Date: September 30th, 2010
Article by: Jackie Mueller (Hardware Reviewer)
Edited By: Nathan Glentworth (Owner / Head Editor)
Product was submitted by: Thermaltake
 <--CLICK FOR PRICES ON A THERMALTAKE BLACX 5G IN THE UNITED STATES
 <--CLICK FOR PRICES ON A THERMALTAKE BLACX IN CANADA
PRODUCT PICTORIAL AND WALKTHROUGH
At first glance, this dock looks similar to previous versions of the BlacX. Construction is plastic with a BlacX graphic on the front of the unit. It may look like its older siblings, but this new model has a lot more to offer.
A top view of the dock shows an opening that will fit either a 3.5” drive or a 2.5” drive. To the right is an eject button, and note the power button and SuperSpeed logo that are also here. These will illuminate blue when the unit is powered on.
Around back is a socket for the power adapter and a USB 3.0 port. Only a USB 3.0 cable can be used with this dock; you can't use a USB 2.0 cable. Thermaltake did include a cable so let's have a look at it.
USB 3.0 cables are noticeably thicker than their predecessors; this is due to an extra four wires inside that are required for the new standard. The cable that Thermaltake included with the dock is around 5 ft. long with corrosion resistant plating, so it should last quite a while and be long enough for most applications.
I was pleased to see these silicon sleeves included with the dock. It addresses a longtime concern about the drive being exposed to outside elements while connected to a dock. Of course, the sleeves won't protect the drive from everything, but it's definitely better than having no protection at all.
|
