Icy Dock MB122 Internal Removable Drive (Page 1 of 4 )
Earlier this year, we reviewed an external USB/e-SATA drive from Icy Dock, the MB452. While this was a great enclosure for our drives, it was still kind of cumbersome and took up precious desktop real estate. Today we have one of their internal units, the MB122 SKGF-1. Let's see how this stands up against the external model.
The MB122 actually comes in a few different models, which I found a little confusing at first. After some initial reading on the Internet, I was under the impression that the MB122 was compatible with the MB452 I already reviewed. This would mean that I could have the external 452 on my desk at work, and the 122 at home in my PC, and carry a tray back and forth when I wanted to transfer files. Nope, I couldn't be that lucky. To illustrate, let's take a quick look at the specifications for the MB122 from Icy Dock's website.
Beige | MB122SKGF-1 | MB122SKGF | MB122AKGF |
Item Number: Black | MB122SKGF-1B | MB122SKGF-B | MB122AKGF-B |
Item Number: Silver | MB122SKGF-1S | MB122SKGF-S | MB122AKGF-S |
Internal Host | 7 pin SATA | 40 pin IDE |
Drive Fit | 1 x 3.5" SATA I / II | 1 x 3.5" ATA 133 |
Drive Bay | 1 x 5.25" |
Transfer Rate | 3Gb/sec. | 133 MB/sec. |
Insert & Extract Connection Via | 15 pin direct hard drive connection | 64 pin industrial DIN converter |
Structure | Aluminum body w/ partial plastic |
Drive Cooling | Aluminum heat dispersion w/ 1 x rear outtake fan |
Alarm Indication | Audio & Visual |
LED Indication | Real-time drive temp., Drive activity/overheat/MASTER/SLAVE status, Fan working/failure status, Device usage time record |
LED Display Color | Cool blue | Bright yellow |
Drive Security | 3 segment key lock | 3 segment key lock |
Dimension (LxWxH) | 198.0 x 148.0 x 42.0 mm | 235.5 x 148.0 x 42.0 mm |
Weight | 1.50 lbs. | 1.90 lbs. |
Compatible Drive Tray : Beige | MB122SRCK-1 | MB122SRCK | MB122ARCK |
Compatible Drive Tray : Black | MB122SRCK-1B | MB122SRCK-B | MB122ARCK-B |
Compatible Drive Tray : Silver | MB122SRCK-1S | MB122SRCK-S | MB122ARCK-S |
I know the above chart may be a little confusing, but here is where the magic lies. There are three base versions of the MB122. The SKGF-1 is SATA, and when you insert the tray, the hard drive itself makes the connection into the enclosure. The SKGF is also SATA, but uses a 64 pin DIN connector to attach the tray to the enclosure. The AKGF also used the 64 pin connector, but is IDE instead of SATA.
Now, the MB452 I have also uses the 64 pin DIN. So, it just so happens that I got the one version of the MB122 that isn't compatible with my MB452. Doesn't it just figure?
But you know, this brings out another point. If you were at the store or online shopping, and knew that the MB122 was compatible with the MB452, what are the chances of you buying the wrong one? Pretty good, I would say. Icy Dock may want to think about how they can determine which models are compatible with each other, or even do a little more to change the model number than just including a -1 at the end.
Next: Let's open the box >>
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