This maybe a little off-topic but the functioning of my DVD Writer / Burner with my laptop will be completely based on this ENCLOSURE puzzle. Since you guys are experts (I dropped out of the hardware knowledge base a few years back, so need your help) maybe you can shed some light on the following questions on external enclosures..

(link to page from which I got the list of ENCLOSURES - http://store.yahoo.com/dealsonic/3usb20fico.html )

Also this really cool transparent enclosure ?
Any comments...
http://www.xoxide.com/enclosure.html

External Enclosures: Comments and Reviews please ?

I am looking for:
5.25/3.5 Enclosure for DVD Burner / HDD with a COMBO interface ( USB 2 & Firewire IEEE 1394)
Based on the following parameters can you please rate / review / comment on them and maybe recommend which one to buy?

- Memory Buffer (if any)
- Maximum HDD size allowed / capable
- Daisy Chaining Possible ? or Not ?
- Firewire is IEEE 1394 a or 1394 b ? (Any comments on whether A vs B affects HDD usage or DVD burning / Extraction)
- Fans ?
- Shock Proofing ? Absorption
- Chipset for USB2 ?
- Chipset for Firewire ?
- Reliability ?
- Construction Quality (feels strong / feels fragile / is fragile ? )
- Life (Longer life ??) (wont blow up in an year or two)...
- EASE of installing drive.. with SCREW / SCREWLESS ? I am thinking a screwless design will allow me to swap things into and out of enclosure without tools.. e.g. old HDD that is removed but has things in it... or other HDDs ... when replacing the primary DVD burner.

- Maybe looks (not that much). I like the LED look of Kingwin.. but that is only icing on the top if Kingwin is reliable and etc.

Maybe give a better rating like this in the given fields e.g.

Chipset Firewire : Oxford > Cypress > XYZ...

or overall rating using model number

Model 1 > Model 2 > Model 3

Based on your comments and reviews I will choose one (I notice the price difference is not a lot)

Bytecc ME-320U2F Combo Firewire 1394 & USB 2.0 External Enclosure for 5.25 / 3.5 Inch HDD/Device, w/ Fan, Silver, Retail Box
Our Price:$39.99

Bytecc ME-320U2F-BK Black Combo Firewire 1394 & USB 2.0 External Enclosure for 5.25 / 3.5 Inch HDD/Device, w/ Fan, Retail Box
Our Price:$40.99

EuroCom ME-350U2F Combo USB 2.0 & Firewire 1394 External Enclosure for 5.25 / 3.5 Inch HDD/Device w/Fan, Dark Gray, Rainbow Light Bar, Retail
Our Price:$49.99

Kingwin KH-525-UF-S Combo Aluminum USB 2.0/Firewire 1394 External Enclosure for 5.25 Inch Device, w/ Blue and Orange LED Lights, Retail Box
Our Price:$55.99

Plumax PM-525C2-PPS Silver Combo USB 2.0 & Firewire 1394 External Enclosure for 5.25 / 3.5 Inch HDD/Device, w/ Ball Bearing Fan & EMI Shield, Retail Box
Our Price:$31.99

Plumax PM-525C2-PTB Black Combo USB 2.0 / Firewire 1394 (Oxford 911) External Enclosure for 5.25 / 3.5 Inch HDD/Device, w/ Ball Bearing Fan, Retail Box
Our Price:$41.99

Plumax PM-525C2-PPB Black Combo USB 2.0 / Firewire 1394 External Enclosure for 5.25 / 3.5 Inch HDD/Device, w/ Ball Bearing Fan & EMI Shield, Retail Box
Our Price:$32.99

Plumax PM-525C2-PTS Silver Combo USB 2.0 & Firewire 1394 (Oxford 911) External Enclosure for 5.25 / 3.5 Inch HDD/Device, w/ Ball Bearing Fan, Retail Box
Our Price:$41.99

StorTecc PM-525C2-EPS Silver Smart Backup Combo USB 2.0/Firewire 1394 Dual Fan Aluminum External Enclosure for 5.25/3.5 Inch HDD/CD/DVD-RW Device, w/ 4-Color LED Light Bar, Retail Box
Our Price:$41.99

StorTecc PM-525C2-EPB Black Smart Backup Combo USB 2.0/Firewire 1394 Dual Fan Aluminum External Enclosure for 5.25/3.5 Inch HDD/CD/DVD-RW Device, w/ 4-Color LED Light Bar, Retail Box
Our Price:$41.99


Brands:

ARGOSY
BYTECC
COOLMAX
COSMOS
EUROCOM
HIGHPOINT
KINGWIN
MAPOWER
PLUMAX
SAPPHIRE
STORTECC
SYBA

I notice the following brands... if you can post some comments on that .. that would be cool.. But I prefer that you comment on the enclosures listed

I am not overly worried about Firewire vs USB as I want to get a COMBO drive for compatability with laptops that may not have both.

I guess no one really wants to give their comments on the enclosures ? ...

Disappointing..

Anyways, someone has any recommendations.. please let me know..

thanks.

I would be interested to find out too. I want to buy a Plextor Premium and maybe getting the internal IDE version would be cheaper and then stick it in a external enclosure.

Firewire performance is much better than USB2 for consistent stream of data. USB2 can burst faster but in the long run firewire is the better performer. Now, with the advent of 1394B there is no comparison. I would suggest you look for a Oxford chipset combo USB2/1394A enclosure. ADS sells a nice one.

mine is an oxford chipset firewire/usb. it looks much like the plumax one in your link, although i think mine was under a different name. i've put 3 different types of hard drives in it and they have all worked fine.. now i have a pioneer dvd writer in there, perfect too. i mostly use firewire, so i'm not sure how performance on usb2 is.

I just got a Kingwin with the oxford/usb combo as well and it works great. The LED lights look cool too. Highly recommended!

I would wait and go for this Sony

Can anyone here provide a list of External enclosures with the oxford chipset?

what brand name is it ?

Can anyone here provide a list of External enclosures with the oxford chipset?

I would also appreciate that list, I am going to need two, one for a HD and one for a DVD Burner.


thanks

Thread closed in an attempt to consolidate and organize all the external enclosure threads. Please make any new posts in this new thread, where you can also read more about this consolidation. Please feel free to PM me if you have any questions or concerns about this closure/consolidation. Thank you for your understanding in this matter.