Date: October 26, 2005 - Author: Rob Williams - Editor: Rob Williams
Do you want a hard drive enclosure that not only lives up to your expectations, but looks classy at the same time? We are taking a look at the Thermaltake Max 4, which does just that... and well!
Let's face it.. we are always on the go, and this means we need portable equipment. Sure, thumb drives are extremely portable, but they cannot match the 200GB capabilities like a real hard drive. Thermaltake's Max 4 is a solution that allows you to take your 3.5" HDD with you anywhere you want to go. Many enclosures on the market usually have a fan inside to help keep your disk cool, but not the Max 4. Instead, it uses an aluminum heat spreader to dissipate the heat. Without further ado though, let's get through Thermaltake's bio!
The product comes in a clean looking box, that's tightly packed with all the contents. Because of the good packaging job, the product arrived in perfect condition.
Besides the cables and the enclosure, the box includes a CD-Rom and manual. Unlike most manuals, this one is actually very clear and concise, which is a huge bonus if you are a tech newbie. After picking up the enclosure, the first thing I realized was that this thing is sturdy. Squeezing all around and looking over the build quality, it's a very well built product. Since the Max 4 is not that inexpensive, at least it should prove money well spent.
This enclosure is one of the more stylish ones you will find on the market, and could add class to even a messy room.. such as mine. The entire enclosure is made of metal, and has a silver body which adds to the look. Because there is no fan included with the Max 4, it should prove much quieter than those that do.
Connectivity is on par with the rest of the market, using the standard USB 2.0, which should prove fast enough for most things you need to do.
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When testing for hard drive temps and speed, my programs of choice are HD Tune, SiSoftwares Sandra and HD Tach. To stress test the HDD for heat, I run all three programs at the same time, for 15 minutes.
After benching the HDD in the tower (Titan Robela), the temps were, Low: 47°C and High: 57°C. This is way too high, for sure. Even after I powered off the computer, messed around with removing the screws and cable to take out the HDD, it was still too hot to even hold. I really, really should have installed a fan behind them :)
Installation into the Max 4 was very, very easy. It was a tight fit, but everything was very snug and secure. After the hardware was installed, it was a matter of plugging everything in, and then to power on. Because I have Windows XP, I did not need to CD-Rom since it installed itself. One thing I quickly realized though, was that the temperature could not be detected as it would normally.
Since I could not give an exact figure, I had to play everything by ear. I performed the same stress test on the HDD for 15 minutes, and once it was done I quickly opened the enclosure back up. The HDD was warm, but hardly to the extent as before. If I were to guess, I would say that after the test, the drive was between 30°C and 35°C... much better than the 57°C with the drive hunched up inside the computer. No need to worry about your drive overheating inside the enclosure, that's a guarantee.
As for speed tests, I used HD Tach for those. With the HDD in the computer, it averaged out at a 96.5MB/s READ, and with the enclosure it dropped to 36.6MB/s READ.. still very good. Considering that our recently reviewed OCZ Rally thumb drive scored 26MB/s READ through the same port, it's definitely a welcomed speed.
Overall, I don't have anything bad to say about the Max 4. It does everything it claims to, and does so in style. It's very well-built, sturdy and well designed. The $45.99US price tag may seem high for an enclosure, but I can vouch for the quality here. I feel safer knowing my HDD is well secured in such an enclosure.
0I am awarding this product a 10/10, along with the Editors Choice award. This has been our first Thermaltake review, and after seeing the quality of this product, we look forward to future ones! If you have something to say about this review, please feel free to discuss it in our related thread, where you do not need to register to post.
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