Other by stefan @ 2012-02-14
The ZM-VE300 from Zalman may look a lot like the previous VE200 version, but it brings a lot of new features like the USB 3.0 interface, a more intuitive and rich menu, a pre-applied tape for avoiding short-circuits inside its chassis and a backup software for added value.
At first I would like to thank Zalman and Space Promotion for offering me their ZM-VE300 External HDD Case for testing and reviewing.
"Zalman tech co., Ltd. was founded in 1999 and introduced to the computer industry the concept of “Noiseless computing.”In a world filled with noisy computers, “silent” cooling solutions were sought everywhere and contributed to Zalman's rapid growth into the world's leader of high performance, ultra quiet PC cooling solutions.
Zalman continues to lead in the industry through decisive R&D investments, peerless craftsmanship, intensive global marketing, and generous customer support.
Business diversification with innovation such as 2D/3D Convertible LCD monitors, Heatpipe Cooled Power Supplies, Notebook Coolers, Surround Sound & Dual Stereo Headphones, and FPS GUN Gaming Interface holds true to Zalman's promise to provide “Cool Innovations.”"
USB3.0 Super Speed w/ Max 5Gbps Transfer Rate
The USB 3.0 interface supports quick and reliable data transfer to and from a PC.
Convenient Virtual ODD
VE300 supports Virtual ODD which can be used as CD-ROM, DVD, and Blu-ray Drive for convenient booting.
One Touch Backup & Safe Removal
Pressing the Convenient One Touch Backup button once will automatically copy files to the selected folder. Pressing the button for more than 3 seconds will automatically turn power off, allowing the external hard drive to be removed safely without damaging the data.
Convenient & Intuitive Menus
With convenient and intuitive menus, even first time users can easily use VE300.
2.5' SATA I/II HDD Compatible
ZM-VE300 is an external HDD case which is compatible with 2.5” SATA I/II HDD.
Aluminum Body for Enhanced Cooling & Elegance
The whole aluminum-body design is elegant and effective against external shock and radiant heat of HDD.
Plug-and-Play
If an external HDD case with built-in hard disk is connected to a USB port of a desktop PC, notebook or netbook, the hardware will automatically be recognized and can be used instantly without installation.
Subcompact Design
External HDD case has a subcompact design for portability and takes up minimal desk space.
Convenient Travel Pouch Provided
A convenient travel pouch is provided for safe storage and scratch prevention.
Screw Driver Provided for Case Disassembly & HDD Installation
A screw driver is provided for convenient case disassembly and HDD installation.
The Zalman ZM-VE300 2.5’’ HDD enclosure is shipped inside a tiny cardboard box, with a photo of the product on the frontal side along with the main “Virtual Drive” feature; here we can also find that the product functions on the newer USB 3.0 bus (compared to the ZM-VE200 which had USB 2.0 but also eSATA):
On the back of the box we can find the full list of features, the technical specifications chart and a small graph with speed comparisons:
By lifting the top cover, we can find the enclosure docked in the center, along with the accessories which are located on the bottom layer:
In the box we can also find a Quick Guide, a CD with Backup Software, a carry pouch, a screw driver with 4 screws (only two are needed but the manufacturer is also offering spares) and the USB 3.0 cable:
Inside the guide we are shown how to install the drive, but also how to operate the product menu:
The carry pouch is useful during travel and also protects the product from dust or scratches:
The ZM-VE300 has a brushed aluminum exterior and can come in two variants (silver or black):
On the top there is the LCD screen where the menu appears, along with the HDD activity LED:
Also on the front we can locate the Zalman logo:
On the right side we can find a rubber band, which must be raised in order to install the screw for securing the top side (when a HDD/SSD is installed):
The opposite side comes with the same design, but with one exception -> the jog shuttle:
On the back side there are no special inscriptions:
The bottom side contains a sticker with the product name and serial number:
The top has been modified a little bit compared to the older version and now we have an extra button “Backup”, which needs to be pressed in order to perform this action, with the drive attached to our computer; this button also acts as a “Back” button for the LCD menu:
After the removal of the top side, we can see that there is a pre-applied plastic material on the interior of the enclosure, to avoid short circuits to the HDDs’ electric board; this material was also supplied with the ZM-VE200, but we had to apply it manually:
The brain of the unit is under the LCD display; here we can also see the Data/Power SATA connectors:
On the back there is the ZM-VE300 electric board, with some identification numbers:
The drive installs really easy, by simply sliding it into the connector:
During the firmware boot and drive initialization, we will see the product code name displayed in the center of the LCD screen:
The product will initially start in Dual Mode (by looking at the icon representation), will display the connected bus on the upper right side and in case we do not have any “_iso” folder created on the root path, the unit will display “NO _ISO Folder”:
By pressing the jog shuttle for 3 seconds, we will enter the menu of the firmware, which will present us with different options to select; inside the Mode Select sub-menu we will be able to jump between Dual Mode, ODD Mode and HDD Mode:
The Setting Menu lets us customize LCD bright settings, along with the standby time:
Inside the Information tab, we can find details from S.M.A.R.T., the HDD model, the HDD serial number, the enclosure firmware version, the USB speed and the input voltage:
The USB Connect tab lets us refresh the firmware interface and includes a very useful option, the “Safe Removal”; besides the actual safe removal, this option also cuts the current completely from the drive, which protects even better HDDs which are more shock sensitive:
Finally, we also have some Advanced options, which contain the “Unmount VHDD feature” and can enable “Write protect”:
If the enclosure is plugged on a USB 2.0 bus, the color of the activity LED will chance (white instead of blue) and the USB 2.0 icon will be displayed in the top right corner:
After we have uploaded the ISOs onto the respective folder, they will be shown inside the menu, and we can load whichever image we want; from the same menu we can also unmount the current image and select a different one:
The testbench was composed from the following hardware:
CPU: Intel I7 Retail @ stock
Motherboard: Foxconn BloodRage with G42 BIOS
RAM: 3x2GB Patriot PVT36G1600LLK 1600MHz
Video: Sparkle GTX 470 with stock and OMNI A.L.C.
Power Supply: Nexus RX-8500 850W modular
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11 & Patriot TorqX 64GB SSD
Case: Thermaltake Armor+ LCS, stock cooling
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x64
ASUS U3S6
To test the enclosure transfer speeds, we have installed inside it a Hitachi Travelstar 5K250 250GB 5400RPM HDD. For a comparison, we will see how this product performs near the older generation ZM-VE200 and the ADATA USB 3.0 enclosure, found in their Notebook Pack for the S599 SSD.
The Backup Utility ZM-VE300 ships contains multiple menus, which we can access by clicking the respective buttons:
The Backup option allows us to select the directories we want to have a backup of on the drive:
The application also allows us to mount several disk images, located inside the “_iso” folder:
By clicking on the Setting button, we can modify some of the application parameters:
Safe removal can be also done with the help of this application, but the operation does not cut the power from the drive:
The ZM-VE300 unit, even if it shares the external appearance of the previous version, now comes with the latest USB 3.0 bus interface, a more intuitive LCD navigation menu and a software application for added value.
The USB 3.0 interface now helps us reach the data transfer speed limits of the internal drive and we do not need an extra cable for power like on the VE200 when using eSATA.
The menu is now more intuitive, it is split into multiple sections from where we can navigate through the three available modes, but we can also access information like HDD S.M.A.R.T data, temperature, serial number and so on. The same menu allows us to safely remove the drive from the computer by cutting its power completely, unlike the same function that exists via software in Windows or the supplied application.
Inside the aluminum body we can see a pre-applied tape for avoiding short-circuits between the HDD PCB and the unit itself, but the lateral rubber material which also covers the screws has been preserved; the rubber seems to modify its shape if a lot of drive install/removals have been performed.
Overall, this is a great product for people that do not want to carry a ton of disks with them like system administrators, helps to boot right away from it thanks to the optical drive unit emulation and we benefit from the high USB 3.0 interface speed.
The ZM-VE300 can be found in online stores for about 38 Euros.
I would like to thank again to Zalman and Space Promotion for making this review possible!