I had a Mahjong game planned for Friday night so I only had a few minutes for a project this week. I decided to bring new life to a used 2.5” hard drive and make it a speed demon. If you have a USB 3.0 card that has been waiting for a pluggin’ then this short article is for you!
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Equipment Needed:
- Toshiba 500GB 2.5 5400 RPM SATA with 8MB Cache
- USB 3.0 Ultra-Slim External Enclosure
- USB 3.0 Card or USB 3.0 on your PC
- One Beer (optional as always)
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Mental Note: I chose to recycle a secondary drive I had in a HTPC. If I were to purchase a drive for a USB 3.0 I would probably choose one with a higher cache and drive speed like the Samsung Spinpoint 7200 RPM drive.
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You cost (no tax) is $74.98!
Currently there is only one drive on Newegg that is cheaper than this. Use one of your existing drives and save even more! Better yet, upgrade your laptop and then use that drive in this enclosure.
I did not include the cost of the USB 3.0 card since it is not technically part of the project. You can find a USB 3.0 card on sites like Newegg or MWave for as low as $9.99!
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Connectland Drive Kit
Drive enclosures are always a personal thing. Everyone is different, and I prefer a solid metal case with as few screws as possible. Newegg has dozens of drive cases, so find the one that fits your personality or budget.
Make SURE you get one that matches your drive size. You do not want to end up with a 3.5” case with an external power supply for your 2.5” drive!
This great kit comes with the drive case, screws, screwdriver, cable and faux leather sleeve. The case is very high quality.
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This case has lights on the left side. The connector is very different on the right side. I guess we need to get used to it!
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The case top slides open and the drive slides in easily.
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After you have inserted the drive, slide the top of the case back on and use the screw to lock it into place.
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