Looking for Quality 3.5" SATA-II firewire enclosure w/no 127Gig limita

[thefiddler]

Anyone know of such an enclosure? It needs to fit 3.5" HDD, have SATA-II support (though SATA-I would be fine if it had all the other features I'm listing), connect via Firewire, & be aluminum, &/or have some kind of really good fan/ventilation, but without the 127Gig limitation that some hardware has for NTFS formatted drives, and good quality that I can trust.

I'm in need of some more HDD space for my video editing, and just saw this deal on newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148140 and thought I'd get one & an enclosure.

Problem is, I can't seem to find a good enclosure that fits what I need. There are plenty of SATA USB enclosures, but very few with Firewire, and those that do, mostly have a 127Gig limitation when connected by firewire. I have a couple MacAlly enclosures for IDE drives and they have worked beautifully. Unfortunately MacAlly doesn't seem to have an SATA enclosure that does firewire at the moment (maybe I just can't find it?).

Anyone know of anything?

EDIT: maybe USB is the way to go these days? I was trying to stick with firewire because it seems to have more consistent transfer rates for my video editing and all that, but maybe I should go USB?

Thanks in advance for any advice/pointers/whatever.

[redwudz]

Why not just use an external SATA enclosure? If your computer has SATA1 or 2 onboard, it will operate just the same as an internal drive, at the same speed. Or you could put in a SATA2 or SATA1 PCI card with an external connector and use that. Here's a small selection: http://www.xpcgear.com/sataenclosure.html Newegg probably has similar enclosures.

SATA2 is backwards compatible to SATA1, so that shouldn't cause any problems. Most newer SATA drives are SATA2 anyway.

It wouldn't make any difference if you used a SATA1 or SATA2 or a IDE hard drive in an external box if you are choking down the transfer speed through Firewire or the slower USB connections. But I would use Firewire over USB as it is much better with large file transfers. USB can get interrupted by the OS and can be influenced by other devices on the USB bus. Firewire can have this problem also, but to a much smaller extent.

Here are some Firewire external enclosures: http://www.xpcgear.com/enclosures.html I've used a couple of the Vantec cases with USB/Firewire connections. I like this setup as you have both interfaces available. I would prefer them with a fan, as any hard drive can run warm in a small case.
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[tug_hill2]

Hello, You may want to look at the Coolmax enclosure. Their model: CD-311 Series supports Firewire, USB-2, and Serial ATA(150). Newegg.com has them for $50.00. They work extremely well. Oddly though they do not list this model on their site..!

I'm looking for Enclosures that support SATA 300 - that do NOT cost in the hundreds range..!

Doc_B

[thefiddler]

The problem with an SATA enclosure redwudz, is that my machine is a laptop. I know, some people probably think I'm crazy for using a laptop for my edit station, but I do, & I quite like it. The only real disadvantage to the setup is that I can't do something like what you're suggesting: plug in a SATA HDD directly, or externaly. But for me, the advantages, like being able to very easily take my work with me, far outweigh the disadvantages.

tug_hill2 I've looked at the CoolMax enclosure. It seems like it may be my only option. Do you know if it has the 127Gig limitation when connecting an NTFS drive via Firewire?

I just got a reply from MacAlly, and they said they have no plans for a firewire SATA enclosure. Didn't say why, just that they weren't planning on making one.

[redwudz]

My fault. I should have looked at your computer details. But I would still recommend a Firewire/USB combo enclosure. It just gives you more options for not much extra cost. I have a external drive 2.5 HD I use with my laptop. I use the Firewire ports most often, but if a computer only has USB, then I am still covered. But there are not a lot out there that can use SATA drives and Firewire/USB connections. You could go to an IDE drive, but the SATA drives seem to run a little cooler.

Or if you have a free PCMCIA card slot, here's a SATA adapter for a laptop for yet another option: http://www.xpcgear.com/seatasapcca2.html It's a SATA1 card, but that would still be faster than Firewire or USB.

[Skith]

if you get the PCMCIA SATA add on card, I would recommend the 3.5" AMS Venus, it has an 80mm fan for cooling. I have the firewire usb 2.0 (ide) version. The following version has an external SATA and USB 2.0 connections and has SATA as the internal connection.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817145660

Mine keeps my (older) 160GB WD SE drive at a warm-to-the-touch temperature, and this is a drive that can get blistering hot. The 80mm fan is also very quiet, you won't hear it over the noise of your laptop.

[tug_hill2]

Hello Fiddler, I've used the Coolmax enclosures with USB-2, IDE, FIREWIRE, and SATA using 200GB through 400 GB Hard Drives and all is well...! Yes, there is NO 137GB limit on these enclosures.

Doc_B
tug_hill2