Antec MX-100 3.5-Inch USB Aluminum Enclosure for SATA Hard Drive

by Antec

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.8 x 3 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000XQDTRW
• Item model number: MX-100
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (106 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 29, 2008

Product Description

Keep your data safe and mobile with the Antec MX-100 portable hard drive enclosure, the latest entry in Antec¿s prestigious VERIS line of home PC components. With a stylish black finish and sturdy but lightweight aluminum, the MX-100 is easy to set up and easy to use ¿ the ideal lightweight hard drive enclosure. Just set up the drive, connect it to your computer, and start transferring your data at blazing speeds over USB2.0.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 5 star product, does what it says, and looks beautiful., April 6, 2008

By 

Jason (NC, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Antec MX-100 3.5-Inch USB Aluminum Enclosure for SATA Hard Drive (Personal Computers)

I recently went from having several computer workstations, to a single laptop. I did not want to backup everything on disc (I already have things backed up on external drives) and I didn't really want to just sell my drives with my work on them (I have loads of pictures, video, and 3d renders stored over 2-3 TB of space).

I was at circuit city, and seen this case. It is from Antec, a company I trust and like, and it works with internal sata drives. As long as they didn't screw things up, this was going to be a good thing (they did not, and it is).

Assembly is so easy, a caveman can do it (darn you geiko!). You take your sata drive out of your computer, open up the antec case, insert your harddrive, screw in the 4 screws (they fit easily with my Western Digital 500gb drives) then insert the drive (and backing) into the case and plug in the power cord. Once that is closed, you screw in 2 black screws. Very easy, and it looks great too.

I have 5 of these right now, in use, and they all run perfectly, look fantastic, are slim, make no noise, do not have glaring lights, and work the way you would want.

These look great, and work great. Transfers are fast, and the unit does what you want it too.

If I have a complaint, it is the stupid power supply, The thing is slanted sideways, and takes up 2-3 ports on your power supply. Why they can't use standard power supplies, or supplies connected to a power brick is beyond me.

If you are going to be setting these up and keeping them on your best bet is to buy the Surge Protecter known as PowerSquid (it is here on amazon) that way you can keep them running at the same time, without messing up anything.

Also while I am at it, if you want a USB hub that matches these drives perfectly, then I highly recommend the low priced, and highly functional Cables To Go 7 Port USB 2.0 Hub that is also available here on amazon. It matches the design of the enclosure perfectly.

All in all, a perfect product, it does what you want, with no frills.

Note this model only has USB 2.0 function, which is fine. If you need high speed transfer for video, I would recommend a firewire 2 setup, or nas, and this will cost money.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars if it wasn't for the screws, would be a 5 star, March 29, 2008

By 

Jong Lee (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Antec MX-100 3.5-Inch USB Aluminum Enclosure for SATA Hard Drive (Personal Computers)

This is the second Antec enclosure I purchased and is a overall a good product. The only problem is that the 4 screws for mounting the HDD to the PCB are too long and do not secure the HDD properly. Am going to have to find some washers at the local hardware store.

pros:
-really small enclosure for a 3.5" (no fan)
-easy to install and good instructions
-good price

cons:
-the wrong screws

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enclosure made for Batman? Avoid the sunlight., August 15, 2008

By 

Kiyo M. - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Antec MX-100 3.5-Inch USB Aluminum Enclosure for SATA Hard Drive (Personal Computers)

If Bruce Wayne were to own an enclosure, it would seem like he would own this one; the enclosure is a black brush metal, but most of all, the LED on the front is shaped like a bat. Seriously. It lights up in only white (which is a good thing - who needs flashy rainbow colors?) and flickers when it is reading/writing.

This is a good basic enclosure if you just want to hook up your SATA drive via USB 2. It is very simple to install and sticks in easily (no annoying ribbons like on some IDE enclosure). For beginners, it includes an instruction sheet on how to install in all black & white picture drawings - not a single word on it - so this is good for visual learners.

With this enclosure, when you SAFELY REMOVE THE DEVICE, it will automatically shutdown the hard drive for you (from the sound of my hard drive, it seems to shut it off abruptly). Most enclosures I've used will still have the hard drive running even when you safely remove the device from the computer). If you reconnect the USB, the hard drive will power back on (that is if you have the power switch kept to ON).

The power supply doesn't use one of those "power bricks", but instead, the thickness (horizontally) is on the plug itself so it may block some areas on the power outlet.

The reason I gave this a three star is, while the enclosure works, the black brush metal started to fade and turned orange because I had it near the window - avoid from sunlight! It also will show signs of finger prints as well.

The design is really similar with Vantec's NexStar 3 Enclsoure, but I definitely prefer Vantec's glossy sleek finish (and it feels nicer too). If you want people to drool over your enclosure, then go with the Vantec. If you want more of a casual, plain look then go with this Antec.