Best External Hard Drive Enclosure in 2021
Get access to all your stored files with these external HDD enclosures
- Last Updated May 17, 2021
While a lot of laptops and computers come with a decent amount of storage, it goes without saying that for some of us, the storage provided simply isn’t enough to meet our needs. In these situations, an external hard drive may be needed – it’s also a great idea to have one in order to back up your files in case anything goes wrong on your main hard drive.
A hard drive enclosure is a good investment too as this will allow you to connect your hard drive to your PC with ease, and it will help you to keep your hard drive safe.
Of course, if you don’t know what you’re looking for it can often be difficult to get the best external hard drive enclosure. Thankfully, we’re here to help. Here are some of the best external hard drive enclosures.
Products at a Glance
How We Picked
Choosing the best external hard drive enclosure can often be a difficult task, especially if you aren’t familiar with the sorts of specifications that you need to be looking for. Ultimately, the first thing that we’ve considered is how well the hard drive enclosure will protect your hard drive. We’ve thought about the versatility of the hard drive enclosure – how good is its connectivity?
We’ve also thought about some other things, such as the form factor, transfer rates and the various features of the enclosure. Finally, we’ve also thought about two of the most important considerations – the price and the durability. In considering all of these important factors, we’ve ensured that in buying any of the products mentioned on this ranking, you are sure to be getting the best value for your money.
Best External Hard Drive Enclosure in 2021
The Orico Toolfree USB 3.0 to SATA External 3.5 Hard Drive Enclosure is by far one of the best external hard drive enclosures out there.
For starters, the enclosure can work with Windows 10, 8, and 7. It can also work with Linux, Visa 7 and 8, and Mac OS 9.1, 10.2 and higher. The enclosure is also great as it works with the vast majority of SATA I, II, and III HDD. Alternatively, it will also work with SSDs too. So long as your SATA HDD or SSD doesn’t exceed 12 terabytes, you’re good to go!
Not only that, but for your purchase, you will get the enclosure, a 12V/2A power adapter, a data cable, and a warranty card. You can easily get it set up, but if you are confused you can always consult the user manual for help. It’s easy to tell when the enclosure is on too – just check the blinker! To use it, just plug it into your device. There’s no need to spend hours setting up any drivers, and it works incredibly quickly.
You will also be pleased to know that this is an enclosure that will last. It has been constructed out of metal and ABS plastic, and this means that it isn’t likely to get damaged easily, even in high amounts of heat. It also has a shockproof sponge set up on the inside which helps to keep it even safer. This means that it also doesn’t make as much noise. It is, however, important to note that a lot of buyer reviews have noted that the product can overheat if it’s used for long periods of time and there aren’t any heat management properties on the inside, such as ventilation. For this reason, it’s better to use it for a short period of time, and to check on it regularly to ensure that it’s still working as it should.
Looking for a high-quality external hard drive enclosure to help you out in your home or at the office? Look no further than the Sabrent 2.5 inch SATA to USB 3.0 Tool Free External Hard Drive Enclosure. This is a great choice since it will work with pretty much any SATA II hard drive measuring 2.5 inches. All you need is to connect it to a USB 3.0 port that you have set up to your computer and you can reap the benefits.
Not only this but the enclosure will also work with USB 2.0 or 1.1 since it’s backwards compatible. It works with most different operating systems out there, such as Mac OS X and above, and Windows 7, 8,9, XP, and Vista. For people that don’t have the time or the patience to mess around for hours setting their hard drive enclosures up, this is also the ideal enclosure. It’s simple to set up and it will begin configuring straight away once it’s plugged in. There’s no need to install any drivers either, and it transfers data incredibly quickly.
What’s also quite good about this enclosure is the design. It has a sleek black or clear design that will fit right into any office environment. It weighs very little at 6.4 inches too, so you can put it in your bag when you aren’t using it without the weight feeling too heavy. There is one thing worth noting though. There are a lot of users that have said that it’s a little difficult to open the clips on the enclosure, and this means that opening the enclosure can be somewhat difficult in general.
For ease of installation, there are very few external hard drive enclosures that are better than the Ugreen External Hard Drive Enclosure. This is very easy to set up and it comes with a USB 3.0 hard drive docking station. You just need to connect it to the enclosure and it will work straight away. You don’t even need any tools to get it set up!
The Ugreen hard drive enclosure is very durable and will last a long time. There’s also an effective heat management system as there are a few heat emission holes in the bottom. This keeps your hard drive nice and cool. It works with all Windows systems above Windows 2000, and you will get a transfer speed of up to 6 Gbps. It even works with SATA III drives!
The enclosure also comes with LED lights that will activate when you are using the enclosure to show that they are active. If you aren’t using it then it will simply go idle instead, preserving the performance. It isn’t the best for intense tasks, however.
If you have a slightly bigger budget to play with, the Mediasonic ProBox may be just the thing for you. It’s a little more expensive than many of the other options on the market, but it’s worth it for all of the extra features that you will be getting.
So, where do we even start? This is a rather short, compact device measuring only 16.6 cm. It will support any kind of SATA I, II, or III hard drive up to 4TB for each drive. Perhaps the biggest selling point though is that this is a 4 bay enclosure. The cooling system is also pretty impressive, with fan control. The fan can be set to a total of three speeds from the front panel. You can even change the interface from USB 3.0 to eSATA, and vice versa.
The device will work with pretty much any operating system, and it looks very sleek. It’s also well built. All in all, it’s a fantastic choice if you want a more premium option – the only downside is the price.
The Inateck 3.5 Hard Drive Enclosure is perfect if you need something with good heat management. It has a mesh-covered side that helps to make the air circulate throughout the device. This is great for stopping the device from overheating, and it doesn’t make a lot of noise either.
The enclosure will work with pretty much any operating system, including Mac, and Windows CP, and higher. It will work with every kind of normal 2.5 and 3.5 inch SATA I, II and III drive so long as its capacity is 10 terabytes at the most.
The enclosure is also very durable and easy to set up. You don’t need to set up any drivers, you just have to plug the hard drive into your computer and you can continue with your work. It’s even backwards compatible with USB 2.0/1.1.
Things To Consider
Our Verdict
So there you have it – those are our favorite external hard drive enclosures on the market. Of course, there are many more out there that are pretty fantastic, but these are some of the best that you can get. With an external hard drive enclosure, your storage concerns are long gone. How cool is that?