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Aluminium, two LEDs, and a screwdriver in the box

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.

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 €
Check price on Amazon

Specifications

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

On the listing

A drive enclosure for 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch HDDs and SSDs with a SATA III adapter, in aluminium for optimal heat dissipation, with a 12 V/2 A mains adapter; standard SuperSpeed USB 3.0 connections with a theoretical maximum transfer of 5 Gb/s, supporting SATA III with a bandwidth of up to 6 Gb/s, designed with UASP for solid-state drives; compatibility with Windows from XP, Linux, Android and macOS 10.3 or later, supporting all common 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA I, II and III drives up to 10 TB and backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1; plug and play with hot swap, no restart and no separate driver, with a stable power supply; a stable and robust aluminium alloy, light and of high-grade workmanship, with effective heat dissipation and non-slip rubber feet at the four outer corners, and clear LED indication of operation in blue and mains status in green; and a delivery of the aluminium enclosure, the adapter, a USB 3.0 cable, screws, a screwdriver, rubber feet and instructions.

Metal, where the other one is plastic

Two 3.5-inch enclosures sit on this shelf. One is ABS and this one is aluminium.

That matters more on a 3.5-inch enclosure than on a pocket one, because the drive inside is a spinning mechanism running continuously in a sealed box on a desk, generating heat all day rather than in bursts.

The title and the fourth bullet both name the alloy and credit it with dissipation. No fan is named — there is none on either 3.5-inch enclosure here — so the case is the whole cooling system, and metal is what makes that a plausible arrangement rather than an optimistic one.

The screwdriver

The fifth bullet lists the enclosure, the adapter, a USB 3.0 cable, screws, a screwdriver, rubber feet and instructions.

Read that list twice and the difference from everything else in this lot becomes obvious. Eighteen listings here describe tool-free assembly as a selling point. This one ships a tool.

That is a design decision rather than an omission. A drive held by four screws does not shift when the enclosure is knocked, and a 3.5-inch mechanism that will sit in one place for five years does not need to come out quickly. If drives are going to be swapped often, this is the wrong shape entirely and the docks on the docks shelf of this site are the right one.

Blue and green

The fourth bullet names two LEDs and gives each a colour: operation in blue, mains status in green.

One light tells you less than you think. A single lamp that is off might mean the adapter has failed, the drive has spun down, or the enclosure has been switched off at the wall — and unplugging things is how people find out.

Two lamps separate the power question from the activity question, which on a device with a sleep behaviour is exactly the ambiguity worth resolving.

Ten terabytes, and five gigabits

Two limits, and both are worth reading against the other 3.5-inch enclosure on this shelf.

The capacity ceiling here is 10 TB. The other one states 20 TB. If the drive is a large modern one, that difference decides the purchase on its own.

The interface is USB 3.0 at what the first bullet calls a theoretical maximum of 5 Gb/s — the word theoretical being the maker’s, and a fair one. For a spinning 3.5-inch disc it makes no practical difference, because the mechanism is slower than the port either way.

Before ordering

Check the drive is 10 TB or under, since that is the stated ceiling and it is the lower of the two here. Ask what socket the supplied cable uses, because the page never names one. And expect to use the screwdriver: this is the one enclosure in this lot that is not tool-free.

Availability

Priced from 30 € to 37 € across the German, French, Italian and Spanish Amazon stores the day this page was checked.

In the American and British Amazon catalogues with no live offer against it: the reference exists, nobody is filling it.

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

  • 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
  • UGREEN black 2.5-inch SATA drive enclosure with a detachable USB-C cable

    UGREEN 2.5-inch SATA enclosure, USB C 3.2 Gen 2, UASP, TRIM and S.M.A.R.T., ABS with EVA foam, 50 cm lead

    The enclosure that publishes the small operational details nobody else prints: a sleep timer set at three minutes, a lead measured at 50 cm, and a foam insert holding the drive against scratches.

    Supported drive size
    2.5-inch SATA SSD and HDD — stated in the title and in the first bullet, with the fifth giving a ceiling of 6 TB and naming televisions, routers, a PS5 or PS4, an Xbox, a MacBook, an iMac, a laptop and a PC as hosts
    Supported drive height
    9.5 mm and 7 mm — stated in the fifth bullet as the two heights the enclosure accepts
    Bay count
    One — a single 2.5-inch drive, held by the EVA foam described in the third bullet
    Interface standard
    USB C 3.2 Gen 2 — stated in the title and in the first bullet as a USB C 3.2 Gen 2 port
    Stated link rate
    Up to 6 Gbps — stated in the title and in the first bullet against the USB C 3.2 Gen 2 port. Six gigabits per second is the rate of the SATA III standard the drive speaks rather than of a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, and the listing prints the two against each other
    Connector type
    Type-C — stated in the title and in the first bullet, with the fourth adding that the 50 cm USB-C cable is detachable so that it can be tidied on a desk
    Power source
    From the lead — no mains adapter is named. The second bullet describes the drive being powered down after three minutes of inactivity, which is a power behaviour rather than a supply
    Case material
    ABS plastic with an internal EVA foam pad — stated in the third bullet, which credits the ABS with good heat dissipation and shock resistance and the foam with holding the drive and protecting it from scratches during installation
    Cooling
    Passive — the third bullet credits the ABS housing with good heat dissipation and names no fan and no vent. It adds a built-in protection system against overcurrent, overvoltage and overheating
    UASP support
    Stated — the first bullet names the UASP protocol and says it offers up to 70 % more speed than ordinary USB 3.0 when paired with a UASP-capable host controller. The second adds TRIM and S.M.A.R.T. support
    Tool-free access
    Tool-free — the fourth bullet says the tool-free construction makes fitting or changing the drive quicker and more convenient
    Amazon reference
    B07D2BHVBD (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    6957303821709
    • Publishes the sleep timer as three minutes rather than describing it in words
    • Names the cable length, 50 cm, and says it detaches
    • A 6 Gbps figure quoted against a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, and the two are different links

    Best for: A 2.5-inch drive that lives permanently on a desk beside a computer, where the sleep timer and the short detachable lead both earn their keep.

    ≈ 9 €
    Check price on Amazon
  • YIIFELL black 2.5-inch SATA drive enclosure with a hinged lid and a USB-C plug

    YIIFELL 2.5-inch SATA enclosure, USB C 3.2 Gen 2 and Type-A, 10 Gbps stated, ABS with EVA foam

    A ten-gigabit enclosure with a plug of each kind, a foam-lined ABS shell and a stated protection system against overcurrent, overvoltage and overheating.

    Supported drive size
    2.5-inch SATA SSD and HDD — stated in the title and in the first bullet, which names transferring files between computers, laptops and a PS4 or using it as an external USB drive. The fourth gives a ceiling of 6 TB
    Supported drive height
    9.5 mm and 7 mm — stated in the title and in the fourth bullet as the two heights the enclosure accepts
    Bay count
    One — a single 2.5-inch drive, held by the internal EVA foam described in the fifth bullet
    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
    Stated link rate
    Up to 10 Gbps — stated in the title and in the second bullet as the maximum data transfer rate, alongside UASP SATA III support. It is the joint highest figure on this shelf
    Connector type
    Type-C and Type-A — stated in the title and in the third bullet, which describes connection to laptops, desktops and all-in-one computers
    Power source
    From the lead — no mains adapter is named anywhere on the page, which is the ordinary arrangement for a 2.5-inch enclosure
    Case material
    ABS plastic with an internal EVA foam pad — stated in the fifth bullet, which credits the ABS with excellent heat dissipation and shock resistance and the foam with holding the drive and preventing scratches during installation
    Cooling
    Passive — the fifth bullet credits the ABS housing with heat dissipation and names no fan and no vent, adding a built-in multiple protection system against overcurrent, overvoltage and overheating
    UASP support
    Stated — the second bullet names compatibility with the UASP SATA III transfer protocol and claims it is 70 % faster than conventional USB 3.0. No condition on the host controller is published
    Tool-free access
    Tool-free — the third bullet describes opening the lid, putting the drive in, closing the lid and starting, and says no driver is needed
    Amazon reference
    B0FG23PJSM (same reference on 6 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    6979821800349
    • Ten gigabits stated, at the lowest price on this shelf for that figure
    • Both plug types, so no adapter and nothing to lose
    • No condition published on the 10 Gbps figure, which depends on the port at the other end

    Best for: A fast 2.5-inch solid-state drive on a modern machine, where the ten-gigabit link is the reason for choosing it.

    ≈ 10 €
    Check price on Amazon

Others worth having spare

  • 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 €
    Check price on Amazon
  • RamboCables yellow simplex fibre patch cable with a green LC/APC connector at one end and a green SC/APC connector at the other

    RamboCables 5 m simplex OS2 LC/APC to SC/APC, 9/125 µm, 2.0 mm jacket

    The only lead in this hub that changes connector between its ends, which is what two pieces of equipment that disagree actually need — with both loss figures printed and the polish named against the reflection figure.

    Fibre type
    Single-mode — stated in the first bullet as sm os2, with the central core and its 9/125 micron coating named and a cable diameter of 2.0 mm given alongside
    Fibre grade
    OS2 — stated in the first and third bullets. No G.65x fibre standard is named anywhere on the page
    Connector types at each end
    LC/APC at one end and SC/APC at the other — stated in the title and in the first and third bullets. It is the only lead on this shelf with a different connector at each end
    Simplex or duplex
    Simplex — stated in the title and in the first bullet, which describes a single strand of glass thinner than a copper cable and less susceptible to interference
    Polarity arrangement
    Not published on the listing, and a simplex lead has no pair to cross
    Length
    5 m — stated in the title and in the first bullet. The second says individual lengths of any fibre lead are available on request
    Jacket rating
    LSZH — stated in the fourth bullet as a flame-retardant Low Smoke Zero Halogen sheath, with a cable diameter of 2.0 mm given in the first
    Polish type
    APC — carried by both connector designations. The third bullet quotes an insertion loss of 0.3 dB or less and a return loss of 50 dB or better, with APC named in brackets beside the return loss figure, and states that the lead meets industry standards for reflectivity and insertion loss
    Armouring
    Not published on the listing — no armour is named. The fourth bullet supplies dust caps on every fibre and an operating range of -10 °C to 60 °C instead, and the fifth cites more than fifteen years of manufacturing experience
    Amazon reference
    B0BN3B3VT6 (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    0785366001341
    • The only lead here that changes connector between its ends, which is what two disagreeing devices need
    • Both loss figures are printed, with the polish named against the reflection figure
    • The narrower of the two operating ranges published on this shelf

    Best for: A 5 m run between an SC/APC termination and an LC/APC router port, where a straight-through lead would need an adapter at one end.

    ≈ 12 €
    Check price on Amazon
  • Speedoptic yellow simplex fibre patch cable with green LC/APC connectors

    Speedoptic 10 m simplex single-mode LC/APC to LC/APC, sold on provider compatibility

    The lead for a run that has to cross a flat rather than a cupboard, and the thinnest specification on this shelf: connectors, a length and a list of providers, with the glass itself left entirely undescribed.

    Fibre type
    Single-mode — stated in the title as a simplex single-mode FTTH lead. No core and cladding dimension is published on the listing, and no bullet returns to the subject
    Fibre grade
    Not published on the listing — no OS1 or OS2 designation appears in the title or in any of the four bullets, and no G.65x standard is named. The first bullet offers compatibility with named providers in its place
    Connector types at each end
    LC/APC at both ends — stated in the title and described in the second bullet as high-quality LC/APC connectors credited with a stable connection at low signal loss
    Simplex or duplex
    Simplex — stated in the title. One strand, one connector at each end
    Polarity arrangement
    Not published on the listing, and a simplex lead has no pair to cross
    Length
    10 m — stated in the title. It is the second longest lead on this shelf, behind a 30 m one
    Jacket rating
    Not published on the listing — no LSZH, no PVC and no fire-performance claim appears anywhere. The fourth bullet says instead that the cable is made from high-grade materials and built to withstand daily use over a long service life
    Polish type
    APC — carried by the LC/APC designation in the title and in the second bullet. No angle, no insertion loss and no return loss figure is published
    Armouring
    Not published on the listing — the fourth bullet claims robustness and durability without naming a protective layer, a strength member or a jacket construction
    Amazon reference
    B0DQQCQCDP (same reference on 5 Amazon marketplaces)
    EAN
    3770034512141
    • Ten metres, where four of the seven leads on this shelf are a metre or two
    • Names the providers and the router family it is sold for, which is the question its buyers are actually asking
    • No fibre grade at all, on the second longest lead in this hub

    Best for: A 10 m run from a fibre termination point to a router in another room, where the connector and the length are what the job turns on.

    ≈ 11 €
    Check price on Amazon

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