I've owned the USB 2.0 / Esata version of the Thermaltake Hard drive dock for about 3 years. It's hands down the single most useful computer peripheral I've ever owned. It makes backing up your system, cloning hard drives, and diagnosing problems with hard disks not just easy but enjoyable. Thermaltake knows how to make a dock, and my USB 2.0 dock still works perfectly 3 years later and I expect this one to be just as reliable. I purchased this dock to use with my new computer which supports USB 3.0, since USB 3.0 is currently as fast or faster than Esata, and while it's not much faster now, as drivers improve it will far surpass it.
The 5gbps speed that Thermaltake quotes is pretty theoretical at this point. With two extremely fast SATA 6Gbs drives you might get somewhere close, but with standard 7200rpm drives or even most SSDs, your throughput is going to be limited by the disk, not the USB standard. However, what you do gain is everyday speed, that make backing up to external drives 3-4x faster. Since I already have a Thermaltake USB 2.0 dock, I decided to compare the two and give you an idea of what you'll gain in speed using this dock vs. the old one.
For the test I used a Samsung 500 GB Hard Drive. I tested the transfer of a large collection of media files ranging from 3-4mb mp3 files to 8Gb .MKV BlueRay rips. The total transfer size was 104GBs. The source drive was another Samsung F3 drive, but 1TB in size. My motherboard is the Asus P6X58-E, which features two USB 3.0 ports. This test was not scientific, but it should give you a general idea of the speed difference.
Here are the results:
USB 2.0 docking station
Total Transfer time: 98 Minutes
Max transfer speed: 21.4Mbs
USB 3.0 docking station
Total Transfer time: 41 Minutes
Max transfer speed: 74Mbs
As you can see, the USB 3.0 dock performed the same transfer in less than half the time as the USB 2.0 dock. Keep in mind that USB 3.0 drivers will only improve with time--I expect those speeds to increase steadily along with improved drivers. If you want another solid example of the difference in speed, check the comments where I left a link to a youtube video where a guy compares USB 2.0, USB 3.0, Esata, and Firewire. It's pretty informative.
Aesthetically Thermaltake has upped the 'sexy' factor with polished surfaces, and rounder edges than the old dock. I actually prefer the look of the older one--not everything needs to have polished surfaces! They just attract finger prints. This is a computer tool, not an iPod.
The package includes:
1) The Dock itself
2) USB 3.0 cable
3) Slip covers for hard drives (1x 3.5" size and 1x 2.5" size)
4) AC power adapter
5) Instruction booklet
Conclusions:
A great, great dock. Much more versatile than a fixed form (2.5 or 3.5 inch) enclosure, it allows you to use a wide variety of disks in different circumstances without sacrificing speed. I can't recommend it highly enough. It's well worth the asking price. Thermaltake 5G 5.0Gbps USB 3.0 SATA Hard Drive Docking Station with Hard Drive Pouch ST0019U
I purchased bout a week ago and i love this device! It does everything it says and more, To be able to quick change sataII drives at a glance is awesome, and the tranfer rate is real good with just a oem WD 2TB standard HDD! I would recommend this and plan on buying another one just cause i like it so much!
Features n Specs
* Supports USB 3.0 SuperSpeed - Maximum Transfer Rate up to 5.0 Gbps.
* Backward-Compatible with USB 2.0 (Max: 480 Mbps) & 1.1 (Max: 12 Mbps).
* Premium Shielded USB 3.0 Cable - Corrosion Resistant Plating & Heavy Gauge Wires for Years of Reliable Use. .
* Plug & Play Installation - Ready to Work in seconds, No Software needed.
* Supports 2.5' & 3.5' SATA I/II/3.0 & SSD Hard Drives up to 2 TB.
* Hot-Swap Capability for Rapid Multi HDDs Access & Exchange.
* Trendy Docking Station Design maximizes Heat Dissipation & Exhaust.
* Windows & Mac OS Compatible.
* Windows 7 - 32 & 64-bit Ready
* Supports SATA III (6 Gb/s) Hard Drives with maximum speed up to 5.0 Gb/s (maximum theoretical speed offered by USB 3.0).
Thermaltake has continually updated the BlacX line to match with the changing storage technologies over the years. With the BlacX 5G they have now added USB 3.0 and SATA III to bring added bandwidth along with simplicity of USB.
Really about the only minor knock on the BlacX 5G is the slightly reduced read performance when compared to a direct SATA connection. This minor setback is easily forgotten when you consider the speed increase you get in comparison to USB 2.0.
At first glance a lot of people may not appreciate the usefulness of a hard drive dock, but when you have to access a friend or relatives drive to recover data they are a welcome piece of equipment. Thanks to the latest update to Thermaltake's BlacX line, the BlacX 5G now utilizes USB 3.0 making it not only handy but fast as well.
Advantages
-Plug and play
-USB 3.0
-3.5' and 2.5' drive support
Disadvantages
-Read speeds not quite as fast as SATA - External Hard Drive - Usb 3 - Portable Hard Drive - Western Digital'
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