Thu, 24 Feb 2011 Icy Dock MB982SPR-2S review
Hard drive caddy enables you to RAID two 2.5in SSD drives in a single Mac Pro hard drive slot. It’s ideal for SSD super speed
- Manufacturer: Icy Dock
- Manufacturer: Icy Dock
- Pros: Reasonably cheap way to vastly improve performance of Mac Pro; double the number of hard drive slots; built in hardware RAID; sturdy construction; easy to insert drives to Mac Pro
- Cons: Requires software setup due to difficult position of reset button; software program crashed a couple of times;
- Price: £71.30
- Star rating:
The Icy Dock MB982SPR-2S (or to give it its full name: the Icy Dock MB982SPR-2S Full Metal Dual 2.5in to 3.5in SATA HDD & SDD Converter with RAID for PC & Mac Pro – which must surely be a record) is an intriguing device for Mac Pro owners.
Essentially it is a 3.5in metal caddy that fits into a Mac Pro hard drive slot, and inside is space for two 2.5in hard drives (the type normally used in laptops). It features a built in hardware RAID system enabling you to combine the two hard drives into one single drive that is recognised by the Mac Pro.
Although it’s possible to use any kind of 2.5in drive, we imagine that its primary use will be to add twin SSD (Solid State Drives) units to a Mac Pro. Most SSD drives are sold in the smaller 2.5in format, and are designed to fit in laptops not desktops.
But SSD drives offer a massive performance boost so are as much of interest to Mac Pro owners as they are to laptop owners. Indeed, Apple started adding them to its soon-to-be-extinct Xserve systems as boot drives alongside the regular hard drive, and SSDs are sold as an option on many Macs.
The Icy Dock MB982SPR-2S is also interesting because it enables you to double the number of hard drives you can add (up to eight in total in the four bays). And because it has hardware RAID you don’t have to rely on the software solution provided in Mac OS X.
The key advantage, though, is that you can stripe together two SSD drives to provide even faster performance than a single SSD drive would provide (which would be in itself far faster than a regular spindle drive).
Continued...
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 | NEXT >
Contact Us
DiggSubmit your own review for this product
Search reviews
Search Google
Newsletter signup
It's easy and free to get the latest news headlines, reviews and opinions straight to your email inbox. Sign up NOW to make sure you receive the latest Mac news, reviews and tutorials on your favourite topics.
Macworld reader poll
What version of Adobe Creative Suite do you use?:
Have your say in the
Macworld Forums!
Register now
Stay on top of the latest, breaking Mac news and chat with other Mac professionals and enthusiasts about the issues that matter to you. Register with Macworld today to join our forums and receive our twice-weekly email newsletter, Macworld Mainline.
RSS
Have the latest content delivered to your desktop via RSS. Use the links below to get access to a specific blog, news, or reviews feed.
Latest PC industry news
- Pentagon clearance for iOS could open even more doors for Apple in the private sector
- WikiLeaks' donations barely enough to keep the servers running
- Sprint hikes bid for Clearwire to counter Dish's offer
- OpenGL developer to create API for controlling smartphone cameras
- Poor services may lead to Airtel's suspension in Sierra Leone
MACWORLD MARKETPLACE
 |
LogMeIn Free - Remote Computer Access |
 |
TemplateCloud |
 |
Amsys |
 |
About NAD |
 |
Sphero is a completely new type of gaming system. |
 |
MeteoGroup |
 |
Beat the Credit Crunch - Lease your Mac from Hardsoft |
