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cellpadding="0"> <tr valign="top"> <td class="section w99"> <div class="moduletable"> </div> </td> </tr> </table> <div class="padding"> <h2 align="center"> <?php include '../banner.php' ?> </h2> <h2 align="center">Thermaltake SilverRiver 5.25" External Drive Enclosure (cont.)</h2> <p><strong>Usage and Performance:</strong></p> <p align="center"><a href="atruereview/silverriver/15.jpg"><img src="atruereview/silverriver/15th.jpg" width="250" height="190" border="0" alt="Thermaltake SilverRiver 5.25" External Drive Enclosure"></a><br> <font size="-1">Click on image for larger picture</font> </p> <p align="left">The main reason to get a 5.25" enclosure is turn an internal optical drive like the latest DVD burner into an external drive. The reason you might want to do this is because the drive is easily moved to different computers allowing any computer to use it. Because data reading and writing from an optical disc (DVD or CD) is nowhere near the max bandwidth of USB 2.0, there is practically no difference in performance compared to installing the drive internally. The RCA output on the back of the SilverRiver allows you to connect it to speakers or a receiver. This allows you to use the drive to listen to music CDs independent of the computer.</p> <p>The SilverRiver also allows you to turn a 3.5" hard drive into an external hard drive. Of course, the obvious reason for doing this is that lots of storage is easily moved from computer to computer. Also, the drive can be turned on only when it is needed; thus, prolonging its life.</p> <p>The following is a chart comparing the performance of a hard drive installed in the SilverRiver versus it being installed directly to the motherboard. The drive is a Maxtor 20GB, 5400 RPM and the numbers are from Sandra's File System Benchmark. The results were:</p> <p align="center"><a href="atruereview/silverriver/chart.gif"><img src="atruereview/silverriver/chartth.gif" width="350" height="188" border="0" alt="Thermaltake SilverRiver 5.25" External Drive Enclosure"></a><br> <font size="-1">Click on image for larger picture</font> </p> <p>This Maxtor drive is not the fastest drive available today. It displayed relatively low speeds even when directly connected to the motherboard. Transforming it into a USB 2.0 drive with the SilverRiver slowed it down just a little bit.</p> <p>The SilverRiver features a 40mm blue LED exhaust fan that runs at a reported 4000RPM. Surprisingly, the fan is super quiet. It sounds likes it is around 20 dBA. When the enclosure is on, the green LED on the front right will light up. When data is transferred to or from the enclosure, the yellow access LED on the front left will flash.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong></p> <p>Thermaltake's entry into the external enclosure market is a good one. The SilverRiver 5.25" enclosure is an excellent way to turn that DVD/CD writer or hard drive into an external drive. While it may not have decorative lights or security implementations, it does feature a solid and attractive construction and super quiet cooling fan. Anyone looking for a solid enclosure to externalize their drives cannot go wrong with the Thermaltake SilverRiver.</p> <p><strong>Pros:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Very Good constructions</li> <li> Easy to open</li> <li> Super quiet cooling fan</li> <li> Lots of drivers included</li> </ul> <p><strong>Cons:</strong></p> <ul> <li> Heavy</li> </ul> <p><strong>Ratings:</strong></p> <table border="0"> <tr> <td>Overall:</td> <td>Very Good</td> </tr> <tr> <td width="100">Performance: </td> <td width="76">Very Good</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Esthetics: </td> <td>Very Good</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Setup:</td> <td>Excellent</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Price: </td> <td>Very Good</td> </tr> </table> <p><b></b>(Ratings Possible Terrible, Very Bad, Bad, Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent)<br> <br> <a href="atruereview/silverriver/enclosure.php"></a> <a href="silverriver/enclosure.php">Previous (Description & Setup)</a></p> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </div> <div id="footer" class="clr"> <div class="rk-1"> <div class="rk-2"> <div id="the-footer">  </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </body> </html>