Well known in enthusiast circles for producing some of the most elegant and exquisite aluminum enclosures on the market, Silverstone has taken their penchant for aluminum construction to the next level. Offering a myriad of computer products built on Silverstone’s commitment to quality and craftsmanship, Silverstone is well versed in designing and manufacturing products that enthusiasts desire most.

Not content with settling on their popular RVS01 2.5” external HDD enclosure, Silverstone has seen fit to introduce their newest 2.5” enclosure, the Treasure Series TS02. Borrowing design features from their successful MS03 3.5” external HDD enclosure, the TS02 features eSATA and USB 2.0 connectivity wrapped in an attractive, brushed-aluminum exterior. Will Silverstone’s newest offering enjoy similar success? Let’s put the TS02 through its paces and find out!

Specifications

Model: Silverstone SST-TS02

Color: Black

Material: Aluminum

Storage Form Factor: 2.5” HDD (9.5mm and 12.5mm compatible)

Internal Interface: SATAI/II

External Interface: USB 2.0 (480Mbp/s max) eSATA (3.0Gbp/s max)

Dimensions: 3.23” x 0.67” x 5.03” (W x H x L)

Weight: 4.40 ounces (net weight without HDD)

Price: $29.00

Having reviewed many external hard drive enclosures in the past, I found the TS02 accessory bundle to be a bit of a conundrum. While Silverstone provides a very nice, 46” long USB 2.0 cable, the lack of an eSATA cable in this bundle is a very curious omission. Why would Silverstone include an eSATA cable with their RVS01 2.5” external HDD enclosure but not the TS02? Both models support 2.5” hard drives and eSATA capability, so why the discrepancy?

In addition to the USB 2.0 cable is a soft cloth carrying pouch, an instruction manual with good photos and directions, and a sheet of Mylar film. From what I can gather from my research of the Mylar film is that it is made by 3M (467MP 200MP), and is used to electrically insulate the hard drive from the inside of the enclosure. The film has been pre-cut to fit any standard 2.5” hard drive and appears to be re-usable.

As with anything made by Silverstone, an enthusiast can expect to see a certain degree of contemporary design coupled with their ubiquitous use of aluminum. In this case, Silverstone takes the 3.5” design of their popular MS03 external HDD enclosure and shrinks it down into a 2.5” hard drive form factor. The result is a very attractive, wave-type design which makes it a breeze to carry and lends a unique flair to the device.

With a white Silverstone logo replete with snowflake design silkscreened on its side, the TS02 is constructed entirely of brushed aluminum, to include the end caps. The only things not made of aluminum are the steel screws that secure them. Therefore, care must be taken not to strip the screw holes as steel is a much harder metal than aluminum. A notable feature of the TS02 is that it offers a Kensington lock on one end, which few other external HDD enclosures do.

Because the TS02 is made of aluminum, you can expect a very light weight, incredibly strong external hard drive enclosure. I found the fit and finish of the enclosure to be superb and the overall craftsmanship of the device is excellent. My concerns for heat dissipation issues inside the TS02 are allayed due to the TS02’s aluminum construction as it offers excellent heat dissipation properties.

While fingerprints are likely to not become a nuisance with the TS02 as they might be with Silverstone’s glossy black MS03, scratches and dings are bound to happen and the TS02 will show these very readily. This isn’t really a drawback per se as long as you keep the enclosure in its carrying pouch when not in use, but for enthusiasts that want their gear looking like new, the TS02 will require extra effort on their part to keep it that way.

Taking a look at the business end of the TS02, we can see that it supports both the eSATA (3.0Gbp/s max) and USB 2.0 (480Mbp/s max) specification, with a green LED showing power and hard drive activity. The enclosure offers plug and play compatibility and is hot swappable.

An additional feature of the TS02 is that it provides support for all current mechanical and SSD hard drives. This includes the 1TB monster hard drive currently offered by Western Digital, as well as support for higher capacity 9.5mm and 12.5mm 2.5” hard drives released in the future.

HDD Device Installation

Installation of a 2.5” hard drive in the TS02 will require the use of a screwdriver. Start by removing the two screws that secure the I/O plate to the enclosure. Remove the end cap and pull out the PCB which includes the SATA data and power connectors, as well as the eSATA and USB 2.0 ports. Grab your hard drive of choice and carefully insert it into the SATA connector on the PCB. Please note that the TS02 supports both 9.5mm and 12.5mm hard drives.

With this complete, peel off the protective backing on the 3M Mylar film and apply it to the bottom of your hard drive. This will prevent the unit from accidentally shorting itself out inside the TS02. Next, align the PCB with the slots inside the TS02 and carefully slide the hard drive in. Replace the I/O panel end cap and secure it using the two screws you removed earlier. Total installation time is less than five minutes and is extremely easy to do.

One thing I noticed soon after I installed a hard drive in the TS02 was that the hard drive demonstrated quite a bit of movement inside the enclosure. The amount of play exhibited by the hard drive in the TS02 was quite alarming and I would not recommend any kind of harsh treatment while the device is powered on and connected to a PC or laptop. While this typically will not affect SSD’s, for those still using mechanical hard drives, this can brick your HDD.

HDD Device Testing

With hard drive installation complete, let’s benchmark three different hard drives: a 5,400RPM 250GB Fujitsu (MHY2250BH), a 7,200RPM 320GB Seagate Momentus (7200.3), and a 16GB Samsung MLC SSD (UM410) in the TS02. I’ll be using the latest version of HDTune (v2.55) with the following test bench set up:

ASUS P5Q Deluxe motherboard

Intel Q6600 processor (B3 stepping, stock)

Super Talent PC2-6400 4GB (2 x 2GB)

MSI RX3870-T2D512E OC videocard

Creative SoundBlaster Audigy2 ZS soundcard

Western Digital 320GB hard drive (WD3200AAKS)

Lite-On iHAS424-08 DVD burner

Lite-On iHDS118-04 optical drive

D-Link DGE-530T NIC

Silverstone SST-TJ03 enclosure (stock fans)

Silverstone FP35 media reader

All tests and benchmarking were conducted in a controlled environment, while ensuring that the ambient air temperature was kept at a consistent 22 degrees Celsius. The eSATA interface on the test bench was provided by Silverstone’s FP35 media reader.

Testing of the TS02 with USB 2.0 connectivity provides data that shows that regardless of hard drive specification, each hard drive easily saturated the bandwidth offered by USB 2.0. This is to be expected of course, as USB 2.0 is due to be replaced by USB 3.0 which offers roughly ten times the bandwidth that its predecessor does.

Results of eSATA testing, however, are much more interesting. The TS02 evenly matches up against other competing 2.5” external HDD enclosure solutions, with the speedy Samsung SSD pulling out an easy win over its lagging mechanical counterparts. While the Fujitsu offers a higher burst rate than the Seagate due to its single platter design, the Seagate, with its higher areal density, has a much higher average transfer rate.

Conclusion

With a new 2.5” external hard drive enclosure added to their lineup, Silverstone’s TS02 looks to be a winner where build quality, craftsmanship, and features matter most. Offering the best of both worlds where data transferring is concerned, the TS02 is a cool customer with a sexy brushed aluminum exterior and lines that would make even Heidi Plum blush with envy.

The inexcusable lack of an eSATA cable in the accessory bundle is a serious misstep for Silverstone however. I can’t think of a reason why an external hard drive enclosure with eSATA wouldn’t include its own data cable. Additionally, I am not thrilled that my hard drive exhibited so much play while inside the TS02. It’s a serious issue, and not like Silverstone at all.

With a street price at around $25 USD, the all-aluminum TS02 sits at a terrific and attractive price point when compared with competing products. Keep in mind that these are products with cheap plastic accents and gaudy lighting effects. Thus, this makes the TS02 a much more appealing choice to discerning enthusiasts who appreciate modern aluminum metal working.

Note: I would like to offer special thanks to Joe Royer, Network Coordinator at Penn State York, for loaning the Samsung SSD for today’s review!