Hardware Bistro

Product: NA
Manufacturer: In Win
Supplied by: In Win
Price: 49.99USD/RM180
Launch Date: NA

 

Most of the 3.5" external HDD enclosures are quite similar and the major difference will be the design of the enclosure's casing. Today we will review a unique 3.5" external HDD enclosure; NA which is the latest HDD enclosure from In Win. Let us move on to find out more about this product as this external HDD enclosure is very special and totally different than other ordinary HDD enclosures.

 

Company Profile

IN-WIN Development Inc., an ISO 9001 manufacturer of professional computer chassis, power supplies and digital storage devices, is the leading provider of enclosure solutions to system integrators worldwide. Founded in 1986, IN-WIN provides high quality chassis that conform to all safety regulations, as well as unsurpassed customer service.

In Win was well trained to become a top-notch manufacturer of core technology to enhance internal core competence to meet what customer and market needs constantly. Top Management has been executed four major elements to reach our growing goal: Innovation, Service, Speed, Value, Safety, Warmth, Faithful, Diligence in order to remain our leading edge position and differentiate with other players.

 

Features

- Design Philosophy
Inspired by the Chinese calligraphy, Na [納], a 3.5 inch external storage device deprives itself from the traditional cold and dull electronic enclosure by combining a warm artistic design and a touch of Chinese culture. The unique characteristics of this innovative design truly embody technology as an art!

- Culture & Art
Na [納]-3.5 inch external storage device encapsulates the Chinese cultural essence of art and philosophy. This adornment embellishes the safe keeping of prosperity and wealth, and the spirit of generosity. A smooth-shiny pottery and a stylish silhouette provide an artistic appeal that is simple yet profound.

- Glamorous Chinaware
This uniquely designed Chinaware embellishes the word "納" on its surface. It features not only the ability to store data, but also provides the use of a pottery. The detail dedication in the design of such device displays the essence of the Chinese culture.

- Beautifully Hidden
Na [納]- 3.5 inch external storage device has the feature to hide the headache of exposed wires that other traditional external storage devices lack. It makes the product's unique characteristics stand out even more.

- Anti Vibration
Hard drive cage positioned on the top with patterned anti vibration rubber designed to protect against shocks and vibrations.

- Smart Fan Control
6cm silent fan is equipped with automatic thermostat switch which can automatically detects the temperatures to turn the fan on or off, helps you save electricity, keep hard drive in controlled temperature, safe and environment friendly.

 

Specifications

Package & Contents

 

In Win NA comes with a big brown cardboard box. The packaging box is simple with some nice eastern art on it. Features and specifications were written at the back of the box which are the good reference for users but we prefer In Win to make the font size a bit bigger as it is not so easy to read it out instantly.

 

Before we opened up the parcel of this device, we were wondering why this device was wrapped so securely and we knew it after opened up the packaging box of NA; it is used to protect the porcelain top cover which is breakable if it is not handled properly. Basically there are two sub packaging cardboards inside the NA packaging box; for the porcelain top cover and HDD enclosure.

 

The contents of In Win NA are porcelain top cover, 3.5" enclosure, Hi-Speed USB cable, Hi-Speed eSATA cable, external power adapter, hardware drive screws, rubber feet and user's manual. All these accessories are well packed with plastic bags to avoid scratches, dusty and waterproof.

 

Since In Win NA supports both USB and eSATA, both of these cables are provided. Same with other 3.5" external HDD enclosures, In Win NA is also using USB AM to BM connection while there is only one type of eSATA connection. Four screws are provided to secure the HDD on the In Win NA.

 

The power adapter that is included for In Win NA is a very good design power adapter. This is because the design of the power adapter allows users to keep it easily and this shows that In Win really has the "heart" to produce best product to their customers.

 

In Win NA

 

If this is your first time seeing In Win NA than you may surprise with its design as it is totally different than other ordinary external HDD enclosures; by combining a warm artistic design and a touch of Chinese culture concept. The whole layout of In Win NA is a rectangular box that comes with pure white which looks trendy and professional. In Win NA is able to support any 3.5" SATA HDD up to 1TB of storage. The size of NA is a bit bulky for an external HDD enclosure; 131 x 201 x 70 mm (W x L x H) and we believe In Win can further improve the size for the next version of NA.

 

In Win NA can be separated into two sub components; top HDD carrier and bottom base which are fasten by three screws. The top HDD carrier is a transparent panel which comes with dark color. Besides that on the top HDD carrier surface, In Win has added the installation guides and there is a handle which allows users to carry the In Win NA easily.  

 

For the bottom base of In Win NA, it is a purely white color container. All the power, USB, eSATA connectors are hid here to keep the cables as neat as possible. Hiding the cable is extremely good as having these cables hanging around the desk is not nice and problematic as well. Besides that the cable door can be opened up easily by using thumb.

 

Unlike other ordinary HDD enclosures, a 60mm sleeve bearing fan is included to cool down the HDD that is installed on In Win NA. This is able to ensure the life span of the HDD is not being shortened by the overheating issue. This fan is not really located at a very good position because it is not directing the sucking or blowing airflow through the HDD. However this fan has integrated with smart fan control so that the fan will spin according to the HDD temperature which helps to reduce the electrical bill as well as the noise whenever the HDD is not under full loading.

 

All the 3.5" external HDD enclosure will require external power supply and this is same for In Win NA. Besides the USB connectivity, In Win also include eSATA which is another type of faster connectivity which it is being widely used nowadays. At the back of the SATA and power ports of In Win NA, there is a LED and switch for displaying the HDD activity and powering up the external HDD.

Another great and unique features of In Win NA is it is comes with a porcelain top cover which is handmade. Basically this porcelain top cover is a breakable plate so extreme handing is required. This porcelain top cover allows users to place anything that is small enough to be fitted on it like USB flash drive, mobile phone and etc. This idea allows users to fully utilize In Win NA besides the great performance.

 

Installation, Testing & Performance

 

After a close look on In Win NA, now let us proceed with the HDD installation on it. First of all, of course a 3.5" SATA HDD is required but 2.5" SATA HDD can be installed on In Win NA as well but not as secure as 3.5" HDD since there is not any screw fasten between them. For the 3.5" SATA HDD, user requires to slot in the HDD inside the top HDD carrier and ensure the SATA and power connectors are aligned and installed properly.

 

After that fasten the 3.5" SATA HDD on the top HDD carrier of In Win NA with four screws which are came along with the bundle. Then upside down the whole top HDD carrier and install back on the bottom base of In Win NA. That are the most difficult steps for In Win NA but basically it is quite straight forward and simple as well

 

Before the In Win NA is ready to be used, power and cable are required to be connected which will be the final step of the installation process. Rubber feet are provided to install on the bottom base so that this device can hold on the surface firmly to avoid any physical damage on the HDD when it is active.

 

That is for the whole installation process of In Win NA and it should merely take around 10minutes for an average user. There is a white button in front of the In Win NA which is used to power up or power down the HDD.

 

Most of the external HDD enclosures will have HDD LED indicator and this is same for In Win NA; a yellow LED. This LED is a bit too bright but it will be covered up by the porcelain top cover whenever it is placed on top of it.

 

For the final step, we placed the porcelain top cover on top of the In Win NA external HDD enclosure. The porcelain top cover is a very nice plate but it need to be handled carefully since it is breakable and of course scratch-able as well. For the next version of NA, we hope In Win can produce a similar product with a non breakable rubber top cover so that it can be longer lasting and neither causing any scratches on the top cover nor the devices.

 

Test Bed

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8300 @ 2.83GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3
Heatsink: NorthQ Siberian Tiger Water Cooler
Memory: 4GB 800MHz DDR2 Memory
Hard Drive: 250GB 7200RPM 8MB Seagate
Graphic Card: OEM Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512MB
PSU: In Win Commander 1200W
Router: TRENDnet TEW-639GR
Optical Drive: DVD RW HLDS
Operating System: Microsoft XP Pro SP2
Benchmark Software: HDTech, CrystalDiskMark
Ambient Temperature: 27 Degree Celsius

 

For the performance comparison, we have tested In Win NA with HD Tach and Crystal Disk Mark which are some of the good HDD benchmark tools. The read/write speed are common and similar with other ordinary external HDD enclosure as the result is depending on the HDD spec and the connection type (eSATA will be around 2-3x faster than USB2.0) but not really depend on the enclosure itself.

Besides the benchmark result, we also would like to stress on the temperature differences between In Win NA and other ordinary external HDD enclosures. Surprisingly we are seeing around 4-5 degrees improvement for In Win NA over those passive ordinary external HDD enclosures. This is mostly due to the active cooling of the In Win NA and another great thing is the fan does not generate any annoying loud noise so it is no problem to run this device 24/7.

 

Conclusion

Are you bored with your ordinary external HDD enclosure? If yes then In Win NA should be a good choice for you as it is not only having unique and great stylish design but also comes with active cooling, cable cover and a porcelain top cover. All of these features are not easily found on any ordinary HDD enclosure maybe due to higher manufacturing cost. However this shows that In Win really care about their users, think on behalf of them and design such a great device. Last but not least, In Win NA comes with 3 years warranty which is more than enough for a HDD enclosure.

Pros:

* Stylish design
* Active cooling with smart fan control
* Cable cover
* Support eSATA and USB
* 3 years warranty

Cons:

* Porcelain top cover is breakable
* Bulky and not suitable for carrying around

 

Thanks to In Win for providing this sample for us to review.

 

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