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REVIEW: Mini Stack v3 – 750GB External Hard Drive
After a long search, I have found the perfect external hard drive for a laptop only owner. With that being said, I would like to introduce you to the Newer Technology Mini Stack v3 External hard drive. This little external hard drive offers plenty of additional features beyond just being an external hard drive.
Specifications
Hard Drive: 750GB Bootable, 7200 RPM, 32MB Cache
Dimensions: 6.5″ x 6.5″ x 1.5″
Bridge Chipset: Oxford OXUF924DSb
Interface Ports: 1 x eSATA, 2 x Firewire 800, 1 x Firewire 400, 3 x USB 2.0/1.0
Thoughts
The Mini Stack v3 is an external hard drive with a built in powered USB/Firewire hub. It offers 3 USB 2.0/1.0, 1 Firewire 400, 2 Firewire 800, and 1 eSATA ports. I searched on google for over a week looking for a external hard drive solution that has a built in powered hub. When I stumbled upon this bad boy, I was so happy to see that not only did it have a USB hub built in, but it also had firewire and eSATA ports built in.
The Mini Stack v3 is offered in many different configurations, I opted to go with the 750GB/32MB/7200RPM model. They are offered up to 1TB but I choose to go with the 750GB model for financial reasons. One of the added bonuses about the Mini Stack is that it can be upgraded to a 1TB drive down the line. I am using the drive for Time Machine Backups and Aperture 2.0 vaults storage. With the built in eSATA port, I always have the option to use it with my Tivo HD as a expansion drive, which is a nice bonus
OK, so why was it so important for me to have a powered USB hub built in? Well, on my home desk, I have a USB wireless mouse, a Apple USB keyboard, a iPhone Dock, and an additional 250GB external hard drive. That is a total of 4 USB cords I have running behind my desk. Well, my Macbook Pro only has 2 USB ports on it, so I needed a USB hub. The way I have this all setup at my desk allows me to just plug in one single USB cord (the Mini Stack) and all my devices will automatically attach to my machine. This makes the whole process of plugging everything in a breeze. Also, it keeps my desk clean looking by hiding all but 1 USB cord behind the desk.
Verdict
Overall, I am very happy with the product. It accomplishes exactly what I need it to do. The price is a little high, but when you understand what all it does, it is worth the price.
Side note: I also wanted to add, that in the photos above, I have a white piece of paper over the blue front status light. This is purely because the light is on the bright side, and the device is located in my bedroom.
Discussion In Progress (16)
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You said you have the HDD split between Time Machine and Aperture, how much space did you give to each partition?
I currently reserve 100GB for Aperture file vaults.
Nice info in your site, I will bookmark your blog ASAP
Some said the drive is noisy. Did you notice that?
I have not noticed it at all. The only down side I have with it is the
blue LED status light is very bight. It use to bug me when my desk was
in my room, but not a problem any more now that I have a proper office.
Wow. Thanks for this great write-up. This is exactly what I need.
Thanks for the review! Just what I'm looking for too! As I understand from their website, you can also buy just the empty case and can swap between your own hard drives when you want. This is what I need and seems more economical in the long run to buy several internal HD's to swap as opposed to buying a whole bunch of external hard drives.
how much is it ??
thanks for share.
Thanks for informative review. How does fan noise compare to mac mini? Have you looked into getting really short cables to hook the mini stack to the mac mini?
I actually hide it out of view, so I tend to use some very long cables. As for the fan noise, I am not sure how it compares to the Mac Mini because I have never owned one, but I will say you can hear the fan when it revs up. But, overall the fan is not bad.
We're loving it. Everything happened so fast! It's incredible
Did this drive stand the test of time? Looking for something similar to backup my newly purchased mac mini. Would you still recommend this drive?
I use it everyday. It has never had any problems. I use it as my main Time Machine backup drive. It works great, and looks great too.
Chris, since this drive has stood up to the test of time, I am looking to get one now that I am at least partly MAC. Have you used it connected to an APE? I plan on using it for time machine back ups and a network drive for photos and iTunes.
I just connected the the mini stack V3 to my macmini and all seems to work fine. Now, 2 questions that maybe you would have the answer to:
1) When the blue light is on after macmini shut down is the mini stack V3 still powered on or is it off or is it sleeping?
2) I tried to connect a sata cable from the mini stackV3 to an ext G drive and the G drive was not recognized in snow leopard…… wonder why…. any thought before I ask OWC????
Thanks for any comment.
Joey
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