HDD Enclosure or Docking Station

Pro's and cons of HDD Enclosure vs Fan cooled docking station to be used with 3.5" internal hdd for backing up and storing images for long term.

https://www.amazon.com …psc=1&smid=A2S4​EXOOJ8Z82D

http://www.amazon.com …430510&ref_=sr_​1_2&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com …430590&ref_=sr_​1_3&sr=8-3

I've been looking to get started in backing up and organizing my photos. I am looking for something very basic and simple with quality products. I am considering buying two Western Digital Black 2 Tb drives for long term storage. One for home and one to be stored in bank lock box. Maybe will need a anti static storage case for each internal drive.
I will also buy a SSD to connect to my macbook pro to hold current work while using Lightroom.

Any insights appreciated! Any other recommended products are welcome!!

I don't have an opinion on either item you posted but I have been using a similar solution for a number of years. I have THIS USB dock and THIS one too. Both have worked well for me for a number of years. I use a small USB drive as my primary and two 3.5" inch 3TB drives in the docks as my backup. So far, so good.

I have never used either a HDD Enclosure or a Docking Station. Is there any difference in the ability of either product to access data? Is either easier to install or remove the internal hdd?

Just looking for a simplistic way to deal with photo storage.

Not in my experience. Both of my docks are USB3 connected so the transfer speeds are good.

The docks make it very easy to exchange drives. You just pop them in like a piece of bread in a toaster. To get them out I always eject the drive on the computer, turn off the dock and wait for the drive to stop spinning then just pop them out.

I've tried very hard with numerous docking stations for several years, and just have not found them acceptably reliable in terms of remaining reliable while unattended, such as for automatic backup routines. I have had much better--perfect actually--results with actual NAS enclosures.

RDKirk wrote in post #18034435
I've tried very hard with numerous docking stations for several years, and just have not found them acceptably reliable in terms of remaining reliable while unattended, such as for automatic backup routines. I have had much better--perfect actually--results with actual NAS enclosures.

+1

Same exact experience. No luck with any of the usb docks. Been through about 4 of them, and some were not cheap

But have had fantastic results with the Mobius 2 bay USB NAS. It's trayless so if you wanted to just use it as a place to throw in a drive like a dock you could. Or use it as a 2 drive raid array which is how I run it. Two 4 tb drives in raid one.

https://smile.amazon.c​om …6&sr=1-23&keywords=mobius

I've been through six docking stations--Firewire, eSATA, USB 2.0, USB 3.0. The technology seems like it should be tried-and-true, but they're just not reliable.

I use 2 Plugable docking stations. 1 upright and 1 layflat. I personally like the layflat better but that's not based on anything.

They are great. They use the latest ASMedia chipsets which are better recognized on a Mac as well. I found other chipsets in certain full enclosures would disconnect randomly cause an incorrect Eject script.

https://www.amazon.com …&sr=1-1&keywords=plugable

https://www.amazon.com …&sr=1-2&keywords=plugable

RDKirk wrote in post #18034435
I've tried very hard with numerous docking stations for several years, and just have not found them acceptably reliable in terms of remaining reliable while unattended, such as for automatic backup routines. I have had much better--perfect actually--results with actual NAS enclosures.

Agreed. NAS is the way to go.

What about the use of a simple enclosure and selecting your own internal drives? Is this a simpler, more reliable and cheaper way to use quality internal hard drives for back up?

https://www.amazon.com …psc=1&smid=A2S4​EXOOJ8Z82D

They're fine. Just be aware of what chipsets they are using for USB3.0. I found some Vantec cases would randomly disconnect themselves and eventually traced it back to what chipset they used. You could go NAS like others have suggested which will give some level of redundancy if one of the drives fails depending on which Raid you choose and it'll make your files accessible to anyone on your network which is nice. I found in my experience that transfer speeds are slower and the initial connection to the drive to be much slower than a direct USB3.0 connection.

silvermesa1 wrote in post #18036288
What about the use of a simple enclosure and selecting your own internal drives? Is this a simpler, more reliable and cheaper way to use quality internal hard drives for back up?

https://www.amazon.com …psc=1&smid=A2S4​EXOOJ8Z82D

That's all I use for backups and they work fine. You don't need a fan-cooled enclosure for such backups. You only need a fan-cooled enclosure if you plan on constantly accessing the external HDD or using it for long periods of time. The others will stay cool enough for in-frequent usage.

Ralph

silvermesa1 wrote in post #18036288
What about the use of a simple enclosure and selecting your own internal drives? Is this a simpler, more reliable and cheaper way to use quality internal hard drives for back up?

https://www.amazon.com …psc=1&smid=A2S4​EXOOJ8Z82D

If its just for backups on your main computer I am not understanding your requirement of USB 3. Why not just install a trayless hot swap bay and put in what ever drive you want to use at that time for back up.
It uses Sata connections straight to the mobo.

https://smile.amazon.c​om …TF8&qid=1466104​667&sr=8-2

Scoobert wrote in post #18041430
If its just for backups on your main computer I am not understanding your requirement of USB 3. Why not just install a trayless hot swap bay and put in what ever drive you want to use at that time for back up.
It uses Sata connections straight to the mobo.

https://smile.amazon.c​om …TF8&qid=1466104​667&sr=8-2

I use a 15" Macbook Pro Retina so I don't think the tray would benefit me the way it would for someone who had a desktop machine?
I believe I read somewhere that by putting together your own quality external enclosure with a quality internal hard drive that it would be preferred to buying a prepackaged external hard drives that are currently available. I believe what they were getting at, is sometimes the hard drive quality is questionable or the enclosure quality is questionable in some prepackaged external hard drives. You or others may have experience with this and I am interested in hearing your thoughts.

I am a complete greenhorn so I'm all ears.

silvermesa1 wrote in post #18041472
I use a 15" Macbook Pro Retina so I don't think the tray would benefit me the way it would for someone who had a desktop machine?
I believe I read somewhere that by putting together your own quality external enclosure with a quality internal hard drive that it would be preferred to buying a prepackaged external hard drives that are currently available. I believe what they were getting at, is sometimes the hard drive quality is questionable or the enclosure quality is questionable in some prepackaged external hard drives. You or others may have experience with this and I am interested in hearing your thoughts.

I am a complete greenhorn so I'm all ears.

AHHHHHH

Now I see why, or I could have read your OP more closely

Than I would go back to the Mobius which has Raid, USB3 and Firewire connections. Only because I have had the worst luck with ALL the usb docks. With a Mobius you can put in any type drive you want. I run mine with two 4tb WD drives in raid 1 so they back each other up. You could also configure it (with just a flip of a switch) to be just a bunch of drives and slide in any drive you want and back up to it then change it out. Since its trayless, any full sized sata drive just slides in.

There are other two bay drive enclosures that would do the same things and I would go that route rather than the docks which have never been consistently reliable for my backups.