About one week ago I took a look at the Thermaltake Max 4 USB and eSATA external hard drive, and I found it was a decent product. Today for review I’ve got another Thermaltake External Hard Drive Enclosure called the Vi-on. This one is very different from the Max 4 in style, and looks, it’s very sleek and sort of artsy looking, it does feature both USB and eSATA connections and a separate, removable base. The Vi-on is also partially tool-less for the installation, and the hard drive rests on springs to help dampen vibrations while the entire enclosure is cooled by a small, silent fan. I’ve put compared it to several others I’ve got on hand, read on to find out the results…
The packaging for the Vi-on is nicely done, and the enclosure is packaged well inside.
Getting everything unpacked we find the enclosure, cleaning cloth, USB cable, eSATA cable, power supply, stand, and user manual. The stand is a wedge shape and has a cut out in it where the fan is located on the enclosure itself.
The reason there’s a cleaning cloth included is that the Vi-on has a glossy casing that attracts dust and fingerprints, it looks nice but it isn’t very practical. the two sides of the case are the glossy plastic, while the top, front and back are a metal mesh to help keep the dive inside cool.
On the back we find the power switch power connection, USB and eSATA ports:
On the bottom you’ll find four screws that attach a metal plate to the bottom of the unit, this plate serves as a way to secure the side of the Vi-on in place, you must remove the plate to access the inside. The plate also features a cut-out for the fan and cut-outs for the bolts on the base to secure it to the stand.
Once the base is off the side just slides off, inside we find the circuit board with HDD connection. There’s also a bag inside with four rubber feet that attach to the bottom of the enclosure so you can use it without the base, the legs provide space for the air to flow under the enclosure. The hard drive just sits inside, no screws required for installation. The HDD sits on four posts that have silicone rubber tops which have springs under them, this is to help keep vibrations down. The panel that was removed also has a padding on it.
