Vizo Uranus

Testing

For testing HDD enclosures, you aren’t really testing the enclosure itself but how much it hinders HDD speed. Because the Uranus offers two choices of connectors I tested both the USB and eSATA connectors using HDTach. These results were compared to those of the chosen hard drive while connected directly to the motherboard via SATA connection (labeled as "Straight SATA").

The eSATA results were taken using the included SATA to eSATA converter and plugged directly into the motherboard SATA port.

The PC used in testing was as follows:

The "quick test" was run three times and the scores averaged to gain a fair result for each reading.

Results

Not surprisingly the straight SATA and eSATA results are far better than those taken using the USB connector. However I was impressed how close the eSATA connection results were to those of the straight SATA. eSATA really is a great alternative to those who are running low on SATA connectors.

Again the eSATA and SATA results trounce the USB ones; as they should.

Software

The Uranus comes with a little piece of software called PCclone EX. This is designed to make it a simple process to backup files to your now external HDD setup. The button on the top of the enclosure is a "one touch backup button" which could come in handy for those too lazy to simply copy across to the other drive; really though, it seems a bit unnecessary. Backup software in general is for those that don’t keep their file systems tidy which any self discerning hardware enthusiast would look on with distaste.

While the backup system does have some advantages in terms of ease of use, the only way to use the "System backup" option is to have the HDD inside the Uranus formatted using a FAT32 file system which seems a bit old school. When using "File backup" you can use NTFS however.

Cost

The Uranus is priced in the US around $60 which would equally equate to around £30 here, but prices would probably not be an equal conversion here in the UK, so let’s take an educated guess at £35.

Noise and Cooling

It might seem like an odd thing to address "noise and cooling" for a Hard Drive enclosure but the Uranus actually has a built in fan. In short, it’s pretty pointless. It’s absolutely tiny
and moves so little air that you can barely feel it. Although it’s reasonably quiet I imagine Vizo could have knocked a couple of quid off the price without the fan being present. Hell, cutting some more grills in the top of the enclosure would probably increase the cooling of the unit far more than the measly little fan does.

Storage