Page 2 - A Closer Look, Installation
The back of the Thermaltake Silver River DUO. From the left is a standard square USB connector (Usually seen in printers and scanners), an eSATA port for computers with eSATA connectors, DC power input, and a power switch. The middle is a switch to switch between USB and eSATA connection but only relevant to when using IDE hard drives. According to Peter over at Thermaltake, it is irrelevant when using an SATA hard drive inside the enclosure.
To begin installation of the hard drive, remove both screws on the sides of the Silver River DUO as shown on the photo above. Remember, the screwdriver is included!
Slide the hard drive into place and apply all four screws; also included out of the box. The rails use a screwdriver strip instead of holes, so it can be a bit flexible in terms of disk placement. Connect power and data interface to your hard drive, and slide it back into the enclosure. Put the screws you previously removed back in, and installation is complete. Quick and simple.
After installation of my internal disk, I shook the Thermaltake Silver River DUO enclosure slightly. I could hear my hard drive colliding with the side of the enclosure, in which I believe that a tighter hold is possible and definitely more preferable. However, I traveled long distances (We are talking 300+ kilometers) and experienced no issues, so the significance of this is really up to you.
The opposite end of the Silver River DUO enclosure in relative to the connection panel. The Thermaltake logo serves as a power and access LED -- and intelligently changes color as the drive status changes; such as access (Purple) or idle (Blue). Cool.
The clear plastic stand is removable and relocatable to your preference. You can choose to place the drive horizontally; and the Silver River DUO can be used to stack one on top of another if placed in this orientation due to the implementation of legs at the bottom and accommodation holes at the top.
As a standard USB mass storage device or eSATA storage device, you won't need the drivers if you are under Windows 2000, XP, or Vista. I have experienced zero problems with my computer detecting the Thermaltake Silver River DUO with a hard drive inside, so this brings us smoothly to our tests and benchmarks.
Page Index
Page 1 - Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
Page 2 - A Closer Look, Installation
Page 3 - Test System, Benchmark Results
Page 4 - Conclusion
