iStarUSA BPU-230SA-BLUE SATA Hot-Swap Raid Cage - 2 x 5.25 Drive Bays to 3 x 3.5

Comment:
Installed nice easy no problems running good

Comment:
What a nice way to cram 3 drives into two 5.25" drive bays. With so many hard drives floating about my office, I needed a quick way of installing and removing them. I even use it to swap out my OS. The fan is a bit noisy, so I replaced it with a quiet one. There is plenty of airflow over the drives, keeps them very cool. I will probably buy another one so I have more drawers.

Comment:
I have several of these SATA backplanes as well as the original model that used a plastic turn-lock to prevent the drive from simply being pulled out. These backplanes work as advertised and the latest incarnation with the anodized handles (as you see in the picture) are even better than the original. My only complaint is that someone, somewhere at iStarUSA thought it would be brilliant to make the harddrive activity light also double as a button... which powers down the harddrive. For a cage made specifically for RAID use this ''feature'' is downright absurd. I like to call it, ''how to break your raid array in one easy step''. I have two of these on my gaming machine still, because I don't have anyone around the house that will randomly go pushing buttons on my rig. Nonetheless I think I will open these up (yes, voiding my warranty) and disable the switch mechanism somehow (perhaps soldering the leads going to the switch together making the switch nonfunctional).