ICY DOCK ICYRAID MB662U3 Two-Bay External Storage Enclosure Review

We take a look at the hardware RAID capable ICYRAID external storage device, the ICY DOCK MB662U3 two-bay storage enclosure.

Published
Updated
Manufacturer: icydock
2 minutes & 51 seconds read time
TweakTown's Rating: 79%

The Bottom Line

While not perfect, the ICYRAID MB662U3 is a great looking, durable aluminum enclosure for those wanting hardware RAID capabilities.
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ICY DOCK has been producing storage solutions for as long as I can remember. Some of their most popular solutions include drive cages that we have seen in past reviews and enclosures, like the solution we have in house today.

The MB662U3-2S is the latest in a long line of hardware RAID solutions that make up the ICYRAID lineup. This solution is a two-bay device that includes options for JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, and BIG. Adding to this the MB662U3 is a tool-free solution while the rear of the unit houses switches to configure each RAID mode. Features of this enclosure include sleep mode, LED indicators for enabled, failed or ejected drives along with LED control.

Compatibility of the MB662U3 includes Windows XP through 8 along with OS X 10.2+. MSRP of the ICY DOCK ICYRAID is listed at $129.99 with a one-year warranty.

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Packaging for the ICYRAID enclosure is similar to what we have seen in the past with solutions from ICY DOCK. With this device, we have RAID modes listed at the top left with additional marketing info laid out along the bottom right.

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On the backside of the packaging, we have specifications listed out at the bottom and a products description above in several languages.

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The scope of delivery includes the power adapter, USB 3.0 cable, and the ICY RAID enclosure.

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The front of the enclosure is rounded with the trayless doors with each having their own LED.

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Looking at the backside of the enclosure, we have switches for RAID levels, reset, and the LED indicator. To the right the USB 3.0 and power inputs with the power switch below.

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Taking a look inside the enclosure, we find the backplane supporting both SATA and SAS drives.

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To test the MB662U3, we loaded two Crucial BX200 SSDs into the enclosure. With RAID 0 enabled, we were able to reach 397 MB/s read and 394 MB/s write.

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Switching the enclosure over to RAID 1, performance numbers were quite similar with read coming in at 384 MB/s and write performance topping out at 392 MB/s.

ICY DOCK has been producing storage solutions as far back as I can remember, much longer than I have been testing them. One thing that I have always found to be quite consistent with their devices is quality. While many enclosures have now moved to plastic builds to save costs, ICY DOCK has remained with full aluminum structures in their ICYRAID lineup. That being said, the build quality of the MB662U3 is two sided. I love the aluminum enclosure of this solution, but I did find the two-part aluminum and plastic drive doors to be finicky and wobbly when closing them. The hinges feel like they are way too loose which leads to closing the trays in awkward positions.

Performance, as seen in our testing, was quite good, not top notch USB 3.0 performance but solid nonetheless. In RAID 0, I was able to reach 397 MB/s read and 394 MB/s write and switching over to RAID 1 performance was nearly the same at 384 read and 392 write, which is plenty for hard drives.

Overall, the ICY RAID MB662U3 is an aluminum enclosure that has a few issues but does perform quite well. With its MSRP sitting at $129.99 I feel there may be better enclosures on the market for your money, however if you can look past loose hinges and a somewhat finicky tool-less design, this product may be worth a look.

Tyler's Test System Specifications

Performance 85%
Quality including Design and Build 80%
General Features 85%
Bundle and Packaging 75%
Value for Money 70%
Overall 79%

The Bottom Line: While not perfect, the ICYRAID MB662U3 is a great looking, durable aluminum enclosure for those wanting hardware RAID capabilities.

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CACanada: Find other tech and computer products like this over at Amazon.ca

DEDeutschland: Finde andere Technik- und Computerprodukte wie dieses auf Amazon.de

Tyler joined the TweakTown team in 2013 and has since reviewed 100s of new techy items. Growing up in a small farm town, tech wasn't around, unless it was in a tractor. At an early age, Tyler's parents brought home their first PC. Tyler was hooked and learned what it meant to format a HDD, spending many nights reinstalling Windows 95. Tyler's love and enthusiast nature always kept his PC nearby. Eager to get deeper into tech, he started reviewing.

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