HD Tach Results:

ICY DOCK eSATA-


Galaxy Metal Gear Box SATA-


ICY DOCK USB 2.0-


Galaxy Metal Gear Box USB 2.0-



In our HD Tach tests the sequential read speed of the ICY DOCK eSATA configuration is 67.9 MB/s compared to 67.5 MB/s with our internal SATA connection on the Galaxy Metal Gear Box. Random access time is 14.2ms for both enclosures. Both results are within the normal test variances for this program. Our burst speed with the ICY BOX eSATA setup averaged 210.5 MB/s compared to 211.9 MB/s with the Galaxy system. These results are within the normal test variances for this program.

The USB 2.0 configuration has an average sequential read speed of 34.1 MB/s and burst speeds of 37.7 MB/s for each external setup. Random access time is 14.5ms for the ICY DOCK and 14.3ms for the Galaxy. Of course the reduction in write and read speeds when utilizing the USB 2.0 interface will affect large file transfers the most as we will see in our application benchmarks.

It is important to note that access times, average read rates, and burst rate measurements are basically synthetic measurements, and while important these are not "true" application measurements. There is a great deal of potential bottlenecks elsewhere in the system that can and will affect the true performance of a drive.

Test Setup Acoustics and Thermals
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  • takumsawsherman - Monday, July 16, 2007 - link

    is how long this model lasts. I've had a couple of very similar looking Masscools die on me. There is a real lack of a reliable, metal enclosure, with a built in power supply, quiet fan, and a chipset that just works.

    Though initially disappointed with my PPA/Bytecc with the dreaded Prolific 3507 chipset, after a couple of firmware updates, it seems to be rock solid. ByteCC now sells a mostly metal 5 1/4 inch enclosure with Firewire daisy chain, USB2, and a built in power supply and fan. Still uses that Prolific chipset, but so far I have not had any issues.

    The biggest disappointment for me is how many manufacturers seem to think that we want to carry AC-DC bricks around with us. Using an standard IEC cable means one less thing to remember.
  • AmberClad - Monday, July 16, 2007 - link

    I've had an IDE version of this exact same model for the past three years and it's still working fine. The one I had was manufacturered by PPA though, not Masscool or GMG.

    This particular design (with the anodized aluminum body and Metal Gear Solid knock-off artwork) seems to have been around for quite a few years and it's built by various different companies (makes me wonder who was behind the original design). The SATA interface seems to be new though.
  • RamarC - Monday, July 16, 2007 - link

    My metal gear box with ide drive and fw/usb ports has been running for over 2.5 years now. I've had no problems/issues since installing it.
  • Slash3 - Sunday, July 15, 2007 - link

    Has anyone from Konami seen these things yet? It's bad enough that they put "Metal Gear Box" on the side, in the Metal Gear Solid font, but then they go one further and add the Substance subscript. How Do they get away with it...

    Cheese Factor +10
  • AmberClad - Monday, July 16, 2007 - link

    I'm not sure which is more blatant -- this, or SuperTalent's Walmart-inspired heatspreader artwork :-D.
  • Souka - Monday, July 16, 2007 - link

    They could've put another line under the logo....something like, "It's SOLID"

    :)
  • mojotronic - Monday, September 7, 2009 - link

    A solid POS.

    I bought one (a "Substance 2" model -- and I suspect the "substance" referred to is brown and smelly) with a 320 GB Seagate drive and the defective circuitry of the enclosure fried the HD. It worked for about a week when I got it, then one day the blue led light on the bottom flickered erratically and the HD icon disappeared from my desktop. I removed the drive and tested it in my tower and it was dead. As in killed.

    I subsequently tried an old but working 20GB drive in the Metal Gear Box just to confirm that it was the enclosure at fault. The drive mounted. My computer froze. The drive icon disappeared. Upon restarting the drive icon was gone. The drive was dead.

    I will now take a hammer to the nice-looking but ravenous enclosure. I wouldn't trust a replacement, and will never buy another product from Galaxy again.

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