DriverHeaven.net: Icy Dock

Today we get the chance to look at two different hot swappable/removable hard drive enclosures from ICY DOCK that are designed for use with Serial ATA drives. These types of devices while common for ATA drives are now available for newer Serial ATA drives. Serial ATA drives are available from all the major hard drive manufacturers and provide faster data throughput than a standard ATA drive connected through an IDE interface.

About ICY DOCK
Originating from OEM manufacturing for industrial system builders of diversity needing better hard drive management solutions, ICY DOCK has strictly kept itself in being the innovator of removable drive storage devices manufacturing. With more than 10 years of manufacturing experience and capabilities in designing its own products, ICY DOCK has revolutionized the art of hard drive mobility with innovative concepts and simplicity. Also understanding the diverse use of hard drives and the growth in data storage demands, ICY DOCK has recently directed its target to the mass consumers, making its removable drive storage devices available on the retail market trusting it would bring absolute convenience to those who require their drives to be Secured, Exchangeable, Expandable, and Manageable & Well Kept!

Product Features:

* Drive Fit : 1 x 3.5" ATA 133 / Hot Swappable SATA I or II
* Device Fit : 1 x 5.25" device bay
* Internal drive security, exchangeability, expandability and maintenance capabilities
* Advanced drive monitoring system built internally w/ LCD visual & audio indicators
* Stylish faceplate with aluminum cooling body
* Warm air outtake fan cooling of drive
* Safeguard key lock capable of power control to disable data accessibility from others
* Accessible Master/Slave setting thru the drive tray without having to physically remove the drive
* Compact size version in SATA is available for limited depth integration

We will start off by having a look at the MB122. This is one of several single bay models that ICY DOCK offers. The packaging of the MB122 is very simplistic, just the small box that contains a bubble wrapped drive enclosure.

Inside the package is the MB122. The enclosure is made of aluminum and has a black and gray plastic faceplate. There is a small LCD screen on the front panel to display information about the SATA drive that will be housed inside the MB122. The image to the right shows a good shot of the aluminum underside of the drive enclosure.

After we removed the drive tray from the MB122 housing we removed the lid and found the instruction sheet, a small package containing the required screws and a jumper cable that is used to enable the hard drive activity light. The next image show the hard drive tray with our 80GB SATA drive that you secure into a 5.25” drive bay. The silver aluminum cover sitting next to the drive tray just slides into place over the top of our hard drive.

To secure the drive in the drive tray we use the four screws provided to attach the housing to the underside of drive.

After a very simple procedure and you have a nice clean looking and accessible removable storage solution.

The MB122 and the MB722 both have a 3 position key lock feature that allows for these devices to be “hot swappable”. This feature alone is a strong selling point that adds to the already attractive feature set of the ICY DOCK enclosures. Another aspect worth mentioning is that if we happened to have the ICY DOCK External MB452 enclosure the removable tray from the MB122 can be used with the MB452 as well. This would grant us the ability to swap drives from the external unit with the drive you have in the internal MB122.

Next we will look at the other enclosure that ICY DOCK sent us. This model is the Modiflash 722. The gamers among us that that are looking for hard drive security, exchangeability, and manageability should be happy with the MB722 Series. While the MB722 features are basically the same as the MB122, the MB722 faceplate cycles through 4 positions using a four segment motion electron luminescence insert. This feature should perk up the look of your pc if nothing else. As with the MB122 the Modiflash 722 is built with an aluminum/plastic body that has a back lit cool blue LCD readout display. The LCD display gives you real-time drive temperature/ activity/ positioning/ overheating and fan failure notices. The 3 small blue buttons are there for you to adjust the temperature range that you want to make sure the drive operates under. If your drive temperature exceeds it, then the visual & the audio alarms will both activate to make you aware of the heat issue.

Product Features

The 3 images above show the packaging of the MB722. As you can see in the 3rd image the unit is wrapped in plastic with foam protective pieces on each end to help prevent any shipping damage.

Here we have 2 shots of the removable drive tray portion of the MB722. This tray is slightly larger than the tray that comes with the MB122 so there is some more space for airflow inside the drive tray. In our installation the additional length of the chassis meant we could only use the top 2, 5.25” drive bays without making contact with the motherboard.

A close up look at the pcb and connector on the drive tray. Next we show the tray being inserted into the enclosure. The next two images give you a look at 2 of the 4 stages that the illuminated front panel cycles through. While that feature really serves no purpose other than the “Bling Bling” factor, it does add life to the front of a system. Case modders and gamers take notice, ICY DOCK wants to light it up for you.

Pro’s
* Programmable LCD display to monitor drive functions
* Hot Swappable and secure thanks to a 3 position Key lock system
* Portable
* Simple to install
* Small exhaust fan on each enclosure for additional cooling
* Stylish and well constructed

Con’s
* MB722 has a longer chassis limiting which drive bays it can be used in with some systems

Final Thoughts

If you are in the market for removable and secure storage solutions that are hot swappable, then ICY DOCK has nailed it with these two enclosures. Priced at just over $50 USD you can experience peace of mind knowing that you can take all your personal data with you when you leave your system. If you have the MB122 then your drive tray is also interchangeable with ICY DOCK’s external enclosure (the MB452). The MB722 offers all the features that the MB122 offers as well as the illuminated faceplate for the modding and gamer community. For the full range of ICY DOCK products head over to NewEgg and get the product to suit your needs. The ICY DOCK MB122 and MB722 both deserve our Editors’ Choice award.

What do these awards mean?