The Blacx supports 2.5” and 3.5” SATA hard drives so you will be able to use both as a USB external hard drive.
Specification:
Model#: ST0005U
Interface: SATA to eSATA and USB 2.0
USB 2.0 Transfer Rate: up to 480 Mbps (max)
eSATA Transfer Rate: up to 3 Gbps (max)
SATA Compatible: SATA I & II
HDD Compatible: All 2.5” or 3.5” SATA
OS Compatible:
Windows: Vista/XP/2003/2000/NT/98/95
Mac: 10.3 and later.
Linux: Kubuntu & Ubuntu 8.10 and earlier (tested by the author)
Material: ABS Plastic
Power: DC 12V / 2A
Dimensions: (L x W x H)
5.12” x 3.55” x 2.56”
130 x 90 x 65 mm
Yes. I have to give Thermaltake a big A+ for creating a product that works cross platform. I use Kubuntu 8.10 Linux on a daily basis and I am glad to say this is a device for which I do not have to switch to Windows to use. I also did several big data transfers on a Windows Vista desktop and this worked without a problem. At this moment I do not have a drive to benchmark with. Benchmarking is not a thing to do with a USB external hard drive you would like to use again. A benchmark test is a stress test to see how fast the computer can read and write to the drive. I also would have loved to have tested a 1TB or 1.5TB drive, but I don't have any in stock at the moment. As soon as I get one I will write a additional part to to this article with benchmarking results.
I also tested out Thermaltake's support. During a durability test I bent the lid on top to far the wrong way and it broke. This is not Thermaltake's or the products fault it is mine. I contacted support at the time of writing this they will respond within 48h. I will rate the support later. They have not had any chance to respond back yet. I usually contact support for an article to see how fast and friendly the support is so I can grade it. In this case I will grade it after they handle my request. Thermaltake support responded within 24h they will send me a new Blacx at no cost to me. So I will be back to turning my old drives into a USB external hard drive.
Over all the Blacx does everything it promises. I would buy this product in a heart beat (if I didn't have one already). It's great for turning those extra SATA drives into a USB external hard drive. Or backing up your hard drive to an external SATA hard drive. Again A+ to Thermaltake for creating a product that works with Linux.
If you have one or would like to share your opinion about why you wouldn't like to buy one then please leave a comment on the corresponding blog post to this article.