easy on a user. They are especially easy for tasks such as swapping drives in to image, backup drives and etc. Most of these devices require one to secure drives into a drive tray (or caddy / sled) prior to inserting a drive in the enclosure. Tray-less designs like that of the Icy Dock MB973SP-2B allow users to simply insert a bare hard drive. Overall swap times take a minute or two less. Let’s take a look at what the Icy Dock MB973SP-2B offers................read the full review

MB662U3-2S ICRaid review - posted by storagereview.com


The Icy Dock 3.5" SATA Dual Bay RAID Enclosure is the newest offering in the ICYRAID line, and it gives users the ability to externally store and cool two 3.5" HDD's. Much like the rest of the Icy Dock line which has garnered an impressive reputation for its hard disk enclosures and its removable storage kits, this model has a sturdy exterior. Designed for photographers, video and audio professionals and any users looking to purchase an enclosure as a backup storage solution, this model has premium features accentuated by demand for RAID customization options and USB 3.0 connectivity................read the full review

Monday, April 15, 2013

MB662U3-2S ICRaid review - posted by hitechlegion.com


The Icy Dock ICYRaid MB662U3-2S, unlike other external USB 3.0 enclosures, has the hardware capability to run drives in RAID, independent of the PC. The ICYRaid MB662U3-2S replaces the discontinued MB662UEAB-2S, which used the older USB 2.0 and FireWire connection, with a much faster and more widely used USB 3.0 port. Users can install a pair of 3.5” HDDs, up to 4TB in capacity each, for a total of up to 8TB of storage inside the Icy Dock MB662U3-2S..........read the full review

MB662U3-2S ICRaid review - posted by tweaktown.com


Over the years, at some point in time, most of you have likely thought of purchasing some sort of external storage. Either to back up important data or even to have your files with you on the go. Personally, I have all of my important data backed up in several places, online and offline. Some of you might choose to go with a NAS product from QNAP, Thecus or even the newly introduced units from Infortrend................read the full review

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

ICY TIP: Build a Premium and Hot-Swappable Gaming or Media Storage Tower Case Using the FlexCage Tray-Less HDD Cage


Build a Premium and Hot-Swappable Gaming or Media Storage Tower Case Using the FlexCage Tray-Less HDD Cage

When looking at an enthusiast tower, server, or media case that are usually $200 or more such as the Corsair 900D, NZXT SWITCH 810, Cooler Master Storm Stryker or HAF X, it has almost everything that you could ask as a premium enthusiast case. These types of cases are built very well with excellent craftsmanship and generally focus on ensuring your core components of the CPU, GPU, and motherboard are cooled with plenty of options for overclocking. You may also see that in these full tower cases, your storage section at the very least is screw-less and removable with some sort of basic cooling solution.

When you compare how much time is spent designing your storage capability, it’s not on the same level of sophistication as with other components in your build. It lacks the flexibility or additional features such as hot swap or power management that make it truly an enthusiast case. The good thing is that many of the full or mid tower cases come with multiple 5.25” device bays, which would allow to expand with more hard drives by way of hot swappable HDD cages.

Why Use a Tray-less Configuration?

There are trays or tray-less models that are usually available and both also tend to save you some space. Of the two options, it’s generally more convenient to have tray-less HDD cages without going through drive screws to mount your hard drives with to quickly hot swap or replace drives. Within a home setting, tray-less is the way to go for the most part. From there it is about finding the right product that suits your needs and that can handle any system configuration thrown at it. The FlexCage HDD Cage series uses ideas from user feedback that makes it unique to other HDD cages while providing maximum performance, flexibility, and security of a hard drive. Let’s take a look at what it has to offer.

The ICY DOCK ToughArmor Series


The FlexCage series focuses on maximizing storage density, while minimizing the use of 5.25” bays as possible. For example, the FlexCage MB975SP-B uses only 3 x 5.25” bay and fits 5 x 3.5” SATA hard drives. To complement the device, the FlexCage series uses features that focus on the user experience: Elegant plug & play Tray-less design, replaceable 80mm cooling fan, 3 speed fan control with Smart Cooling Technology, and full power management of your drive by use individual power buttons to improve the lifespan when not used. Given the large density of possible drive storage, it can be used in consumer, enthusiast, and system integrator systems that hot swap drives frequently or that wants to expand their current system if it lacks the capabilities to hot swap. The FlexCage series is compatible with most gaming / media / server computer cases, and it is perfect for file server application such as unRAID, Windows home server and others.

Note: With some computer cases, the 5.25” bays that use tabs may interfere with the installation process of the device due to design space limitations. You may need to modify your case to properly install the HDD cage. However, this is not limited to ICY DOCK cages.

3 Bay Solution (3 x 3.5” SATA hard drives in 2 x 5.25” device bays)
Key Features:
  • Fits 3 x 3.5” SATA III HDD into 2 x 5.25” Device Bays.
  • Supports SATA 3 (6 Gb/s) hard drives.
  • SuperSpeed USB 3.0 hub built into front of device for performance and easy access.
  • Active Power Technology+ – cooling fan and drive only powers up when the child proof buttons are pressed.
  • Flex Fit Design – accommodates different 5.25” tab lengths for different type of cases.
  • Two 4 pin to 15 pin adapter cable included for 15 pin SATA power ports.
  • Multi-locking door latches to prevent accidental drive ejection.

Key Features:
  • Fits 3 x 3.5” SATA HDD into 2 x 5.25” Device Bays
  • Support SATA 3 (6 Gb/s) hard drive.
  • Commercially designed for servers & rackmounts.
  • Two 4 pin to 15 pin adapter cable included for 15 pin SATA power ports.
  • Multi-locking door latches to prevent accidental drive ejection.

4 Bay Solution (4 x 3.5” SATA hard drives in 3 x 5.25” device bays)
Key Features:
  • Fits 4 x 3.5” SATA III HDD into 3 x 5.25” Device Bays.
  • Supports SATA 3 (6 Gb/s) hard drives.
  • SuperSpeed USB 3.0 hub built into front of device for performance and easy access.
  • Active Power Technology+ – cooling fan and drive only powers up when the child proof buttons are pressed.
  • Multi-locking door latches to prevent accidental drive ejection.

Built-in eSATA & USB 2.0 Port for external devices
FlexCage MB974SP-B Tray-less 4x3.5" in 3x5.25" SATA HDD Cage
Key Features:
  • Fits 4 x 3.5” SATA HDD into 3 x 5.25” Device Bays
  • Support SATA 3 (6 Gb/s) hard drive.
  • Front side USB and eSATA ports for convenient external storage connections.
  • Multi-locking door latches to prevent accidental drive ejection.

5 Bay Solution (5 x 3.5” SATA hard drives in 3 x 5.25” device bays)
Key Features:
  • Fits 5 x 3.5” SATA III HDD into 3 x 5.25” Device Bays.
  • Ultimate compact and space saving design to fit multiple drives.
  • Designed for consumers & enthusiasts gaming / media / server computer cases and servers.
  • Elegant full aluminum housing for durability and heat dissipation.
  • Active Power Technology+ – cooling fan and drive only powers up when the power buttons are pressed.
  • Multi-locking door latches to prevent accidental drive ejection.

Phone Support: 626.956.8800
Email Support: tech@icydock.com
Live Chat Support – Click HERE

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

MB662U3-2S ICRaid review - posted by hardwareheaven.com


Before we talk about the performance let's take a moment to discuss the build quality and design of the MB662U3-S2. Overall we have a device which feels very solid thanks to the thick aluminium chassis. The back panel feels robust too however if we are being particularly picky the front panels do feel a little shaky and flimsy when opened. That said they do lock into place securely and we like the simple one press to open design................read the full review

MB153SP-B FatCage review - posted by servethehome.com


The Icy Dock MB153SP-B allows for three 3.5″ hard drives to be installed into two 5.25″ chassis slots. Along with this the Icy Dock MB153SP-B also adds hot swap capabilities making it very easy to swap drives. The unit is part of Icy Dock’s FatCage series and one can see several of the company’s recent product directions embodied in the backplane................read the full review