Vizo Arius CI 2.5 Inch SATA Drive Rack Review
Introduction
Finding space for extra Hard Drives can be a problem with some cases but not with the Arius CI from Vizo. The Arius CI is a 2.5 Inch SATA Drive Rack but with a difference, it fits right into an Expansion Slot on your motherboard. Lets see how well the Arius CI works situated on the motherboard…
About Vizo
VIZO Technology Corporation is a leading global manufacturer and designer of computer peripheral products serving customers around the world. Established in Taiwan in 1992, VIZO has expanded and now operates in the market completely reorganized and prepared to meet the demand for high quality products which are “Made in Taiwan”.
Features
- Compatible with 2.5″ SATA HDD / SSD
- Compact size can fit in an expansion slot
- Space saving design permits huge quantity storage
- Great for storage expansion of mini PC /PC
- Support hot swappable
- Reliable EMI Shuelding
- Easy to open with one touch
- Patented tool-free design for rapid drive installation
- Stong stainless body with ventilation holes for excellent heat dissipation
- Unique scratch-proof SATA connector, more than 50,000 times plug / ejection
Specifications
| Data Transfer Rate: | 3 GB / Sec |
| Drive Type: | 2.5″ SATA I/II Hard Disk Drive 2.5″ SATA Solid State Drive |
| Housing Material: | Stainless & Plastic |
| Interface Host: | SATA (7 Pin) |
| Indicators: | Power on, Drive activity |
| System Requirement: | Windows 2000 / XP / Server 2003 / Vista / Mac OS X |
| Weight: | 148 g (Without Drive) |
| Dimensions: | 120 (L) x 145 (W) x 24 (H) mm |
The Package
The Arius CI is packaged inside a white box covered by a cardboard wrap. The front of the box shows a picture of the Arius (with HDD), a few mini screenshots and a couple of it’s features.
The back of the box has a ‘Features’ section located at the top in front of a blue background with a faded image of the Arius in it. Listed just below this section are the Specifications and Package Contents.
Accessories
- 2.5″ SATA Drive Rack
- Power Cable
- SATA Cable
- Screw Package
- User Manual
The Arius CI
The Unit itself black in colour apart from a few silver sections and is only 148g (with HDD installed), so not too heavy. It’s actually fairly thin as well but offers decent protection with the thick metal casing.
The top of the Arius is black and features a gap in the middle to allow for some of the hot air to dissipate.
The bottom of the unit is a stainless steel tray which is where the HDD sits. Their are also many holes to allow the heat given off by the Hard Drive. Also located at this end are the SATA connectors to attach the included sata cables and the Power Connector.
The Arius boasts a ‘One Touch to open’ feature to install a Hard Drive. This feature proves very easy to use. We’ll see how easy this feature is to use later on in the review.
Installation
The installation proved to be a very simple task which took no longer than a couple of minutes.
The first thing we needed to do was remove the side panel from the Case.
Then make sure the hard drive was properly installed. This was an easy task thanks to the Tool Free installation.
The One Touch button was also very easy to use. You simply push the button in and the Drive Rack door opens. It is attached to a small mechanism that allows the door to swing open easily.
After this all we needed to do was find a free Expansion Slot and insert the Arius into place. The Arius was then secured in place with the included screw. After a couple attempts at wobbling the Arius, I found that the unit was very secure and sturdy when situated on the motherboard.
Once the power cable was connected and the computer turned on, the Blue LED Indicator on the steel panel next to the button was visible.
Conclusion
After testing a couple of cases myself over the past few years, I have found that some cases either have a lot of free bays to install new hard drives and others don’t have enough. The Arius CI is the perfect solution for those of you with limited space inside your case. With it’s ability to just slot into place in a matter of seconds the Arius is the perfect way to gain a new hard drive for your computer.
Also, costing only £15 ($25) the Arius is a cheap and clever way to add more Hard Drives to your computer.
Bottom Line: If you’re running out of space inside your computer and need another hard drive, then the Arius CI 2.5 Inch SATA Drive Rack from Vizo is the perfect man for the job.
Popularity: 10% [?]