Vantec NexStar DX NST-530U2 5.25-Inch IDE to USB 2.0 Optical Drive External Enclosure (Black)

by Vantec

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000HR73BK
• Item model number: NST-530U2
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 2, 2004

Product Description

With the Vantec NexStar DX External 5.25-inch Enclosure, you can easily add any 5.25-inch IDE Device to your existing system.  The NexStar DX connects to your computer through USB 2.0, offering speeds up to 480Mbps and eliminating the need to open your system!  The NexStar DX is perfect for anyone looking to add any 5.25-inch device, such as a DVD burner, to a notebook or desktop computer.  Because you don't have to open your computer, you don't have to worry about voiding your existing warranty or dealing with messy wires.  The integrated fan and aluminum case  also keep your device cool and operating at optimum conditions.  The NexStar DX External 5.25-inch Enclosure is the smart way to upgrade your computer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Investment Excellent Product, April 26, 2009

By 

C. Garabitos (Indpls, Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vantec NexStar DX NST-530U2 5.25-Inch IDE to USB 2.0 Optical Drive External Enclosure (Black) (Personal Computers)

Before even opening this product first thing I noticed was how solid and durable the case feels. Definitely high quality workmanship and built to last.

Once it came to putting my existing drive into this case it fit perfectly! The connections fit just fine and there was plenty of room left over to store excess once I put the entire unit together.

The fan is extremely quiet.. almost forgot it was there. And once a disk was inserted, I experience no vibration what so ever.

*Since I am very cautious when it comes to purchases, I've included photos on this product as well

My iMAC recognized the drive as soon as I put a audio disk in.. just to test it. iTunes kicked immediately and there I was now with 2 drives that I can use on and off as much as I want! I already have plans in a few weeks to get another! Needless to say that I would recommend this to a buddy..

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Well Constructed Case, caution re: LightScribe:, January 11, 2010

By 

MilMascaras (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vantec NexStar DX NST-530U2 5.25-Inch IDE to USB 2.0 Optical Drive External Enclosure (Black) (Personal Computers)

First off, this is probably one of the best IDE to USB external 5.25" enclosures out there. It is very well constructed, and is slightly larger than a typical lesser 5.25" enclosure. But the extra size is there for all the right reasons: It has an internal power supply, and uses a standard power cord, rather than a proprietary external power supply brick. And most noticeably, this thing is Solidly constructed. It is worth the money, and is a solid first rate enclosure.

I can understand why most people give it 5 stars. I will only give it 4 stars, but will still recommend it... Why?: Flakiness in Lightscribe support. That was my primary reason for buying this case... Most people are going to stick a nice DVD burner inside this thing, and very many DVD burners now come with LightScribe as a standard feature. I was hoping to use this primarily for LightScribe labeling of my burns.

LightScribe support is hit or miss with this unit: After I put mine together, I was very impressed with the results, very professional looking. It has a humungous blue LED panel on front, which I covered up with black tape, as it is the biggest brightest light panel I have ever seen on a single bay enclosure. My unit is very quiet, fan seems very efficient, and I like that it has a toggle on/off switch on back. I have burned dual layer DVDs perfectly, and even burns reliably on both highest quality and cheap quality media. I have had 100% reliability on my burns. My Plextor PX-870A works perfectly in it, EXCEPT for LightScribe labeling. I can never get it too work without an error...
(Lightscribe worked when I temporarily internally mounted the burner in a tower, but never worked in this external case...)

In my after the fact research, I have found this to be a hit and miss issue with many DVD burners assembled into an external case. LightScribe is of course the mostly responsibility of the DVD maker, but some other external enclosures are now "certified" for LightScribe support. This Vantec does not make that claim, unfortunately. I have now found that No DVD makers really recommends using a LIghtScribe Internal DVD burner in an external case, and they blame the external case if you have failure. BUT, just as many people do claim to have success using an internal burner in an external case for LightScribe support successfully. It is almost 50/50. The case bears part of the blame for LightScribe failure...

So if you are going to use this case for Lightscribe labeling, please research first. Try to find someone who has posted that a particular Internal drive has been successful with LightScribe labeling in an external case. My Plextor PX-870A definitely does not do LightScribe work in this case without error: It always fails . I have definitely made sure I have the latest Firmwares, latest OSX updates, latest drivers, latest version of burning application, and definitely the latest version of all LightScribe support files. My cables and assembly are perfect. Lightscribe just always fails, but data/music/video burns always work. And after much research, I have found this to be a common complaint with external cases.

But otherwise, this is a top-notch enclosure....

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars External DVD drive enclosure, November 29, 2010

By 

Joseph Benjamin Redding III "420ben420" (Elon, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vantec NexStar DX NST-530U2 5.25-Inch IDE to USB 2.0 Optical Drive External Enclosure (Black) (Personal Computers)

This works great. I installed a Sony 16x DVD drive that came out of my old desktop and have had no problems.