Enermax Glory

External hard drives definitely have their uses. If you plan on backing up important data, storing extra files, or moving data from one computer to another, sometimes it’s nice to have the piece of mind and luxury they can give you. There’s one glaring issue though: buying an external drive out of the box will leave you with the same disk inside for the span of its life (unless you plan on voiding the warranty). You’re stuck with the same storage capacity and warranty period. In some situations, it’s better to buy an external enclosure and put your own drive inside.

Enermax, probably better known for their power supplies and computer cases, have come out with a new external enclosure, which they call the Glory. This product may not seem like a big deal, but there’s something that sets this enclosure apart from the rest that should, in theory, help you back up the data you need literally at the press of a button.

On paper, a combination hardware and software backup solution sounds perfect. Software like Microsoft’s Shadow Copy and Apple’s Time Machine try to allow users an easy way to secure their important files (along with countless other third-party products out there) but inconvenience (and laziness) has always been a limiting factor. Let’s see how the Glory stacks up.

Nothing special is going on here. The box art and packaging for the Glory is simple and attractive. The various features of the unit are outlined on the front and back, along with a picture of the enclosure in silver, and the words “Glory” spiraling outward.

As soon as you open the box, you’re greeted with the case itself, in all its aluminum glory (OK, bad pun).

Under more Styrofoam padding, you have the accessories packaged in separate compartments. There is an AC adaptor, USB cable, and stand included.

Here’s a shot of the manual and software disc.

On the side of the body, the word “Glory” has been etched on in a tan color with white sparkles complimenting it.

Along the back, we have the AC adaptor connection, power switch, and USB port.

The three buttons for the backing up and restoring data reside underneath the Enermax logo and status LEDs. The top LED glows green to show the unit is on, and the bottom glows red when the drive is accessed.

The case is a few inches longer than the 3.5″ drive that goes inside, but thanks to the stand Enermax provided with the enclosure, I can reclaim some of my desk space without having to pile things on top of it.