NewerTechnology’s miniStack V2 Hard Drive Enclosure and Hub
How many times have you looked in finder and scoured your hard drive for a little more storage space? Everyone at one time or another has run out of storage space or for that matter needed extra USB/1394 ports to plug in peripherals. That’s where NewerTechnology’s miniStack V2 External Hard Drive Enclosure and Hub come in. As referenced on NewerTech’s website the miniStack V2 will:
“Expand the abilities and storage capacity of your computer without cluttering your desk. The Newer Technology miniStack V2 is just the accessory you need to do it all for your computer.
With the Newer Technology miniStack V2 0GB Enclosure Kit, you can add your own 3.5″ hard drive to this stylish Hub and expand the overall capacity and ports on your system. More hard drive space, with capacity for one 3.5″ drive (up to 750GB!), 2 more FireWire 400 ports, and 3 more USB 2.0 ports. One FireWire port and one USB 2.0 port are located on the left side, for easy access. Yes, that’s right - you don’t need any extra drive cases or hubs for all of your accessories anymore!”
The miniStack V2 has plenty to offer Mac users with a Macbook, mini or workstation systems. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run out of hard drive space or USB ports on my MacBook Pro and needed just a little more to make life easier.
My first impressions are quite positive and the device provides a clean organized interface for both additional storage and USB/Firewire (1394) hub expansion.
The enclosure holds an internal Parallel ATA (PATA) hard drive. In this review, a 500 GB Seagate Ultra ATA drive is used. One of miniStack V2’s primary advantages relates to its ability to hold any PATA hard drive that you choose to purchase.
The drive enclosure contains a temperature sensor that is used to keep tabs on the hard drive enclosure and a Mini Box Fan that is used as primary cooling. Also note, the mounting plate used to attach the hard drive also contains a Heat Sink interface that provides additional heat dissipation.
Included with this system is an External Power Supply, USB and Firewire cables, Documentation and Software.
This system can be purchased preconfigured with the hard drive of your choice, or bare-bones like our model. This way, you may add your own hard drive. The bare bones package we purchased cost an additional $10, but comes with a few software additions including:
- Prosoft Engineering’s Data Backup for Mac OS x 10.2.8 or later
- Intech’s SpeedTools Utilities for Mac OS x
- NovaStor’s NovaBACKUP solution for Windows
We consider these well worth the extra cost.
Intech’s SpeedTools Utilities by itself is an excellent product providing Hard Drive De-fragmentation, S.M.A.R.T. Guard, Media Scanner and a number of other tools used to increase performance, diagnose and minimize system problems.
The only problem of note with this system relate to the short USB and Firewire cables provided with this interface. The miniStack v2 is designed to compliment systems like the Mac mini in size and form. When plugged into a Mac mini it is unlikely the cable length will become a problem, but in my particular case a 12-inch USB and Firewire cable are practically useless when connecting to a Mac Pro workstation.
On the positive note, the miniStack system runs very cool and the additional cooling fan is hardly noticeable. I suspect the cooling fan only runs when the device heat sensor registers the need for additional cooling, but so far I haven’t heard a peep. I have used many different external storage systems (USB, USB/1394, etc), but none of them were designed squarely for Mac computers.
If you need extra storage and USB/1394 Hub expansion, then the miniStack V2 is the device for you and I suspect will become very popular with Mac OS X 10 and Time Machine on its way.
I have one of these gems and I love it!!! Highly recommended
Hey thanks for this review. I was deciding between one of these drives and a similarly designed Lacie drive. My biggest problems with portable disks like these are that when I move them around a lot, data failure or loss almost always occurs at some point, due to heads moving about n the disk. Anyone else notice that?
Oh, nice! I’ve been wanting a more Apple-esque external HDD enclosure since I switch back in December. I have a piano black Nexstar 3, which is super hot, but doesn’t match my setup any more. Totally ordering one of these bad boys. The fact that it also acts as a USB hub sealed the deal.
I too am in the market for one of these and want to save some cash over a Lacie drive. The only thing I don’t like about this unit is no gigabit ethernet
I’ve used the unit for about two weeks and love it. Presently I’m busy using it to transfer files (i.e, Docs, Favorites, iTunes music, etc) from an old Windows PC and merge that data onto a new 17″ MacBook Pro.
I’ve also had problems with Lacie and similar devices moving them around and having hard drive issues. One of miniStack V2 best features is it solid footprint (sits flat on 4 rubber feet) and the on/off switch.
I also own a Western Digital External w/USB&1394 and have had problems getting that unit to shut off (have to depress and hold the power button for over 10secs before it will shut down).
Also keep in mind…the miniStack V2 serves as both a Firewire and USB Hub. Definitely a Win Win if you own a bunch of peripherals.
Just a follow-up on my previous comment - I received my miniStack v2 yesterday and set it up today. Love it!
http://flickr.com/photos/mattbrett/718731822/
Bought one with a 320GB HDD a year ago and really liked it until the enclosure died last week–almost exactly one year from the purchase date. It was a production drive, so I had no choice but to take the HDD out (which was undamaged) and put it in another enclosure.
Rather than swap enclosures for me, NewerTech’s official online reseller (OWC) told me that I had voided my 2 year warranted and refused to help.
So yeah it’s a nice device, but you are definitely better off buying the bare-bones version as they will not do a parts-replacement swap.
Durapower is one of the leading and successful company that manufacture and provide OEM/ODM services in Computer peripherals. Our product line includes Card Readers, 2.5″ & 3.5″ HDD enclosures. Main office located in Taipei with excellent Research & Development team and advanced facilities in China that enhances us to innovate in the market. We are dedicated to continuous improvement in our
quality, reliability and competitive cost
Attached are the catalogues for your ref. If you’re interested in them or need more information, please don’t hesitate to surf our website: http://www.durapower.com.tw or feel free to contact with me.