| | |  | | Home » StarTech.com 4 Bay eSATA USB 3.0 to SATA Hard Drive Docking Station for 2.5/3.5 HDD | | | | | | | Description: | | The SATDOCK4U3E eSATA and USB 3.0 4-Bay SATA Hard Drive Docking Station is a convenient, time-saving storage solution for 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA hard drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD) allowing for up to 4 SATA drives (tested with up to 4TB 3.5" and 1TB 2.5" drives per bay) to be conveniently and quickly connected to a host computer through a single connection. The hard drive docking station features SuperSpeed USB 3.0 connectivity (also compatible with USB 2.0) with support for data transfer rates up to 5Gbps (10x faster than USB 2.0) or eSATA with Port Multiplier connectivity (up to 3Gbps), to provide fast connectivity to all 4 hard drives simultaneously. The eSATA/USB 3.0 SATA hard drive docking station also features dual built-in, variable-speed 60mm fans that can be manually adjusted to keep each drive running cool, depending on the drives and operating environment, or turned off completely. Double the value of this hard drive docking station, using a SATA to IDE hard drive adapter (SAT2IDEADP), which enables you to use any 2.5 or 3.5in IDE hard drive in a SATA hard drive dock slot. | | | Features: | |
• Access up to 4 SATA drives simultaneously over a single USB 2.0/3.0 or eSATA connection
• Independent power buttons and eject mechanism for each SATA hard drive allows for quick and easy hot-swapping
• Dual, variable speed fans allows you to adjust the amount of cooling for any kind of environment or drives
• Accepts up to 4 SATA hard drives simultaneously, in a single docking station
• Dual 60mm cooling fans mounted below the drives with variable speed controls (including OFF)
• 4 bay HDD dock is backward compatible with USB 2.0 systems, out of the box
• Backward compatible with USB 2.0 systems, out of the box
• External docking station with dual 60mm cooling fans mounted below the drives with variable speed controls (including OFF)
• HDD dock with dual, variable speed fans allows you to adjust the amount of cooling for any kind of environment or drives
• Hard drive dock can cccess up to 4 SATA drives simultaneously over a single USB 2.0/3.0 or eSATA connection
• Hard drive docking station with independent power buttons and eject mechanism for each SATA hard drive (HDD/SSD) allows for quick and easy hot-swapping
• Quad bay drive dock supports both 2.5" and 3.5" form factor hard drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD)
• SATA hard drive dock accepts up to 4 SATA hard drives simultaneously, in a single docking station
• SuperSpeed USB 3.0 compliant host interface with support for transfer rates up to 5 Gbps
• Supports both 2.5" and 3.5" form factor hard drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD)
• USB SATA dock with SuperSpeed USB 3.0 compliant host interface which supports transfer rates up to 5 Gbps
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 11.44 inches | | Product Width:
| 6.8 inches | | Product Height:
| 3.73 inches | | Product Weight:
| 2.31 pounds | | Package Length:
| 13.7 inches | | Package Width:
| 8.74 inches | | Package Height:
| 6.85 inches | | Package Weight:
| 4.85 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 19 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 19 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
 FINALLY, somebody got it right!Sep 26, 2011
By BOB
Years ago, I abandoned enclosures for the open-air architecture of an HDD dock. I've purchased various docks as they've been released with chipsets that progressively supported larger densities. However, they were all not quite what I needed. Until now.
I've always actively cooled a docked drive by positioning a case fan behind the HDD. This was always sort of a pain; I had to rig a 12V adapter, which made plugging/unplugging the fan fun, not to mention often knocking it over in the process (I had wire guards installed on both sides to prevent damage to the fan blades). It also took up some real estate on the desk. But, I always found two constants: The larger the drive, the hotter it ran, and during large data transfers, having the fan running kept the drive much cooler.
I had been using two older Startech docks for the past year. One had arrived DOA, which Amazon promptly replaced, and both had worked flawlessly since. But, there was still the fan annoyances.
Then, I saw that Startech had released this new model with an integrated fan. YES! Note: I did some price checking, and I found them cheaper at Overstock, which with shipping, were still cheaper than Amazon's price with the free Prime shipping. I placed my Overstock order at 3PM and had the docks the next day (for $2 shipping)!
I have a LOT of external HDD's, and I manage a LOT of data, so I require multiple docks. However, I only have one eSATA port in my HP DC7900. So, I also bought a Syba SD-PEX-JM1A2E PCIe 1x PATA / 2x e-SATA Card. Microsoft is not supporting USB3.0 until W8, and most of the reviews I've read on the 3.0 cards out there, the bottom-line performance doesn't really exceed eSATA, whose price point is still much lower than 3.0. I also have an older Plextor 760A optical PATA optical drive, which is one of the best-performing read-error-correcting drives I've ever used, so the Syba's IDE connector was an added bonus (I replaced two cards in my machine with this one).
The Syba card and Startech docks have turned out to be a killer combination. As mentioned in reviews on the Syba, on sleep or shut down, it sends a command to the Startech's that power them down. I also experienced a much faster data rate from the Plex thru the Syba than the previous IDE card I was using.
The Startech docks's are awesome. I can't rate the USB3.0 performance, but the eSATA transfer rate is plenty fast.
There are manual eject buttons on the front; on the older Startech models, you had to yank the drive out of the connector while holding the dock down.
That thumbwheel on the side is a fan speed controller. Cranked to the max, the unit has a definite audible whine, and when two are running simultaneously, it's downright loud. I backed the fan speed switch down halfway, which dropped the noise to just about nil, but holding my hand in front of the fan, I didn't feel much change in airflow. I tried a few large backups at the slower speed, and the drives were just slightly more warm, but perfectly acceptable.
It should also be noted that this dock supports 3TB drives. I haven't gone there yet; I let at least a year go by after a higher density streets before I adopt, as the failure rates are almost always unacceptable in that time period.
All-in-all, me happy boy. I can't recommend this dock (and the Syba card) more highly.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Nice dockSep 09, 2011
By B. Lee
I've used this with a couple Win7 64-bit machines. I got this dock after my latest NewerTech dock died within 15 minutes, I was slightly hesitant due to the lack of reviews but I wanted eSATA+USB3, and how much worse could I do? So far I'm quite pleased with it, using USB 3 and spinning drives I'm getting transfer speeds on par with internal SATA indicating the drives are the limiting factor. The fan is a nice feature, I usually use a separate USB fan with my other docks, this is nicely incorporated into the dock. It feels solid -- from the images I was afraid it might be a somewhat flaky add-on, but no. The placement means that in addition to cooling the drive it acts to shield the drive's circuit board. On mine it's quiet even on the max setting (I can't hear it over the drive at least) and at that setting keeps the drive fairly cool (just barely warm to the touch after copying 1TB onto a 2TB WD Caviar Black drive). The dock shuts off when you "eject" it in Windows which is a nice feature -- some other docks I have when I eject the drive in the dock I find the drive suddenly spinning up again. So far I'm pleased, if I have any problems in the future I'll update this.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Solid competent external drive bayJan 11, 2012
By B. G. Gates
The StarTech Superspeed USB 3.0 hard drive docking bay is all that it claims to be and then some.Set up was very easy and straight foward and the drive bay is easy to operate and fast!The bay is a little noisey but its fan works great and has adjustable speed.The fan noise didn't bother me and the intelligent power profile was a pleasent surprise.Well woth the money.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Excellent Docking Station For 3.5" SATA Hard DrivesJan 13, 2012
By Peppino
I bought a Dune HD Duo Media Player to play my video and music on my Home Theatre TV and Stereo, it contains two 3.5" hard drive swap bays and I needed a docking station to sync the media from my PC hard drives to the Dune hard drives. After doing much research, I bought this StarTech docking station and it exceeded all my expectations. Using it is simplicity itself: connect the external power adapter, insert hard drive into the slot, connect the USB cable, press the power button and the hard drive appears in Windows. Turn on the fan so the hard drive doesn't get too hot while its in use. It has USB 3.0 but it works great with my USB 2.0, very fast copying/moving files. After you finish, turn off the power button press the eject button and the hard drive pops out. Smooth operation. This is an excellent piece of hardware. It retails for $72 on the StarTech website and I got it here on Amazon for $49, a great bargain. I am 100% happy with it and highly recommend it.
7 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Great device, allowed me to add monster external storage to my laptop, working for 6 months, no problemsFeb 17, 2012
By Randy Forgaard
"enthusiastic haunter"
I personally have not experienced any of the problems expressed in the negative reviews on this product. I purchased two of these units back in August 2011, and have been using them for 6 months. I have them both attached to separate USB 3.0 ports on my Dell XPS 17 laptop, and they work perfectly.
This unit also works with USB 2.0 ports (though USB 3.0 is much faster, of course).
BIG CAVEAT: I need to say that I don't really swap hard drives much in these docking stations. I have swapped hard drives several times, and it's gone without a hitch, but that's not my normal usage pattern. I am using these StarTech USB 3.0 docking stations to provide my laptop with huge external storage, and I don't swap the drives as a general rule. The drives just sit in the docking station and hum along, doing their thing with great transfer speeds. I know that other reviewers have noted odd behavior when swapping drives. I haven't seen that odd behavior myself, but I also don't swap often. If you are going to be swapping drives frequently, you might see some problems, I can't say. I just haven't observed any of these problems myself.
I have been using these docking stations essentially constantly for the past 6 months. They have run for weeks at a time with nary a hiccup.
I have not seen the problems reported by another reviewer that when reading or writing to one drive in the docking station, it interferes with the speed of transfers of another drive in the docking station. I have been using these drives very heavily, copying huge numbers of files at a time from one drive to another within the docking station, simultaneously editing or playing back other files on one or more of the drives, and it all works smooth as silk. I haven't had a single problem of any kind.
Also, I've never seen the problem reported by another reviewer where rebooting Windows 7 or restarting the computer causes the drives to start and stop, stressing the drive. I reboot all the time, turn off my computer, etc. Been doing this for 6 months. No clicking sounds, no drives going on/off. The drives and docking station are fairly quiet, and rock solid.
I don't doubt that the other reviewer sees this behavior. We all know that computer environments are very complicated, and computers and peripherals are fickle beasts. Maybe the firmware on his docking station is older than mine. Maybe its because I have a different computer than he does. All I wanted to mention is that in my environment, I have never seen those problems.
OK, enough about me not seeing the problems reported by other reviewers. Let me instead switch to why I really like this USB 3.0 SATA docking station.
This docking station lets you use ANY internal SATA hard drives (3.5" or 2.5"), up to 4 of them, and just plug them into the slots. Then, I plug the USB 3.0 cable on the device into one of the USB 3.0 ports on my laptop. Voila! ACRES of disk storage, instantly available, super fast access, with each hard disk having its own drive letter under Windows 7, and I can upgrade the storage capacity at any time by just buying bigger SATA hard drives. I do a lot of video editing work which uses enormous disk storage, plus my computer does nightly backups to large hard disks, so I bought two of these StarTech docking stations and I put 4 SATA hard drives into each of them. I chose monster size SATA hard drives - in my office, each of these StarTech docking stations has three Western Digital Caviar Green 3 TB 5400 RPM SATA III 64 MB Cache Bare/OEM Desktop Hard Drive - WD30EZRX drives and one 4TB Seagate Barracuda XT ST4000DX000 SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive, so I have 13TB of storage on each of my two USB 3.0 ports, for a total of 26TB of external storage connected to my laptop. Sounds crazy, I know, but between video editing, off-the-shelf digital content, and backups, I'm actually using most of that storage already. And I have a growth path - if I need even more storage in the future, I just wait for the SATA hard drive manufacturers to make even bigger drives, and just slip them into the slots on this StarTech docking station. And again, I have been using these two StarTech docking stations for 6 months now, continuously, every day, all the time, and they work great - I've had zero problems.
For me, the big draw of using this USB 3.0 SATA docking station is that you don't lock yourself into the expense and inflexibility of buying a self-contained external hard drive that you might outgrow. For example, in the past I have purchased 4 huge Western Digital external drives, two of them with 4TB of storage, and two of them with 6TB of storage. At the time, I thought each of them was far bigger than I would ever need. But, I outgrew them - I needed more space. With this StarTech docking station, you can buy inexpensive bare internal SATA hard drives, as big as you want, and make your total storage as much as you want. Suppose you want to attach 12TB of external storage to your laptop on a single USB 3.0 port. To my knowledge, there exists no external drive currently on the market with that much storage. Instead, buy this StarTech docking station, and put four bare 3TB SATA internal hard drives in it. 12TB on one USB 3.0 port...done! If you need even more storage in the future, you can upgrade slowly, as your needs and budget allows. You could replace one of the 3TB drives with a 4TB drive (which just recently came on the market), to add an extra 1TB of storage. And when they come out with 6TB and 8TB SATA drives in the future, at a price point that makes sense for you, just pop out the old SATA drives and put in newer, bigger ones, to make even larger, fast external storage available to your laptop.
Plus, if you want to, you really can, trivially easily, pop out one or more of the SATA drives and put in different ones, if your situation calls for that. (Like maybe you keep all the files for each of your clients on a separate SATA drive. Whatever.) It's a piece of cake, and works beautifully.
I don't mean to gush. I have just found this StarTech USB 3.0 SATA docking station to be a reasonably priced, high speed, and extremely reliable solution to an important problem I have of requiring lots of external storage for my laptop. So I wanted to pass along my experience with this product.
By the way, if you don't need 4 external hard drives on one USB 3.0 port, StarTech sells the same product in a 2-drive configuration (StarTech.com SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to Dual 2.5/3.5-Inch SATA Hard Drive Docking Station (SATDOCK22U3S)) and a single drive configuration (StarTech.com SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to SATA Hard Drive Docking Station for 2.5/3.5-Inch Hard Drive SATDOCKU3S (Black)). And, if you get the 4-drive version, you don't have to use all 4 drive slots; you can use any number of slots (including just one). The 4 slots just give you expansion room for the future.
My apologies for the long review. I hope this helps someone. This was my favorite product purchase of any kind in 2011.
See all 19 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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