A Closer Look

Removing the T-5 SS from the packaging the first noticeable thing is the weight of the unit. The steel which the rack is mainly made from is thick, strong, sturdy and has a chrome finish with some texture to it. The front of the unit is made of a thick plastic and features a door with a latch and vent slits. To the left of the front there is a lock with a power indicator on top, and an activity indicator on the bottom of the lock. The HDD rack is made of of three main pieces. The plastic front, the lower steel 5 1/4" bay cage, and the upper steel HDD tray where you insert the HDD into. The cage and the tray are mounted together with screws using thick rubber blocks. This is a brilliant design and has excellent anti-vibration properties.


Opening up the door on the unit reveals the inner workings of the rack. The latch and lock have a good design, with the tab that is connected to the latch and the lock mechanism being separate entities. If someone were to pull the latch with extreme force, the latch would give-way yet the unit will remain locked. The door is connected to a lever which guides the hard disk into the unit and pushes the hard disk out of the unit when the door is opened. The system works very smoothly without any hesitation during the loading/unloading process. Inside the door looking towards the back of the unit you'll find the SATA/SAS connector and power connector which are aligned to accept 3.5" HDD's.


Turning the unit around we find the 40mm fan, the SATA/SAS connectors, and a 4-pin molex connector to power the hard disk and the lights on the front of the rack. The fan is manufactured by EverGrand Electronics Tech. Co. and is rated for 12V ~ 0.07A. The fan does a fine job of exhausting the warm air while drawing in cool air to keep the hard disk cool. Attaching the connectors to the back of the T-5 SS is as easy as attaching any other SATA and power connector.