Overview:

        Today I am going to take a look at one of Vantec's newest products - the NexStar 3 - an external hard drive enclosure. The unit is sold without a drive and is designed to be fitted with a 3.5" standard internal hard drive, which is then easily portable. The drive enclosure is available in four vivid colors; Steel Grey, Onyx Black, Brilliant Red, and Midnight Blue. The unit is fully hot-swappable and is USB 1.1 and 2.0 compatible. You won't need drivers for Windows XP of course - however other Windows operating systems may require them.

Nexstar-3

Mirror Finish

USB 2.0 Connection

    These pictures show the level of detail on this product. Take notice of the rubber feet on the bottom of the unit - and of the divots in the top; these interlock to make these enclosures very securely stackable. The main component is made of extruded aluminum and comes out of the box very light but yet strong enough to support my significant weight under one foot. The enclosure measures 206 x 123 x 33 mm fully assembled.

  Here you can see the back plate of the unit as well as the included plastic stand. The stand slides on and off quite easily and provides a sturdy footprint of 1.8" x 4.8" Power is provided by a breakout mid-wire power supply shown below.