| Vantec NexStar LX NAS Hard Drive Enclosure
|
Vantec has been around since 1994, and has been one of the premier computer cooling solution manufacturers since those early days. In recent years the focus of the company has expanded to include other computer peripherals, with a particular strength in hard drive enclosures. We have reviewed a few of Vantec's NexStar series of enclosures, and there is a new one on the market for us to review today.
The Vantec NexStar LX is a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that allows the user to connect an IDE hard drive to a PC directly via USB, or to their LAN (Local Area Network) via an RJ-45 Ethernet connection.
Before jumping into the heart of the review, let's take a look at some of the published data from the Vantec USA website.
Features and Specifications:
Features:
» Smart Cooling
» USB 2.0 / Ethernet
» Smart Power
» Passive heat sink
» FTP & SMB server
» Web based management
» Micro Security Slot
» Supports up to 500GB hard drives
Specifications:
» Model: NST 375LX-BK (BLACK), NST 375LX-WH (WHITE)
» Application: 3.5¨ IDE (Parallel ATA) Hard Drive, ATA-6 Compatible
» Interface/Ports: IDE to USB 2.0 or RJ-45 Ethernet
» Enclosure Dimensions: 16.51 x 16.51 x 5.08cm
Not detailed in the list above, the Ethernet connection provided is 10/100 Mbps capable, so all those out there with Gigabit LAN connections will not be able to take full advantage of their network's speed while using the NexStar LX.
And just in case you are not familiar with "SMB", it stands for Server Message Block, and is simply a protocol that can be used for sharing files.
Packaging:
The Vantec NexStar LX is sold in the bright yellowish orange box shown below. The front and back provide a great deal of information on the device, as well as giving you a good look at the front of the device. A picture of the backside might be nice for people who want to understand the interface without having to read too much.
 
|
|
|
|
