SilverStone SST-TS07B External USB 3.0 HDD Enclosure Review

Closer Look at the SilverStone SST-TS07B

With the SST-TS07B placed in its stand, we can see that the unit is fairly large (over 5″ wide), yet very lightweight (less than a pound) due to its all-aluminum exterior. A common theme among all SilverStone products is their use of modest, yet stately designs, reminiscent of SilverStone’s Temjin-series of PC enclosures. These cases, like the SST-TS07B, utilize artfully crafted aluminum to really bring a level of panache not commonly seen in competing products.

The aluminum housing on the SST-TS07B is painted black and then sand-blasted which helps resist fingerprints and minor scratches, while the ends are made of a glossy black plastic. Because the SST-TS07B utilizes an aluminum housing, it not only reduces the weight of the device but also helps wick away heat generated by a hard drive. Since the SST-TS07B does not utilize active cooling, such as a fan, small vents grace one end of the device, passively cooling the storage device within.

Power and data connectivity can be found at the rear of the SST-TS07B. The enclosure features a green LED which indicates system power and hard drive activity, input for the AC adapter, a power on/off switch and a Type-B female SuperSpeed USB 3.0 connector. One end of the data cable included with this enclosure connects here, while the other end of the cable uses the familiar Type-A connector and is backwards compatible with the USB 2.0 specification.

Taking a closer look, the rear of the SST-TS07B offers the first hint that this external enclosure is not your standard issue fare found in competing products. Devoid of any kind of screws or external fastening system that would indicate that the tray inside the enclosure must be removed with a screwdriver, the SST-TS07B uses an innovative latch system which securely holds storage devices firmly in place.

Removing the hard drive tray from the enclosure is very easy. Using your thumb, simply slide the release latch over and with steady but gentle force, push the tray out. The tray itself slides smoothly and you will notice that the SATA ports as well as the associated electronics of the enclosure are contained within the device itself. This means a higher degree of protection and less of a chance of cracking or breaking fragile SATA connectors.

The heavy lifting responsible for the SST-TS07B is provided by an Asmedia ASM1051E chip. This chip supports both SuperSpeed USB 3.0 and HiSpeed USB 2.0 connectivity and bridges the gap between the USB specification and the SATA interface found on today’s storage devices. More information on the Asmedia ASM1051E chip can be found HERE.