Introduction

I would like to thank I-Rocks for providing the review sample.

I-Rocks offers a complete line of HDD enclosures in all sizes and with all types of connections. Besides these enclosures, you will also find input devices like mice and keyboards from the company. But that is not all, as there are a lot of different USB based PC accessories being offered by I-Rocks as well. We get to take a look at the I-Rock IR-9300 Combo drive, which features USB 2.0 and Firewire connectivity. Interstingly enough, their website does not mention firewire at all, just the USB 2.0 is listed.

Features:

• USB2.0 high speed transfer rate.
• Screw free and auto-ejection design for easy installation.
• Bright color led light indicator.
• Suitable for all 3.5" IDE HDD, support up to 500GB.
• 100% aluminum housing with elegant hair-line design and anodized surface treatment to enhance heat dissipation.
• Foot stand for vertical style.
• Plug and play / hot swappable.

There are two colors availble, black/silver and silver/blue. I-Rock sent us the black & silver variant for testing.

Package & Contents

The packaging pictures the enclosure and lets the potential buyer know of its main features. While the top left corner only mentiones USB connectivity, an additional sticker lets the customer know that this enclosure also features firewire. The back lists the features in detail in three different languages.


The enclosure itself is placed inside a bubblewrap bag and sealed with a "PASS" sticker. The rest of the contents are found under the IR-9300 in a seperated compartement.


I-Rock has included everything needed. There is a silver, plastic stand, a bag of screws, a 8 cm driver CD, all nessesary cables and a very small power supply. This is the second time we have seen such a small PSU. The Akasa Integral! Fusion which we reviewed here featured such a small PSU as well. The USB 2.0 and Firewire cables are both about 1m long. This is fairly short and my not be sufficient, if your PC is standing under the table, with the enclosure on the desk.


The case itself is constructed of aluminum, while both ends are made out of plastic. This makes the enclosure relatively long. While the space may be needed for the rear part, as that is where the PCB is located, there is no reason for the front plastic part to be so long.

A Closer Look

The front seems to have no functionalty when looked at from up top. The buttom of the front actually holds the open switch. If you move the lever over in the direction of the arrow, the back of the case pops up. It is that simple to gain access to case. Very nice!


The back features a power switch, the USB upstream port, two firewire plugs and the PSU connector. The four screws used to secure the PCB to the back are of some special kind and look like small hex screws. I did not have any tools which could have been used on these.

Once the open lever is moved, the back pops out about one inch and can be pulled out completely.


The inards of the case are made out of plastic. This does work, but the plastic used has a very cheap feel to it.

The power brick is made by "Sunny" and rated at 2.0A output. It does feel solid and heavy. It also does not emit any kind of noise or ticking sound when plugged in. The one thing of concern is the lack of certification logos. This may be the case, as I-Rock has shipped the wrong kind of PSU for Germany/Austria and such certifications are not required where this PSU was intended to be used. I had no trouble using it as it accepts an input of 100V-240V.