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Two plug types on one lead, and two different rates on one page

BENFEI 2.5-inch SATA enclosure, USB C 3.2 Gen 2 and Type-A, UASP, 7 and 9.5 mm, 18-month warranty

The cheapest enclosure in this hub, with a plug of each kind on the end of it and a drive that slides in behind a cover — and a headline rate that is quoted two different ways.

BENFEI black 2.5-inch SATA drive enclosure with a slide-off cover and a USB-C plug

BENFEI 2.5-inch SATA enclosure, USB C 3.2 Gen 2 and Type-A, UASP, 7 and 9.5 mm, 18-month warranty

The cheapest enclosure in this hub, with a plug of each kind on the end of it and a drive that slides in behind a cover — and a headline rate that is quoted two different ways.

Supported drive size
2.5-inch SATA I, II and III drives — stated in the title and in the first bullet, which names transferring files between computers, to a PS4 or as an external USB drive as its uses. The fourth gives a ceiling of 6 TB
Supported drive height
7 mm and 9.5 mm — stated in the fourth bullet, which says the enclosure is specifically designed for 2.5-inch drives of those two thicknesses
Bay count
One — a single 2.5-inch drive, described in the third bullet as slid in behind a cover that is pushed out and closed again
Interface standard
USB C 3.2 Gen 2, with a Type-A plug as well — stated in the title. The second bullet adds backward compatibility with USB 2.0 and 1.1 ports
Stated link rate
Two figures are published. The title gives up to 6 Gbps; the second bullet gives up to 5 Gbit/s with UASP SATA III support. Neither is withdrawn and the listing does not reconcile them
Connector type
Type-C and Type-A — stated in the title and in the third bullet, which describes the plug design as making connection to a laptop, a phone or a tablet straightforward
Power source
From the lead — no mains adapter is named anywhere, which is the ordinary arrangement for a 2.5-inch enclosure. No current figure is published
Case material
Not published on the listing — no aluminium, no ABS and no plastic is named in any of the five bullets
Cooling
Not published on the listing — no fan, no vent and no heat statement appears. The third bullet describes the cover sliding out and the drive going in, and the material that would carry the heat is not named either
UASP support
Stated — the second bullet names UASP SATA III support and claims it is 70 % faster than conventional USB 3.0. The same maker’s docking station on the docks shelf of this site puts the figure at 20 %
Tool-free access
Tool-free — the third bullet describes sliding the cover out, plugging the drive in, closing the cover and starting, and adds that the enclosure is hot-swappable
Amazon reference
B0C73VYQCW (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
EAN
6971785942868
  • Both plug types on the enclosure, so no adapter is needed for an older machine
  • Publishes both supported drive heights rather than only the thicker one
  • Six gigabits in the title and five in the bullets, with nothing reconciling them

Best for: A spare laptop drive being turned into a pocket disc, on a household with machines of two different ages.

≈ $10 / £7 / 8 €
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Specifications

Supported drive size
2.5-inch SATA I, II and III drives — stated in the title and in the first bullet, which names transferring files between computers, to a PS4 or as an external USB drive as its uses. The fourth gives a ceiling of 6 TB
Supported drive height
7 mm and 9.5 mm — stated in the fourth bullet, which says the enclosure is specifically designed for 2.5-inch drives of those two thicknesses
Bay count
One — a single 2.5-inch drive, described in the third bullet as slid in behind a cover that is pushed out and closed again
Interface standard
USB C 3.2 Gen 2, with a Type-A plug as well — stated in the title. The second bullet adds backward compatibility with USB 2.0 and 1.1 ports
Stated link rate
Two figures are published. The title gives up to 6 Gbps; the second bullet gives up to 5 Gbit/s with UASP SATA III support. Neither is withdrawn and the listing does not reconcile them
Connector type
Type-C and Type-A — stated in the title and in the third bullet, which describes the plug design as making connection to a laptop, a phone or a tablet straightforward
Power source
From the lead — no mains adapter is named anywhere, which is the ordinary arrangement for a 2.5-inch enclosure. No current figure is published
Case material
Not published on the listing — no aluminium, no ABS and no plastic is named in any of the five bullets
Cooling
Not published on the listing — no fan, no vent and no heat statement appears. The third bullet describes the cover sliding out and the drive going in, and the material that would carry the heat is not named either
UASP support
Stated — the second bullet names UASP SATA III support and claims it is 70 % faster than conventional USB 3.0. The same maker’s docking station on the docks shelf of this site puts the figure at 20 %
Tool-free access
Tool-free — the third bullet describes sliding the cover out, plugging the drive in, closing the cover and starting, and adds that the enclosure is hot-swappable
Amazon reference
B0C73VYQCW (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
EAN
6971785942868

On the listing

A 2.5-inch drive enclosure with USB C 3.2 Gen 2 and USB Type-A plugs to SATA III, stated at up to 6 Gbps in the title, for connecting a 2.5-inch SATA I, II or III drive to transfer files between computers, to a PS4 or as an external USB drive; a data transfer rate of up to 5 Gbit/s in the second bullet with UASP SATA III support claimed to be 70 % faster than conventional USB 3.0, backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1; a tool-free installation where the cover slides out, the drive goes in and the cover closes, hot-swappable and needing no driver; support for Windows, Linux and macOS 8.0 and later, designed for 7 mm and 9.5 mm 2.5-inch drives up to 6 TB, with Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, Samsung, Kingston, Crucial and Hitachi named; and an 18-month warranty.

Two rates on one page

The title says 6 Gbps. The second bullet says 5 Gbit/s. Both are printed and neither is withdrawn.

They are not random numbers. Six gigabits per second is the SATA III figure — what the drive speaks inside the box. Five gigabits per second is a USB 3.0-class link — what comes out of the plug.

So the page has published the two ends of the same chain and left them looking like a contradiction. The rule that resolves it is the one this shelf is built on: the slowest link decides, and here that is the USB side rather than the SATA side.

Worth knowing, because a buyer choosing between this and the 10 Gbps enclosure further along this shelf is choosing between two different USB classes and not between two SATA drives.

Two plugs, no adapter

The title and the third bullet describe a Type-C plug and a Type-A plug.

That is the neatest answer to the socket problem on this shelf. One enclosure here ships a separate Type-A adapter and one ships a combined cable; this one simply has both, which means nothing to lose and nothing to remember.

It also means the enclosure works with the new laptop and the old desktop without a second thought, and on the older machine the link runs at whatever that port supports.

Seven millimetres and nine and a half

The fourth bullet publishes both drive heights, and that is the compatibility line that decides whether a drive physically goes in.

Two-and-a-half-inch drives come in those two thicknesses, and a 9.5 mm mechanism in a 7 mm case does not fit at all. Every 2.5-inch enclosure on this shelf names both, which is the standard this family holds itself to and a useful contrast with the M.2 shelf, where one listing names no lengths at all.

Seventy per cent, and twenty

The second bullet claims UASP makes transfers 70 % faster than conventional USB 3.0.

The same maker’s docking station, on the docks shelf of this site, puts the same protocol at 20 %.

Both figures are the maker’s own and both are reported where they appear. The gap is worth noticing not because either is wrong but because it shows what such a percentage is: a claim about a particular measurement in particular conditions, not a property of the protocol. UASP is genuinely worth having. The number attached to it varies by page.

What the page never describes

No case material. No cooling.

Five bullets cover function, speed, design, compatibility and warranty, and none says whether the shell is metal or plastic. Two enclosures on this shelf name aluminium and two name ABS with a foam insert; this one names neither, which leaves the thermal behaviour of a solid-state drive inside it entirely undescribed.

Before ordering

Measure the drive’s thickness against 7 mm or 9.5 mm. Expect the USB side to set the rate rather than the SATA side, whichever of the two figures you read. And if the drive is a fast one, ask what the case is made of — the page does not say.

Availability

Priced from 8 € to 10 € across the German, French, Italian and Spanish Amazon stores the day this page was checked.

It is stocked on the American and British Amazon stores as well, in that country’s own currency. The range above leaves those out: it counts euro stores and no others.

Every figure in this section is what Keepa held on the day this page was last updated. Stock and prices move without warning.

Prices quoted in this text were read on 10 September 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.

More drive enclosures

  • Cable Matters aluminium 2.5-inch SSD enclosure with a USB-C socket

    Cable Matters 2.5-inch aluminium enclosure, USB 3.1 Gen 2, 10 Gbps stated, UASP, TRIM and S.M.A.R.T.

    The aluminium enclosure on this shelf, ten gigabits with the qualification printed alongside, and the only 2.5-inch listing here that names the drives it has been matched to.

    Supported drive size
    2.5-inch SATA SSD or HDD — stated in the first bullet, with the fifth naming Samsung 860 EVO, Kingston A400, SanDisk SSD Plus, Crucial MX500 and WD Blue 3D NAND as compatible drives
    Supported drive height
    Up to 9.5 mm, including 7 mm — stated in the fifth bullet, which gives the two heights as a range rather than as a pair
    Bay count
    One — a single 2.5-inch drive, described in the first bullet as held in a robust aluminium housing
    Interface standard
    USB 3.1 Gen 2 — stated in the title and in the second bullet
    Stated link rate
    Up to 10 Gbit/s with a compatible computer — stated in the third bullet, which adds that this is twice as fast as USB 3.0 and that the maximum SATA III rate of 6 Gbit/s is supported. The compatible-computer clause is the nearest thing on this shelf to a published condition
    Connector type
    Type-C — stated in the second and third bullets, which name a USB-C cable and say a Thunderbolt 3 computer is compatible with it
    Power source
    From the lead — no mains adapter is named, which is the ordinary arrangement for a 2.5-inch enclosure. The fourth bullet calls it a way of adding storage without opening a laptop
    Case material
    Aluminium — stated in the title and in the first bullet, which credits the robust aluminium housing with protecting the drive and supporting heat dissipation
    Cooling
    Passive — the first bullet credits the aluminium with heat dissipation and no fan, vent or thermal pad is named
    UASP support
    Stated — the fourth bullet names UASP, TRIM and S.M.A.R.T., adding that they are supported on compatible computers, drives and operating systems and give higher transfer speeds, better processor use and error detection
    Tool-free access
    Tool-free — stated in the third bullet, which opens by naming the enclosure a tool-free SATA USB-C housing
    Amazon reference
    B07PBD1K4M (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    0818707025154
    • Aluminium at ten gigabits, which is the pairing a fast solid-state drive wants
    • Writes the compatible-computer clause into its own rate claim
    • No thermal pad named, so the drive reaches the aluminium however it happens to

    Best for: A fast 2.5-inch solid-state drive doing long copies, where the metal case is the reason to pay more than the plastic ones here cost.

    ≈ £18 / 27 €
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  • Inateck aluminium 3.5-inch drive enclosure with blue and green status LEDs

    Inateck 3.5-inch aluminium enclosure, USB 3.0 at 5 Gb/s, up to 10 TB, 12 V/2 A adapter, screws and driver supplied

    The only 3.5-inch enclosure here in aluminium rather than plastic, with two separate status LEDs, rubber feet at all four corners and its own screwdriver in the box.

    Supported drive size
    All common 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA I, II and III drives up to 10 TB — stated in the second bullet, alongside compatibility with Windows from XP onwards, Linux, Android and macOS 10.3 or later
    Supported drive height
    Not published on the listing — no 7 mm or 9.5 mm figure appears for the 2.5-inch drives the second bullet also accepts
    Bay count
    One — a single drive. The fifth bullet lists screws and a screwdriver in the delivery, which describes how it is fixed in place
    Interface standard
    USB 3.0 — stated in the title and in the first bullet, which calls them standard SuperSpeed connections and adds backward compatibility with USB 2.0 and 1.1 in the second
    Stated link rate
    A theoretical maximum transfer of 5 Gb/s — stated in the first bullet, which adds that SATA III is supported with a bandwidth of up to 6 Gb/s. The word theoretical is the maker’s own
    Connector type
    Not published on the listing — no Type-C, Type-B or Micro-B socket is named. The fifth bullet lists a USB 3.0 cable in the delivery without describing either end
    Power source
    A 12 V/2 A mains adapter, included — stated in the title and listed in the fifth bullet. The third bullet calls the power supply stable
    Case material
    Aluminium alloy — stated in the title and in the fourth bullet, which calls it stable, robust, particularly light and of high-grade workmanship, with non-slip rubber feet at the four outer corners
    Cooling
    Passive — the title and the fourth bullet credit the aluminium with optimal and effective heat dissipation. No fan, no vent and no thermal pad is named
    UASP support
    Stated — the first bullet says the enclosure is designed with UASP for solid-state drives. No percentage and no condition is published
    Tool-free access
    Not published on the listing — the third bullet describes plug and play and hot swap, which is about the connection rather than the case, and the fifth supplies screws and a screwdriver, which describes a drive that is fixed rather than clipped
    Amazon reference
    B00RCJ54BC (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    6957599312370
    • Aluminium, the only 3.5-inch enclosure here not made of plastic
    • Two separate LEDs, one for operation and one for mains status, with the colours named
    • Not tool-free, which every other enclosure in this lot is

    Best for: A desktop drive living permanently on a shelf, where the case is expected to shed heat quietly and not be opened again.

    ≈ 30 €
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  • ORICO black 3.5-inch drive enclosure with a mains adapter and a USB 3.0 cable

    ORICO 3.5-inch enclosure, USB 3.0 at 5 Gbit/s, up to 20 TB, 12 V/2 A adapter supplied

    The 3.5-inch enclosure that says in capitals that no drive is included, then lists everything that is: a 12 V/2 A adapter, a USB 3.0 lead, a manual and a service card, for drives up to 20 TB.

    Supported drive size
    3.5-inch and 2.5-inch SATA I, II and III drives up to 20 TB — stated in the first bullet, which opens in capitals to say that this is an enclosure only and contains no drive or SSD, and that a 3.5-inch SATA drive must be bought separately
    Supported drive height
    Not published on the listing — no 7 mm or 9.5 mm figure appears for the 2.5-inch drives it also accepts, and 3.5-inch mechanisms are a single height by convention. The first and third bullets give the sizes and the capacity and stop there
    Bay count
    One — a single drive, described in the second bullet as being put into the opened case
    Interface standard
    USB 3.0 — stated in the title and in the second and third bullets, alongside SATA III
    Stated link rate
    Up to 5 Gbit/s — stated in the second bullet as the USB 3.0 data transfer rate
    Connector type
    Not published on the listing — no Type-C, Type-B or Micro-B socket is named. The fifth bullet lists a USB 3.0 data cable in the delivery without saying what is on either end of it
    Power source
    A 12 V/2 A EU mains adapter, included — stated in the third and fifth bullets. A 3.5-inch drive cannot run from the lead alone, which is what makes this line the deciding one on a 3.5-inch enclosure
    Case material
    ABS — stated in the second bullet as robust ABS material, heat-resistant and drop-safe. The fourth adds an integrated anti-shock foam inside to protect the drive
    Cooling
    Passive — no fan and no vent is named. The second bullet calls the ABS heat-resistant and the fourth describes an automatic sleep mode reducing power consumption
    UASP support
    Stated — named in the first and third bullets as UASP support for faster data transfer. No percentage and no condition is published
    Tool-free access
    Tool-free — the second bullet says the case is opened, the drive inserted and connected, with no tool required, and adds plug and play with no restart and no driver
    Amazon reference
    B07QR82L6J (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    6936761849630
    • Twenty terabytes, the highest capacity ceiling anywhere in this lot
    • A full contents list, down to the manual and the service card
    • USB 3.0 at 5 Gbit/s, the slowest interface on this shelf

    Best for: A large desktop hard disc being given a life outside a computer, where capacity matters and the transfer rate does not.

    ≈ 22 €
    Check price on Amazon

Others worth having spare

  • Elfcam long simplex fibre patch cable with green LC/APC connectors at both ends

    Elfcam 30 m simplex OS2 LC/APC to LC/APC, 9/125 µm, 7.5 mm bend radius

    The longest lead in this hub by a wide margin, published with a bend radius and a bend-tolerant fibre conformity — and with two of its own descriptions at odds, on the jacket colour and on the jacket material.

    Fibre type
    Single-mode, 9/125 µm — stated in the title and in the first bullet, which describes the lead as running between a fibre termination point and an ONT
    Fibre grade
    OS2 — stated in the first and fourth bullets, with conformity to G.657.A2 and B2 named in the first and a minimum bend radius of 7.5 mm given immediately beside it
    Connector types at each end
    LC/APC at both ends — stated in the title and in the first bullet, and the fourth adds that every lead is supplied with dust caps
    Simplex or duplex
    Simplex — stated in the title and in the first bullet. One strand, one connector at each end
    Polarity arrangement
    Not published on the listing, and a simplex lead has no pair to cross
    Length
    30 m — stated in the title twice over. The fifth bullet gives the range the lead is sold in, from 0.5 m to 100 m
    Jacket rating
    LSZH — stated in the first bullet. The third then describes the outer sheath as a halogen-free, flame-retardant copolymer and names an inner sheath of PVC, which is the only mention of PVC on the page and sits awkwardly beside the LSZH claim
    Polish type
    APC — carried by the LC/APC designation at both ends. No angle, no insertion loss and no return loss figure is published; the fourth bullet says instead that leads are individually packed and supplied with a measurement report
    Armouring
    Not published on the listing — the third bullet names a filled loose tube and non-metallic strength members, which is a construction rather than an armour, and describes the lead as an indoor cable for laying inside buildings
    Amazon reference
    B091G2CN9D (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    0037603250037
    • Thirty metres, the longest lead on this shelf by a wide margin
    • A minimum bend radius is printed, which matters most on the longest run here
    • The jacket is white in the title and in the first bullet, and yellow in the fourth

    Best for: A long indoor run between a fibre termination point and a router at the other end of a flat, where 30 m of LC/APC is simply what the job needs.

    ≈ £24 / 25 €
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  • FLYPROFiber aqua duplex OM4 fibre patch cable with LC connectors and A and B labelled clips

    FLYPROFiber 1 m duplex OM4 LC to LC, 50/125 µm, UPC polish, A/B labelled clips

    The only multimode lead here with a full reach table behind it — four rates, four distances, all at 850 nm — and the only one on this shelf whose duplex clip is marked A and B so a cabinet can be read at patching time.

    Fibre type
    Multimode, 50/125 µm — stated in the title and in the third bullet, which calls the fibre insensitive to bending, easy to strip and easy to splice
    Fibre grade
    OM4 — stated in the title and in the first bullet, with a bandwidth of 2000 MHz·km at 850 nm given in the second. The first bullet calls OM4 the preferred fibre specification for 40G and 100G applications
    Connector types at each end
    LC at both ends — stated in the title and in the first bullet, which names 40G BIDI SR, 10G SR, QSFP+ and SFP+ transceivers as what it is meant to join
    Simplex or duplex
    Duplex — stated in the title as 40 GB/100 GB Duplex and in the first bullet as an LC-LC duplex patch cable
    Polarity arrangement
    Embossed A and B position labels on the duplex clip and on the marking ring — stated in the fourth bullet, whose stated purpose is quick identification of Tx and Rx during installation, testing and fault finding. Whether the pair is supplied crossed is not published on the listing; the same bullet names adjustable connector clips, which is how a pair is rearranged by hand
    Length
    1 m — stated in the title, which also gives the range the lead is sold in, from 0.2 m to 100 m
    Jacket rating
    LSZH — stated in the title and in the fourth bullet, which calls the jacket an environmentally friendly LSZH sheath
    Polish type
    UPC — stated in the fourth bullet as a high-grade UPC polish on zirconia ceramic ferrules made in Japan. The third bullet quotes an insertion loss of 0.3 dB or less and a return loss of 30 dB or better
    Armouring
    Not published on the listing — no armour is named. The third bullet gives a minimum bend radius of 7.5 mm instead, and offers the lead for cabinets requiring twenty or more bends and for high-density installations in very small spaces
    Amazon reference
    B09C224CLK (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    0649910317572
    • Four ethernet distances at four rates, all quoted at 850 nm, the fullest reach table on this shelf
    • A and B labels embossed on the clip and the marking ring, so Tx and Rx can be read by eye
    • The four distances belong to the fibre, and the lead in the bag is 1 m long

    Best for: A short OM4 hop between two SFP+ cages in the same cabinet, where the A and B labels earn their keep every time the patching changes.

    ≈ 8 €
    Check price on Amazon
  • HB-DIGITAL yellow duplex fibre patch cable with green LC/APC connectors at both ends

    HB-DIGITAL 1 m duplex OS2 LC/APC to LC/APC, 9/125 µm, LSZH

    The cheapest lead on this shelf and one of the best documented, with a sub-grade named, both loss figures printed and a connector standard cited by number — and no word at all about which way its two strands are arranged.

    Fibre type
    Single-mode, 9/125 µm — stated in the title and in the first bullet, which calls it a high-grade single-mode fibre patch cable
    Fibre grade
    OS2, with the sub-grade G657.A2 named in brackets in the first bullet. Three of the seven leads on this shelf qualify their grade with a G.65x designation and this is one of them
    Connector types at each end
    LC/APC at both ends — stated in the title and in the first bullet, which names the duplex connectors explicitly
    Simplex or duplex
    Duplex — stated in the title, and described in the third bullet as two 2.0 mm fibre lines in a stable parallel arrangement, quoted as 2 × 2.0 mm, said to suit applications with double or redundant connections
    Polarity arrangement
    Not published on the listing — nothing says whether the pair arrives crossed, and no A or B marking is described anywhere. The third bullet describes the parallel construction and stops there
    Length
    1 m — stated in the title. Three of the seven leads on this shelf are 1 m and this is one of them
    Jacket rating
    LSZH — stated in the title and in the fourth bullet, which spells out Low Smoke Zero Halogen and calls the material flame-retardant and low-smoke, suited to interiors, public buildings and technical installations
    Polish type
    APC — carried by the LC/APC designation at both ends. The first bullet quotes an insertion loss of 0.3 dB or less and a return loss of 60 dB or better, the highest return loss figure published on this shelf
    Armouring
    Not published on the listing — no armour, no steel braid and no rodent protection is named. The fifth bullet offers manufacture to IEC 61754-20, testing of every lead for insertion and return loss, and an operating range of -40 °C to +85 °C instead
    Amazon reference
    B0G1YV54TB (same reference on 4 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    4063328061418
    • Both loss figures are printed, and the return loss figure is the highest quoted here
    • The grade is qualified as G657.A2 rather than left at two characters
    • Polarity is never described, on a duplex lead where it decides whether the link comes up

    Best for: The short hop between a fibre termination point and an ONT, where both ends are already LC/APC and a metre is all the run needs.

    ≈ 7 €
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