USB to SATA adapter vs Enclosure

[Hidoi]

I want to get an SSD for my laptop and use it's current HDD as external HDD for my PC. I did some googling and now I have more questions than answers. Also sorry if links are not permitted, I'll take them down if needed. 

 

I'm wondering if I should go with the cheapest of these: 

• USB 2.0 x 2 To SATA External HDD Converter Cable  - 2.60 $

This has 2 usb ports for extra power I guess, but is it enough? 5x2 = 10V, while the one below is 12.

• USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA SSD HDD Adapter Cable Converter Wire - 4.70$

This has a 12V 2A power adapter.

• USB 3.0 To 2.5" SATA Hard Drive Adapter Cable - 3.90$

How this one even works with single USB cable?

• USB 3.0 External 2.5" SATA HDD Enclosure Case - 6.70$

That's probably the cheapest enclosure I found, I have the same question as above, how it works with single cable? Maybe the circuit board does something?

 

Or should I got with this "premium" chinese option?

• 2.5" USB 3.0 SATA HDD External Case(type C on the enclosure) - 13.50$

 

tl;dr - Assuming they all work properly, is there any functional or perfomance difference?

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

Those 2.5" drives use 5V, only 3.5" ones use 12V.  The reason why the USB 2.0 one has 2 USB plugs is because a single USB 2.0 port doesn't provide the necessary current (amperage) to power the drive.  

All the other ones are USB 3.0, and those ports do provide enough current.  That's why you only need a single plug for those. 

Also USB 3.0 enclosures/adapters will allow you to transfer data much faster than USB 2.0 ones.  So I'd remove the first one from your shortlist right away.

 

If you are going to use that external drive on a regular basis, I'd suggest an enclosure.  Adapters are good for when you're always messing around with different HDDs and need something to quickly plug them in to, but do little to protect the drive from dust etc. 

Which one you choose is entirely up to you.

[mariushm]

27 minutes ago, Hidoi said:

I want to get an SSD for my laptop and use it's current HDD as external HDD for my PC. I did some googling and now I have more questions than answers. Also sorry if links are not permitted, I'll take them down if needed. 

 

I'm wondering if I should go with the cheapest of these: 

• USB 2.0 x 2 To SATA External HDD Converter Cable  - 2.60 $

This one will only work with SSDs and laptop hard drives, which require only 5v to work. It won't work with mechanical hard drives that also need 12v to work.

 

27 minutes ago, Hidoi said:

This has 2 usb ports for extra power I guess, but is it enough? 5x2 = 10V, while the one below is 12.

• USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA SSD HDD Adapter Cable Converter Wire - 4.70$

Electricity doesn't work like that. 2 usb ports doesn't mean you have 10v .. it's still 5v, but double the amount of current the drive can use. If one USB port can "officially" give 0.9A of current, two ports can give 1.8A of current... with 5v being the voltage, that's 5v x 1.8A = almost 10w

This one also has a DC IN jack in which you can plug a 12v adapter, IF you want to use the thing with a mechanical drive that also needs 12v to operate. For laptop SSDs and hard drives that only need 5v, the adapter is optional.

The jack is standard, either 2.1mm/5.5mm or 2.5mm/5.5mm, you can easily purchase these adapters separately.

 

27 minutes ago, Hidoi said:

This has a 12V 2A power adapter.

• USB 3.0 To 2.5" SATA Hard Drive Adapter Cable - 3.90$

No, listing actually doesn't say anything about having a 12v 2a adapter, in fact the pictures say this can't be used with 3.5" drives or optical drives, things that require 12v to work. This is more or less like the first product, only for 5v SSDs or mechanical drives (for laptops)

 

27 minutes ago, Hidoi said:

How this one even works with single USB cable?

• USB 3.0 External 2.5" SATA HDD Enclosure Case - 6.70$

That's probably the cheapest enclosure I found, I have the same question as above, how it works with single cable? Maybe the circuit board does something?

It's a 5v only SSD or mechanical drive enclosure. You can't use mechanical drives that need 12v with it.

I

27 minutes ago, Hidoi said:

Or should I got with this "premium" chinese option?

• 2.5" USB 3.0 SATA HDD External Case(type C on the enclosure) - 13.50$

Same as above, 5v only, only for laptop hard drives or SSDs that only need 5v.

tl;dr - Assuming they all work properly, is there any functional or perfomance difference?

 

[Hidoi]

4 minutes ago, mariushm said:

...

The stuff you're talking about is correct but its a bit messed up (or maybe I messed up). I've talked about the products after I listed them, not before. The 3.9$ doesn't have 12V adapter included,the 4.7$ does. 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

If your laptop has only USB 2.0 ports on it, then you will need to either get an externally powered cable or enclosure that connects to two USB ports. USB 3.0 ports are supposed to provide more power but, sometimes, even they can't produce enough enough power to run a 2.5" HDD, especially a 7200rpm one, and you will still need a cable or enclosure that connects to two ports (I have an older notebook like that and, believe me, finding a dual ended USB 3.0 cable was a bear!).

 

Combining USB ports for more power only increases the amount of amperage available, not the voltage. Using a single ended USB 3.0 cable in a USB 2.0 port won't magically provide more power.

 

If you are going to use the HDD externally very much, then I recommend getting an externally powered enclosure. Enclosing the drive helps to protect it from possible damage. Since it gets its power from an external power supply, you will need only one USB port and won't have to worry about the drive dropping out due to low power.

 

Finally, I see a theme in your post about trying to buy the cheapest product you can. Keep in mind you usually only get what you pay for. You pay a cheap proce, you usually get a cheap product that may or may not even work at all, let alone last long. I don't know where you are located (I wish LTT required posters to show what country they live in; it makes responding to help questions a lot easier), but from the links you posted, I'm guessing you aren't in the U.S. That makes it harder for me (or anyone else) to know what to recommend and where to buy it (btw, you have to be really careful buying from eBay; that place has become rife with crooked vendors selling really cheap garbage or just taking your money and running).

 

Externally powered 2.5" USB enclosures are hard to find now so you may need to settle on a 3.5" enclosure and get an adapter to install the 2.5" drive inside (at added cost and bulk, though). Otherwise, you may have to settle for a dock that takes both 3.5" and 2.5" drives.

[Hidoi]

3 minutes ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

If your laptop has only USB 2.0 ports on it, then you will need to either get an externally powered cable or enclosure that connects to two USB ports.

My laptop does have 3.0 ports, but it doesn't matter much, as I said I'll be using the HDD that's currently inside the laptop as external HDD for PC(desktop). 

3 minutes ago, Lady Fitzgerald said:

careful buying from eBay; that place has become rife with crooked vendors selling really cheap garbage or just taking your money and running

Yes, that's why I asked here how things work, powerwise atleast. Also that's the reason I looked at ugreen, I guess there is a reason to be twice more expensive than the other one, hopefully its not because of the branding. I don't know how much I can trust them, but I've seen them before, so I guess a brand is better than generic. And yes I'm not from US, that's why I look at ebay. 

 

Anyway, thanks for the info, I guess I'll have to trust this ugreen brand, even found a review of this enclosure on youtube.