OYEN DIGITAL EN2 + SEAGATE MOMENTUS 7200.4 500GB

Oyen Digital is one of those companies that continue to deliver niche products to the market at great value.  Last year we looked at their EB2, a triple-interface 2.5" enclosure.  Here, we examine the EN2 - also a 2.5" enclosure but only with eSATA and USB 2.0.  Our drive will be Seagate's new Momentus 7200.4, a 500GB monster in both capacity and speed. Oyen is the online retailer who sells it at the lowest street price we've seen. 

Oyen packs the EN2 with just about every accessory you would need.  Here we see what comes inside the box:

Dual USB signal/power cable, dual USB power only cable, eSATA cable, CD, EN2 unit, soft carrying case, DC power adapter

The EN2 can interface to your computer using either USB 2.0 or eSATA.  But since most HDDs require more than 500mA of startup current, a single USB 2.0 port's power is not enough.  Therefore Oyen included a USB Y-cable to provide up to 1000mA of current, more than enough for today's SATA HDDs and the internal bridge board of the EN2.  Now when using the faster eSATA interface, there is a 2nd Y-cable included, designed to draw the same 1000mA of power from 2x USB ports, but only deliver the DC power to the EN2's DC input jack.  Lastly, an included switching 100-240VAC adapter can also provide power to the EN2 if your USB ports are occupied or cannot provide the full 500mA each. 

The COPY button is used in conjunction with the included software

Lightweight enclosure is beautifully designed and solidly made

Very slim design!

Seagate's latest masterpiece, the Momentus 7200.4 - a 500GB 7200RPM HDD!

Amazing specs...

HDTach:  8MB Zones, USB 2.0 interface

HDTach: Variable Zones, USB 2.0 interface.  This test took almost 18 hours to complete each time!

We all know that USB 2.0 can transfer a theoretical maximum of 60MB/s.  But this looks like the chipset is somehow capped at 35 MB/s. 
Could this be the EHCI core in the motherboard southbridge or the USB-SATA bridge ASIC in the EN2?  In either case, the HDD clearly saturates the interface.

Now for a wide-open highway: eSATA!

HDTach:  8MB Zones, eSATA interface

HDTach: Variable Zones, eSATA interface

Wow!  No doubt that the speed crown for 2.5" rotating drives has been passed from the WD Scorpio Black to the Momentus 7200.4!

In the end, the Seagate crushes benchmarks and leaves all other non-SSD HDDs in the dust.  As for the EN2, it is definitely a winner when it comes to portable drives.  Its smaller size compared to the EB2,  incredible value, impressive USB and unhindered eSATA performance make it the smart choice for portable external 2.5" HDDs.  Why risk your data with cheap plastic enclosures?  Get both today at Oyen Digital!