My digital life is one that can be categorized as anything but stagnant.  In my world, hardware changes as often as my underwear (well, not really... but close) and when products come along that may make things easier; I get excited.  iStarUSA thinks they might have the answer to one of my problems. Enter the T-5 SS, a screw-less and trayless design for fast HDD mounting.

A Blurb about iStarUSA

iStarUSA computer Inc. established in 1989, has over eighteen years of experience in designing and manufacturing Industrial Power Supply, DVR/IPC Rack mount Chassis, Rack mount Cabinet. Our goal is always to provide our customer with the best products and superior customer services, , iStarUSA focuses on providing our customers the combinations of cutting-edge technologies, high quality manufacturing, and satisfied customer services. It has been a proving record that these principles earned a strong partnership for iStarUSA in today’s competitive market.

iStarUSA Computer Inc. established in 1989, has over eighteen years of experience in designing and manufacturing Industrial Power Supply, DVR/IPC Rack mount Chassis, Rack mount Cabinet. Our goal is always to provide our customer with the best products and superior customer services, , iStarUSA focuses on providing our customers the combinations of cutting-edge technologies, high quality manufacturing, and satisfied customer services. It has been a proving record that these principles earned a strong partnership for iStarUSA in today’s competitive market.

Being a review site, I am forced to run hardware on various operating systems to get an accurate measurement of performance and compatibility.  With that in mind, there are times when I have to switch between operating systems and entering the BIOS to change which drive I am booting from really gets under my skin.  Moreover, plugging and unplugging power connections or SATA connections is just as irritating if not more because I have to open my chassis again.  From this perspective, a fast mounting mechanism is a must have.

Outside of my laboratory, the T-5 can really begin to show its value for quick access to cataloged data or for use in swapping drives to be used in a backup solution. What can be more valuable, backed up data residing on another drive in your computer, or backed up data that you can easily bring off site.  Most might say that external enclosures can offer the same simplicity, but they require power connections and transfer data at USB speeds.  The T-5 is only limited to the speed of your interface and the speed of your drive.

The T-5 SS is a trayless rack system for SATA/SAS drives that allows for hard drive removal and installation without the use of any tools.  The T-5 SS is as attractive as it is sturdy.  The unit is manufactured from high grade metals and consumes one 5.25" drive bay. The front bezel, unfortunately, is made of plastic but does not detract from the aesthetics or rigidity of the product. As an added bonus, iStarUSA adorns the T-5 SS with a 40mm cooling fan to keep our precious HDD from getting too toasty and it does so very nicely.

Hard drive installation is as simple as inserting a drive and closing the door, with removal just as simple.  The connections are snug and if you give it a good shake, you hear nothing... that is a good thing (that means your drive isn't moving around in there). The ejection mechanism implemented here is among the best i have seen to date and can take some serious abuse.

The T-5 SS is really quite simple, which makes it so attractive to me.  There are no real bells and whistles that can break or get in the way.  The unit does come with a lock to help keep your drive in your system, but with a plastic front bezel, you only need to tug with a little force to get it to break.  Had iStarUSA implemented an aluminum or metal bezel, the lock would be more practical, however, this simple protection from the those with little fingers is on point. On the upper and lower end of the T-5's lock are two LED's; one for power and one for activity.  Each of these LEDs glow with an inviting and simple blue.

Performance is a non issue as there is no processing done by the T-5; you get full throughput and are only limited to the performance of your HDD and interface.

iStarUSA has a real winner here with the T-5 SS.  The product meets all expectations and is built with simplicity in mind.  Outside of the plastic bezel and near useless lock I can't think of one reason not to recommend it to anyone.  The ability to add and remove drives quickly and easily makes switching operating systems or backup drives a breeze. Bottom line... would I buy one? At a price point below $30.00 USD, ABSOLUTELY.

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