Testing Rig:

• Processor: Intel Core2 Quad Q9450
• Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X48-DQ6
• Memory: OCZ SLI Ready 2 x 2GB
• Video Card: Nvidia 260 GTX
• Power Supply: 950w Modular Power Supply
• Hard Drive: 2.5" Seagate 160GB SATA
• Optical Drive: LG DVD-RW
• OS: Windows Vista Ultimate

Testing:

The testing of the enclosure itself will involve running some low-level benchmarks on it and timing file transfers. For the benchmarks I will be using the program HDTune, a free benchmarking utility. For the file transfers I will be timing the process with a stop watch. I should explain that I could benchmark the actual performance of the drive by using a benchmarking utility, but such programs do not necessarily reflect how long it would take a user to transfer a file in their GUI environment. So in the interest of what results our readers in the real world can expect, we do the file benchmark using a stop watch. I will be comparing the CP-USH-300 to another CP Technologies enclosure, the CP-UE-225. As well I will utilize benchmarks from the Thermaltake Vion. Let’s see how it worked out.

Well you can see that things were pretty close all around. These tests are really to discover any flaws in the design of the enclosure itself, and that doesn’t happen that much. But we do get a good idea of the strengths and weaknesses of our enclosure. It appears that the CP-USH-300 is in the middle of the pack as far as our selection of enclosures is concerned. Though it posted the lowest Maximum speed, it did have a higher burst than the Thermaltake. And on the file transfer test, it actually posted the fastest time on the largest file. These subtle differences can mean a lot to someone in their search for the perfect enclosure for their situation. Let’s move onto the conclusion.