Sharkoon SATA HDD Docking station

Sharkoon have introduced an interesting product for PC enthusiasts that allows you to plug SATA hard drives into an external enclosure – without the need to screw into a drive bay. It looks just like a HDD docking station, you can plug/remove drives at any time and access the data on your PC via USB cable. As computers are upgraded it is inevitable that spare SATA drives will start to mount up, and yet there isn’t enough space to attach them to most motherboards. This solution lets you quickly access drives when required, saving the hassle of swapping drives inside your PC with the power off. You can use 3.5” or 2.5” drives without the need for any screwdriver or tools

Access speeds on the drive seem comparable with other USB 2.0 drive enclosures, and quite adequate for general storage/backup requirements. However these transfer times could be greatly improved by adding an eSATA connection to the QuickPort (alongside the USB 2.0 ports). It does appear that Sharkoon have introduced a Pro version of the SATA QuickPort which includes this useful feature. It would be recommended to take a look at this improved version if you require faster drive access (which would be useful if you run applications or edit video files directly from the drive).

Overall this is a high quality and useful PC accessory, which system builders and frequent upgraders will find invaluable. However, I would suggest going for the potentially improved transfer speeds of the “PRO” version of this unit.

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