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What Is a Hard Drive Enclosure?

If you have ever used an external hard drive, you have used a hard drive enclosure. Whether it is a hard disk or solid state drive, an external hard drive enclosure is a critical component of any storage drive that is not enclosed in a desktop or laptop computer case. The enclosure protects the drive from damage, makes it portable, and provides the connectors that allow it to be used with a computer.

That is why a hard drive case is a must have for multiple applications, including:
Removing an internal hard drive from a computer to use as an external storage solution
Removing an old drive for data recovery purposes
Purchasing hard drives for external use that don’t already come with enclosures

Hard drive enclosures come in many shapes and sizes, from simple single drive enclosures to multi bay models and hard drive docking stations - and you will find them all at Micro Center.

Which Hard Drive Enclosure is Right for You?

Think about these essential factors when you are evaluating a hard drive enclosure:

Form Factor: Note the enclosures form factor, which determines which size of drives it fits. 2.5 inch and 3.5 inch drives are the most common, but enclosures are also available for other form factors like M.2 SSDs.

Drive Bays: Most drive enclosures are designed for a single drive, but some models have extra drive bays to accommodate multiple drives. A multi bay model can be a great choice if you are buying bulk storage HDDs since many of them offer RAID support.

Enclosure vs. Docking Station: You might not always need to give drives permanent housing. If you frequently swap out hard drives, an all in one docking station adapter offers a quick and easy way to access data without assembling and disassembling an enclosure. Some even offer built in features such as hard drive duplication.

SATA Interface: The Serial ATA interface, or SATA, is the most common data transfer interface for hard drives, and most hard drive enclosures have built in SATA connectors. If data transfer rate is a priority, look for more recent iterations of the standard, such as SATA II and SATA III. Using a drive with an older non SATA interface such as IDE? Purchase an IDE to SATA converter first.

USB Interface: Most drive enclosures use a USB port to connect to a computer or another device. Again, if high speed data is a top concern, make sure your enclosure or docking station offers support for USB 3.0 or higher. In addition, look for UASP support. This standard improves write speeds on USB storage devices.

Operating System: The majority of hard drive enclosures offer compatibility with both Mac and Windows computers, but some are designed for one or the other. Remember that it is important to determine whether a hard drive is formatted for Apple File System APFS, Microsoft NTFS, or the mutually compatible exFAT.

Power Supply: Most drive enclosures are USB powered, meaning they draw power from their USB connection. However, some models such as docking stations have a separate AC adapter that provides power.

Tool Free: Many single drive enclosure models are designed for easy assembly without any tools, while others require only one or two basics - usually just a screwdriver.

Shop Micro Center hard drive enclosures here, along with any other computer accessories you may need. We also offer a huge selection of both HDDs and SSDs, protected by our best in class warranty.

Hard Drives and Data Storage for Your Most Important Files

Even in the age of streaming and cloud storage, all computers still need a primary local storage device. This type of storage must use non volatile memory, meaning it retains its data even when the computer is powered off, and must store the data in the end users location rather than in the cloud. In most systems, this is known as the hard drive.

Although the term hard drive technically means a traditional hard disk drive or HDD with a spinning magnetic disk, it is commonly used to mean all kinds of data storage devices, including todays hugely popular solid state drives or SSDs. SSDs use NAND flash memory with no moving parts, making them both faster and more resilient than traditional HDDs — although HDDs have advantages of their own, including lower prices.

Some users only need a fast and reliable internal drive for their computer, while others need high capacity external drives for storing multiple terabytes of bulky files.

Businesses, meanwhile, often need even higher storage capacity drives for their network attached storage or NAS systems, which use multiple drives to provide access to data across a local network and may use a redundant configuration called a RAID array. Whether you are looking for an SSD or HDD, internal or external, you will find the right option for you in Micro Centers extensive selection of storage drives.

Choosing Your Data Storage Solution

Considering these factors will make it easier to find the right data storage solution:

SSD vs. HDD: SSDs are the most popular choice for storage because they are extremely reliable and offer high speed performance on everyday tasks. HDDs, meanwhile, offer solid reliability in less strenuous environments and tons of storage space for an affordable price. See our SSD vs. HDD guide for more key information on this important choice.

Data Transfer Speed: The speed at which a hard drive moves data to or from a device can matter a lot, especially if you often send files to an external drive. If transfer speed is a priority on your external drive, look for USB 3.0 drives or higher, which offer faster speeds as long as your computer ports also support USB 3.0.

Interface: Most internal HDDs and some internal SSDs use the classic SATA interface, which attaches via a SATA port on your motherboard. SSDs might also use the newer NVMe format, which offers faster speeds but is not present on all motherboards. External hard drives almost always use either a USB A or USB C connector.

Form Factor: Pay attention to the physical size and shape of your drive, especially if it is an internal hard drive. Many newer SSDs, for example, use the slim M.2 design, while others may use the larger 2.5 inch form factor. HDDs, meanwhile, may use either 2.5 inch or 3.5 inch bays. Remember to check whether your motherboard includes an M.2 slot or the bay size of your computer or NAS server box.

Operating System: Some SSDs and HDDs are designed for compatibility specifically with Windows or macOS. This also matters for file formatting since you might have to reformat your drives storage system if it uses a file format that is not compatible with your OS.

Data Recovery and Backup: Some manufacturers offer data recovery options if your drive fails. Check the drives warranty and specs to learn about the conditions and capacities of each data recovery service. Of course, the best option is to create robust backups to minimize your risk of data loss in the first place, and we highly recommend using an external drive or cloud backup service to back up any local storage volume.

Micro Centers hard drive selection includes all of the top names in computer hard drives like Western Digital, Seagate, Samsung, Toshiba, and more. Find great deals on your data storage solution here, or check out our lineup of SD cards and USB flash drives for more storage options that perform whenever and wherever you need them.

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