IB-234-U31a looks great and keeps its promise. Hair lined aluminium, a brand new USB 3.1 host and the LED make for an exeptional looking enclosure with unparalleled transfer rate.
Its lightweight and its a looker on any Desk.
Of vital importance is backwards compatibility between devices, hubs and hosts built to the USB 3.0 specification and the new USB 3.1 specification. All combinations of old and new hosts, hubs and devices operating in any mode must be accurately described with the new nomenclature. At the electrical or physical level, PHYs (circuits) operate in Gen 1 or Gen 2 mode.
Gen 1 uses the 5 Gbit/s signaling rate described in the USB 3.0 specification.
IB-234-U31a is also working with computer/notebook with USB 3.0/2.0/1.1 interfaces. The full transfer rate of USB 3.1 can only be reached with USB 3.1 connection. You can upgrade your computer with a USB 3.1 PCI-e card (eg. ICY BOX IB-U31-02).
Aluminium/plastic enclosure for 2.5" SATA HDDs/SSDs up to 9.5 mm high.
With the new USB 3.1 technology, data can be transmitted in an even faster speed. USB 3.1 is of course backwards compatible. The highest transfer rates can reach 10 Gbit/s, but only in connection with a USB 3.1 cable connecting to a USB 3.1 interface.
HDDs lower than 9.5 mm high can be mounted into this enclosure. This enclosure is especially interesting in combination with an SSD since they run much faster than normal HDDs. An LED indicator informs us regarding power and HDD access (read/write).
The plastic makes it light, the aluminium dissipates the heat ouside, so your HDD/SSD can live longer, without using a fan. Even exchanging an HDD is extremely easy thanks to the screwless design.