This Ssd Docking Station Proved To Be One Of The Best Investments For My Pc (and It's On Sale)

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Sabrent USB SSD 4-bay docking position is disposable now connected Amazon for $72.
• This docking position makes adding outer drives to your strategy a full plug-and-play affair.
• The lawsuit is plastic, truthful it feels a spot inexpensive but that doesn't get successful nan measurement of performance.

At Amazon, nan Sabrent USB SSD docking station is presently connected waste for $72, a savings of $18.

It seems I'm ever moving retired of room connected my iMac drives. Why? Video files. You see, I movie galore videos successful 4K ProRes, which intends nan files tin get very large. Just yesterday, I filmed a video for my YouTube channel, and nan record from nan camera was complete 100GB.

Those adhd up fast.

Also: Prime Day ends coming - don't miss nan champion income connected TVs, laptops, and more

Obviously, problems originate erstwhile you regularly person to woody pinch files that ample connected constricted space. I ever deleted files to make room for caller ones, and that carousel ne'er seemed to extremity turning.

Until I purchased nan Sabrent USB SSD docking station.

This small portion of tech has really saved maine from having to delete files I'd alternatively keep, conscionable to make room for caller video clips. And because it's a 4-bay dock, I tin support slapping successful drives (it supports up to 16TB difficult drives) to guarantee I ever person space. Even better, nan docking position has a instrumentality to support those drives cooler. This is particularly important erstwhile moving pinch video, arsenic nan read/write speeds will beryllium pushed to their limits, causing power to build up.

My experience

Quite honestly, there's not overmuch to opportunity astir this elemental spot of integrative and metal. It comes successful 2 pieces: nan bottommost holds nan drives, and nan apical has nan fan. An On/Off fastener and LED indicators besides pass you which bays person drives. 

You'll find a mini magnet that keeps nan 2 pieces together, which makes it easy to popular disconnected nan apical and insert (or remove) a drive. Finally, connected nan apical information of nan docking station, you'll find a fastener to move nan instrumentality connected aliases off.

The Sabrent instrumentality is silent capable that I cannot perceive it astatine my desk.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

When I received nan Sabrent docking station, I ripped it open, connected nan bottommost half to my iMac pinch nan included USB-A cable, and inserted a drive. The iMac instantly recognized nan drive, and I was capable to format it and commencement utilizing it.

Over nan past fewer months, I've added 2 much drives to nan docking station, and each time, it went disconnected without a hitch.

Speeds

This was a large woody for me. I request to beryllium capable to transcript those ample files to outer drives without waiting hours. I person 1 outer thrust (that isn't successful nan docking station), and its constitute times are truthful slow that it tin return complete an hr to transcript an 80GB file.

That won't do.

The Sabrent docking position gives you transportation speeds of up to 5GB/s. You'll beryllium conscionable good if you're utilizing an SSD tin of precocious read/write speeds. I precocious purchased yet different SSD (this clip a Crucial BX500) and was capable to transcript a 100GB record successful astir 4 minutes. That will do.

Also: The champion outer difficult drives you tin buy

The only measurement to amended nan velocity of this docking position would person been to usage USB-C alternatively of USB-A. USB-C tin execute information transportation speeds of up to 10Gbps pinch USB 3.1, which is doubly arsenic accelerated arsenic USB-A's maximum velocity of 5Gbps pinch USB 3.0. So, yeah, USB-C would person been nice, but nan 5GB/s useful good for astir usage cases. And fixed nan $89 value tag, USB-A is conscionable fine.

Reliability

As I said, I've been utilizing this docking position for a fewer months now and person not had a problem yet. It's arsenic reliable arsenic they come. Even erstwhile we had a powerfulness outage, I rebooted my iMac, pressed nan docking station's ON button, and nan drives instantly appeared successful Finder.

Also: The Samsung T5 Evo 4TB portable SSD is backmost successful banal and $95 off

The instrumentality useful and has kept nan drives comparatively cool, moreover erstwhile copying monolithic files. I tin clasp my manus complete nan apical opening and consciousness a flimsy lukewarm breeze lifting toward my palm.

It works.

What much tin I say?

Seriously.

ZDNET's buying advice

Not everyone needs six aliases 7 outer drives attached to their computer. If you do, nan Sabrent USB 3.0 4-Bay docking station is simply a awesome option. It's affordable, easy to use, and allows you to grow your retention capacity by a sizeable amount. If you want to spell really crazy, adhd 4 16TB drives to springiness you plentifulness of storage. 

This docking bay makes it easy for anyone to plug and play their measurement to other storage, truthful don't hesitate to bargain it if that sounds for illustration a request you have.

Looking for nan adjacent champion product? Get master reviews and editor favorites with ZDNET Recommends.

The specs 

• Up to 4x 16TB difficult drives.
• Supports 2.5-inch SSD SATA drives (up to a maximum thickness of 12.5mm/0.49 Inch (2.75 Inch x 3.93 Inch x 0.49 Inch) pinch LED parameter for powerfulness and HDD access.
• 5 Gbps Transfer Speeds USB 3.0 ace velocity interface.
• Also compatible pinch USB 2.0 and USB 1.1. 
• Tool-Free Installation. 
• Built-in cooling instrumentality that tin beryllium switched connected and disconnected arsenic needed.