Introduction:

    This must be the year of the hard drive enclosure - and I'm not saying that because I have 4 of them here waiting to be reviewed, either. Really, I'm not. What we have today is a newly designed hard drive enclosure from Antec called the MX-1. The MX-1 is an actively cooled hard drive enclosure that is constructed mostly from plastic, and has a carbon-glass filled frame. This design leads to a really lightweight product, as well as one that absorbs hard drive noise. Not only is the MX-1 a new concept in hard drive enclosures, but, in my opinion, it's a stylish looking unit that won't stick out like a sore thumb on the office desk.

About the Company:

    So what can Antec do for you? That depends on who you are. If you’re a computer user, and you’d like to upgrade your existing computer or build a new one yourself, we’ve got the computer cases, power supplies, cooling fans, lighting components, and accessories that you need. If you’re a system builder or VAR, we’ll help you deliver reliable and cost-effective systems to your customers. And if you’re a retailer, we’ll help you reach an explosively growing market: namely, “do-it-yourself” computer users who enjoy building and upgrading their own computers.

Specifications:

• Dual output interface - USB2.0 and eSATA (external Serial ATA) allows you to transfer data up to 480Mbps or 3Gbps respectively
   

• Support up to 750G SATA hard disk drive
   

• Unique HDD cooler brings fresh air in and around the HDD for maximum cooling to protect your valuable asset
   

• Two layer (plastic with aluminum) structure upper and lower covers to absorb HDD and fan noise
   

• Carbon-glass filled frame to reinforce the strength of the whole enclosure
   

• Built-in silicone pad to absorb HDD noise
   

• Included USB cable, eSATA cable, and eSATA bracket to convert internal SATA to eSATA
   

• Stand included
   

• Very quiet fan operation - under 22 dBA
   

• Noise Level: 20 dbA with the blower on inside the enclosure
   

• Supports Windows 2000 / XP / ME / VISTA
   

• Dimensions: 21.9 x 14.6 x 5.7 cm
   

A Closer Look:

Retail front	Retail back	Side
Side	Open box	eSATA cable
eSATA bracket	USB Cable	Power supply

    The Antec MX-1 comes packaged in a deep purple-colored box with a carrying handle at the top. The front of the retail box shows a nice picture of the MX-1 enclosure. The rear of the box has the specifications and some other information on the enclosure. On the inside, the MX-1 is protected by some foam padding, and the cables are individually wrapped in plastic and placed in a separate compartment.

The contents of the package include:

• MX-1 HDD Enclosure

• eSATA Cable

• eSATA Bracket

• USB Cable

• External Power Supply

• MX-1 Stand

• Manual

Top	Front	3/4 view
3/4 view	Back	LED

    When removing the MX-1 from the box, the first thing that caught my attention was how light the enclosure was. I am used to metal enclosures that have some weight, but the MX-1 is extremely light. This light weight is due to the Carbon-glass frame of the MX-1 enclosure. The main body of the MX-1 is black, with the middle frame section being more of a dark silver. The very front of the MX-1 has the Antec name printed on it, and under the lip of the frame is where the HDD activity LED hides.

Stand	Inside	SATA connection
Circuit board	Hard Drive tray	Silicon padding

    The back side of the MX-1 is where all the action is happening. This is the area of the connection panel and the openings for the internal fan. The panel consists of a power connector, an USB port, and an eSATA port, along with a rocker-style power switch. As for the air openings, the holes on the top are for the fresh air intake (which allows cool air to pass over the hard drive,) and the lower opening is the exhaust port for the hot air.

Installation and Testing:

Hard drive screws	Back side of screw	Front side
HDD plugged in	HDD secured	Power LED

    Installation is extremely simple and easy, with only a total of three screws to gain access to the hard drive tray. The first screw is on the underside of the MX-1, and is what keeps the upper and lower sections together. Remove the screw and the upper cover slides off. This now opens up the MX-1 and gives the user access to the interior.  The interior consists of a tray for the hard drive, which has a silicon pad to absorb hard drive noise, and the printed circuit board. To install the hard drive, two additional screws need to be removed to allow for the removal of the hard drive tray. This tray also has the built-in fan attached to it, along with the silicon pad.

    To mount the hard drive, four screws from the back side of the tray come through and secure the hard drive to the silicon pad. After the hard drive is secured, it's just a matter of reassembling the pieces back together and choosing which way to connect the MX-1 to the computer.

    Two options are given to connect the MX-1 to the computer. The easiest of the two would be using the USB 2.0 cable.  USB 2.0 has a raw data rate at 480Mbps, and this data rate is limited by both the speed of the hard drive and if the bus is being shared. Option two is using the eSATA cable and the eSATA PCI bracket that is included with the MX-1. The eSATA bracket connects to a free SATA port on the motherboard. The speed of the data is determined by the device and whether the motherboard is SATA 1.5 Gbit/s or SATA 3.0 Gbit/s. As for testing the speed of the MX-1, that is based on the hard drive specs and what connections are used to the computer.

Conclusion:

    The Antec MX-1 is not your run-of-the-mill enclosure. Most enclosures are all metal and don't include a fan or even a stand. The MX-1 is extremely lightweight and quieter than most enclosures I have used in the past. The option of using either USB or eSATA is a nice touch and keeps the MX-1 flexible while on the go.

    The black color and rounded corners of the MX-1 will fit into anyone's decor, and looks particularly sexy on a polished maple wood desk. So if you are in the market for a SATA external hard drive enclosure, the MX-1 from Antec may just be your ticket.

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