Vantec NexStar NST-D100SU 2.5-Inch/3.5-Inch SATA to USB 2.0 and eSATA Hard Drive Dock (White)

by Vantec

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00180MMZC
• Item model number: NST-D100SU
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #64 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Accessories > Hard Drive Enclosures
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 20, 2008

Product Description

The Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock is a complete and easy way to add or swap hard drives to your computer. It gives you the flexibility of connecting any SATA I/II hard drive to your computer via USB 2.0 or eSATA connection without opening up your computer case or installing into an enclosure. Simply just insert any 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch SATA I/II hard drive into the NexStar Hard Drive Dock and you are ready to transfer, copy, or backup files. Quick and easy, the Vantec NexStar Hard Drive Dock is the perfect solution to access your hard drive in seconds.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Hard Drive Toaster, June 17, 2008

By 

D. Petitpas (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vantec NexStar NST-D100SU 2.5-Inch/3.5-Inch SATA to USB 2.0 and eSATA Hard Drive Dock (White) (Personal Computers)

I have been buying Vantec external hard drive enclosures for several years nows, and they have allowed me to add terabytes of storage to my computers for video and audio files. When I saw this thing, I said to myself, Cool!

Vantec has designed the NST-D100SU in white plastic to make a toaster analogy, you know, the thing you put bread in and it pops up when it's done. Perhaps a better comparison is to an old 8-track tape player. Hard drives are about the size of old 8-track cartridges, and there were players that looked like this (but usually with a 1970's-looking wood grain).

In any event, you can now store a terabyte of information on an external hard drive and swap them out like 8-tracks. For people doing back-ups, testing or cloning hard drives, or who have massive data collections, this is great.

You stick a SATA hard drive down into the device until you feel it make contact and push down. You can't really do it wrong unless you try to.

Then you connect the device to a USB port on your PC or laptop, push on the big power button, and in a few seconds, your PC will see the hard drive. The only thing you have to do is the first time you use a new hard drive, you have to format it. I stay with one brand of hard drives, Western Digital, and I have its Data Lifeguard Tools already installed on my PCs. I start up the software, and it usually recognizes the new hard drive instantly, asks me if I want to format it, and the software sets it up in about 30 seconds. Once the hard drive is formatted, your PC will recognize it and assign it a drive letter. You can then copy to the new hard drive as much as you want. When you finish, remember to use the USB Safely Remove Hardware icon to remove the device. Then power it off by pressing the big power button and lift out the hard drive, and you're ready to slap in another one.

This will save you the cost of having to buy external hard drive enclosures at $35 a pop, especially if you are simply archiving data. I would suggest that you put your bare hard drives in the static-free bags they originally came in, or in Ziploc bags to keep out the dust. And then you will want to store the hard drives someplace where they won't be falling off a shelf or getting zapped by static electricity.

Even though I think this device is great, I only give it four stars for two reasons. The first reason is that it doesn't really replace a hard drive enclosure. An enclosure will protect your hard drive a lot more than this rather open device. The second reason is that you need to be careful to turn the power off before you remove the hard drive. I know I've been tempted to just yank it out first, but if you do that, you could be risking hard drive damage.

Otherwise, this is a great device if you have a need to swap out hard drive like 8-track tapes. With one terabyte hard drives now going for less than $200, I know I'm rethinking my storage strategy to copying all my CDs and DVDs to a hard drive. You could store 1400 uncompressed CDs or 250 DVDs (or a mix of the two) on a terabyte hard drive, virtually eliminating entire bookshelves of disks. For another $100, you could buy an INOI media player 3.5" INOi MH720 USB2.0 Digital A/V Ext SATA Media HD Case, which would then elminate the need for CD and DVD players, and you could have your collection all in the palm of your hand. It blows your mind!!!

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Looks good; feels cheap, January 8, 2009

By 

Eugene Y. Vasserman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vantec NexStar NST-D100SU 2.5-Inch/3.5-Inch SATA to USB 2.0 and eSATA Hard Drive Dock (White) (Personal Computers)

The dock *looks* extremely attractive but it feels cheap and does not make it a pleasant experience to actually put a drive into the dock.
Had I been able to hold it in my hands, I would not have bought it. It feels extremely cheap and flimsy. The power button sticks. I haven't tried 2.5" drives, but my 3.5" Seagate Barracuda wobbles in the slot. It's also extremely difficult to know when the drive is all the way in without plugging in the USB cable to see if it mounts.
On the bright side, it comes with all the cables you would need, and even has an internal-to-external SATA cable in case you have a desktop machine.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Cheap construction, flawed design, randomly disconnects, February 4, 2009

By 

King Of All Gadgets (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vantec NexStar NST-D100SU 2.5-Inch/3.5-Inch SATA to USB 2.0 and eSATA Hard Drive Dock (White) (Personal Computers)

I already had one standard 3.5 enclosure (where you screw the drive in) and decided to get a second for a second, newer SATA drive (that worked fine as an internal desktop drive). Unfortunately, this Vantec dock is severely flawed. Here's my assessment:

Pros
- relatively inexpensive
- On/off switch large, lit and convenient
- ESATA option (though it has few practical applications)

Cons
- Randomly disconnects drive at the worst possible times
- Cables (power and data) don't plug securely into the back. The plugs are cheap and flimsy
- Very light and poorly balanced
- drive never sits securely - slightest movement of device or desk can cause a disconnect

I contacted Vantec for support. Their surly, unpleasant support tech suggested I send it back for the same model only. They would not even entertain the thought of exchanging for another (even cheaper unit). So, I'm stuck with it until I get something new.

I'd stay away from this product, as well as others using this style of dock. I'd go for one that has a standard, secure enclosure.