iStarUSA 5K25TU Hot Swap 5.25-inch Bay Enclosure Review

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Computer chassis don't always allow for the installation of all the storage solutions we may want to deploy. Thanks to bay enclosures that allow us to install many solutions into a single 5.25-inch bay, this can be remedied rather easily.

iStarUSA is one vendor that supplies everything from mobile storage solutions to multiple disk hot swap cages. The solution we are looking over today is a hybrid solution allowing us to install a single 2.5-inch SSD or hard drive and a slim optical solution in a single 5.25-inch bay.

In addition to the storage capabilities, the T-5K25TU-SA includes front panel USB 3.0 ports powered by an internal header.

MSRP for the iStarUSA T-5K25TU-SA is listed at $39.99 with a one-year warranty.

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Scope of delivery for the T-5K25TU-SA gives us screws and keys for mounting the device and locking the enclosure. We also have a SATA cable along with a power adapter and user's guide.

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Looking at the front of the unit, you will find the slim optical bay up top with the 2.5-inch tray below. To the right, we have dual USB 3.0 ports.

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The back of the unit houses a single SATA connection along with a four-pin power and SATA power connection. To the left, you can see the USB 3.0 header coming from the unit.

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Above, we have installed our Seagate 600 Pro for testing.

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Above, we have the results with our Seagate 600 Pro 200GB installed in the iStarUSA enclosure. As you can see, we reached 528 MB/s read and 463 MB/s write.

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In our second test, we check the USB 3.0 ports to see if that too is pass-through. As you can see, we were able to reach 443 MB/s read and 430 MB/s write, native and max throughput of USB 3.0.

The iStarUSA T-5K25TU-SA is a well-built storage solution for those looking to install a slim optical drive and 2.5-inch SSD or HDD into one system. Build quality of the unit was ample, and we have a good bit of aluminum construction with a plastic front panel. The integration of the LED was well put with just a sliver of light being omitted by drive activity at the corner of the tray, and the locking mechanism was simple to use with the triangle shaped key.

Performance of the unit was exceptional, and as expected, everything on the device was a basic pass-through to the native connection of your motherboard.

MSRP of the iStarUSA T-5K25TU-SA is set at $39.99 with a one-year warranty. Current market pricing can be found below.

PRICING: You can find the iStarUSA T-5K25TU-SA for sale below. The prices listed are valid at the time of writing but can change at any time. Click the link to see the very latest pricing for the best deal.

United States: The iStarUSA T-5K25TU-SA retails for $45.22 at Amazon.

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