Thermaltake BlacX Duet HDD Docking Station

Design, Setup & Accessories

In the box youll find a power adapter, the manual, a USB 2.0 cable, and an eSATA cable.

The manual provides the usual features diagram, installation instructions and a list of the specifications and features. There is also information for formatting and partitioning drives as well as some steps for using device manager in Windows should you have difficulty with the drive appearing in Explorer.

The overall design of the Thermaltake BlacX Duet is simple, yet effective. From the top, the two bays are visible with the L-shaped flaps that fold down when a 3.5 drive is inserted and the gap outlines where the 2.5 drives fit in.

The bottom features four rubber feet for prevention of slip and damage to the desk or other surface it is placed upon. Also present is the product label with barcode, keeping the more visible portion of the dock clean with minimal branding.

Around back, the eSATA, USB and power inputs sit adjacent to each other and centered on the dock. Note that if both the USB & eSATA ports are in use, the eSATA takes precendence over the USB connection which is smart since it is the fastest of the two connections.

You can place any combination of 3.5 and 2.5 drives in the BlacX Duet which pop out easily with a firm push of the eject buttons residing along the side on the top of the docking station.

Dual LEDs shine with a bright blue when in operation and flash when there is read/write activity.

Now that we are familiar with the layout, let’s have a look at usage and performance.