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Vantec P N:Nst-360U2-Rd 3.5 Nexstar Usb 2.0 External Hard Drive Enclosure Ide T | 
| Brand: Vantec
Category: CE
List Price: $41.23
Buy New: $37.69
You Save: $3.54 (9%)
Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 12083
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.9
Dimensions (in): 12 x 10 x 3
MPN: NST-360U2-RD
Model: NST-360U2-RD
UPC: 844767012186
EAN: 0844767012186
ASIN: B000MVPZDE
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 4 to 6 weeks
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| Features:
| • | Product Type - HD Cooler | | • | 1U | | • | Product Type - Replacement Lamp | | • | - Burn your own silkscreen-quality labels directly on CDs |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Form and functionality collide with style in the NexStar 3 External Hard Drive Enclosure from Vantec. With its mirror finish, sleek curves and bold colors, the Vantec NexStar 3 stands out from the crowd. The sturdy drive cage protects your hard drive while the aluminum case effectively draws away the heat, protecting your drive from overheating. The NexStar 3 also utilizes USB 2.0, offering speeds up to 480Mbps, 40 times the speed of USB 1.1! But if you are using USB 1.1, the NexStar 3 is still an ideal way to store and transfer large amounts of data. Available in 4 vivid colors, the NexStar 3 lets you store your personal data in an enclosure that matches your style!
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| Customer Reviews:
 Nice Quiet Small Enclosure January 13, 2007
J. Won (United States)
I got the Vantec enclosure to replace my old Macally enclosure. First the Vantec is a small case. I installed a Seagate 250gb HD into this and it is a snug fit. The black front panel slides out you lay your HD in the tray in, screw it, attach cables, attach LED connection and slide back in. ((When I first got this I slid this open real fast, but be careful the LED light connection was already hooked up, I nearly messed up the connectors.))
As I said the case is slim, the HD pretty much lays against the outer Metal case and the heat is dissapated this way, no fans in this case. The blue is a nice metallic blue, I don't know if it's mirrored, but it's nice. The logo you see is the where the blue LED is behind, which kind of sucks cause I don't like alot of obnoxious logos, but thats just me. ((You can disconnect the LED and not have the light on)) I have had this case for about two weeks and have found it to be very quiet, well there are no fans so it's really the sound of the HD.
The little stand clip is removable so you can lay it flat if you want. I read the reviews on this case at Newegg btw and went on the positive reviews there, this case got a 5 out of 5 with 99 reviews or so. (at the time of this review they had a better price on this case) USB 2.0 is quite fast. Not as fast as firewire, copying 50gb's of data took about 30 minutes. But after the inital back up, later synchronizing is easy. Of course this might be my HD.
I am quite happy with the case, form, and size. I wouldn't hesitate to get another one.
Works like a champ October 7, 2006
Chief Architect (Northern Virginia)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have this model and an older one. Both work great and have had absolutely no problems with either. Several coworkers have also had very good experiences with the NexStar enclosures. I am very surprised that another reviewer has heat dissipation problems. He must have the NexStar next to other equipment giving off heat or in a poorly ventilated area. I have had other enclosures with fans and they were very noise and even continued to run when I turned it off forcing me to have to unplug them. I highly recommend the NexStar enclosures.
 NOT A GOOD CHOICE FOR MANY REASONS July 12, 2006
BOB (LOS ANGELES, CA)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I purchased this Vantec product and used it for a short time. Most USB enclosures offer "heat dissipation thru the metal case", as does this one. However, I grew very concerned about how hot the Vantec became, especially after active operation.
Heat is a major enemy of electrical motors. The HDD obviously just cooks inside the Vantec. There is also a definitive difference between its temperature in stand-by mode, and during/immediately after active use.
I found another USB enclosure offering active ventilation: the Apricorn EZ Bus DT, which not only has a built-in fan, but IMHO, for several critical reasons, is a better design and a smarter choice. Here is why:
The Apricorn's 3-inch diameter fan is mounted transversely, so it pulls heat directly off the entire underside of the HDD and expels thru vents on either end of the case.
In comparison, the Vantec's internal chassis has a solid metal plate which covers the entire HDD circuit board (see the image I loaded above). The Vantec has no venting, so the heat inside builds up fast. I installed a 500GB HDD in the Apricorn and ran a 220+GB backup from the Vantec. Upon completion hours later, the Apricorn's exterior was completely cool to the touch; the Vantec's exterior was REALLY HOT.
A couple of other things I found superior about the Apricorn:
It's heavier with a wider base, compared to the Vantec's (3" vs. 1.5"). When mounted vertically, you can nudge the Vantec (or the desk it's sitting on) and it will fall over; it happened twice in the few days I used it. There would be major motion required to tip the Apricorn, and I've never toppled it in months of use.
The Apricorn's easy-action pushbutton power switch is conveniently (and sensibly) located on the front of the unit. The Vantec's is on the bottom of the rear panel (see photo above), but it's a stiff toggle-type switch and awkward to operate. You have to hold the Vantec down with one hand firmly in order to get enough leverage to operate the balky switch... and you leave a nice handprint on the case, which then has to be cleaned. Do that a few times and the sexy mirror finish isn't going to look new for very long.
Also, the Vantec's internal PC board HDD cable is mounted off-center on from the socket on any HDD. You have to kink the Vantec's flat cable in order to complete the connection (see photo above). The Apricorn's is located exactly in line with the HDD's connector, and requires no stressing of the cable.
The Apricorn is available here on Amazon, but I found it for less at Page Computers. It is slightly higher in cost than the Vantec, but I'm convinced it is a much better product. Also, with Apricorn's active ventilation and greater physical stability, I have peace of mind about the longevity & safety of the expensive drive mounted inside it.
Sleek design. No, it's not a space shuttle -- it's just a hard drive enclosure! May 10, 2006
Kiyo M.
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I own a lot of enclosures, and I've researched many, but the Vantec NexStar 3 series takes the award for the best looking and most expensive looking. The mirror finish is not only extremely attractive, but it feels really nice. It really is nice to look at and to leave it on your desk. Whenever someone sees my desk, they always comment how cool the enclosure looks. Seriously. It looks more expensive than it really is. It has a really futuristic design as if it's like some kind of space shuttle.
There may be some people out there that prefer an enclosure with flashy lights and other junk attached to it, but it'll never look high class against NexStar 3's sleek and simple design.
I liked it so much that I own the black and blue versions of this enclosure too. This red version is actually more ORANGE looking than red in most lightings. However, the plastic base attachment is unquestionably red. So personally, I think they could've matched the color better; this is not a problem with the black and blue versions of the enclosure.
If looks isn't important to you, then I suggest you look for a different enclosure because inserting the hard drive is a rather tight fit (especially having to fold the ribbon).
Some enclosures have more than one colored LED to indicate when busy (and some may prefer this way); this only has a blue LED, but it flickers to show that it is busy (this way is actually less annoying).
Pros:
- Top class best looking enclosure; nobody will argue the looks of it.
- Thick power cord (with the 4 pins?) to the enclosure, so it is secure; no worries of falling off.
- Can be placed vertical or horizontal (it has four rubber pads on one side)
- Nice looking blue LED.
Cons:
- Tight fit; installation may be difficult for some.
- You may have to force inserting the screws (I didn't have a problem with the black and blue enclosures, but I did encouter the problem with the red)
- It runs a little hot.
- Actually looks more orange than red. (Still looks nice, though)
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