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October 12, 2007
FirmTek Ultra-Quiet Dual Bay eSATA Enclosure
A review of the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 Dual Bay Hot Swap eSATA Enclosure
By Arthur Whalem
Image courtesy of FirmTek
AMUG has updated its FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 review with new Mac Pro and PowerMac G5 performance data. We thought this might be of interest to Macintosh users as FirmTek is currently offering a 15% off discount, for a limited time, to all Apple User Group members worldwide on all of their external storage bundles. AMUG members can obtain the FirmTek discount code from the AMUG Members Only page. We hope you enjoy this awesome storage expansion deal. Not an AMUG member yet? Join here.FirmTek is shipping the SeriTek/2EN2 dual-bay hot-swap external eSATA Enclosure ($199.95). This enclosure features a well built case made from brushed & anodized extruded aluminum. The enclosure is 4.75" wide, 2.85" high and 9.1" deep. It weighs 2 pounds 10 ounces empty. Once you install two 3.5" SATA hard drives into the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure, it weighs approximately 5 pounds 6 ounces. The SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure utilizes an external power supply and includes a quiet, three speed, 40x40x10mm cooling fan. The SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure is compatible with direct connect external Serial ATA host adapters that support eSATA connections. It supports data transfer rates of up to 300MB/sec per drive. The small size of the SeriTek/2EN2 makes it a great mobile eSATA data solution.
The SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure is also available in several bundles. The two port eSATA PCI-Express host adapter model SeriTek/2ES2-E for the Apple Mac Pro can be purchased with the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure. The model number for this bundle is the SeriTek/2SEN2-E ($289.95). This setup provides a high quality, hot swap, two bay external SATA setup for any PowerMac G5 or Mac Pro with an available PCI-Express slot.Several other bundles are also available:
SeriTek/2eVEN2-1 - Two-Bay Ext. Bundle with 4-Port Host Adapter ($329.95)
SeriTek/2ENSM2 - External Bundle for Notebooks ($279.95)
SeriTek/2ENSM2-E - External Bundle for MacBook Pro ($309.95)
SeriTek/1SEN2 - External Bundle for PowerMac with 2 port PCI ($259.95)
System Requirements
Macintosh, Windows or Linux computers.
Requires external shielded SATA ports with direct connect support.
Requires up to two external SATA 3.5" hard drives.
Backward compatible with SATA-1 to eSATA cables.
Connections
The SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure requires a SATA host adapter to be utilized with an Apple Mac Pro, PowerMac or a PC. It can be used with a SATA host adapter like the SeriTek/2ES2-E PCI Express model for Mac Pro and PCI-Express PowerMac G5 models built after October 19, 2005. PowerMac G5 PCI-X models can utilize the 64-bit FirmTek SeriTek/1eVE4 PCI card which has four external eSATA ports or the 32-bit SeriTek/1eSE2 two port eSATA host adapter. Cardbus compatible notebooks can utilize the FirmTek Cardbus for PowerBook or the FirmTek ExpressCard 34 adapter for MacBook Pro users. All of these options allow users to experience the high performance of the SeriTek/2EN2 dual bay enclosure.
The rear panel of the SeriTek/2EN2 includes an on/off switch and a power connector on the left side. On the right side, a three speed fan switch and two eSATA ports are provided. The enclosure comes with two eSATA to eSATA cables, hard drive screws, two removable trays and a key. As the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure has eSATA "I type" connectors on the back, users will need to use SATA "L type" to eSATA "I type" shielded external cables if they are using a host adapter with SATA "L type" connectors.
InterfaceThe SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure provides hard drive detection and activity lights on the left side of each hard drive tray. The activity light provided by the SeriTek/2EN2 tray is dependant on the hard drive installed also supporting this feature. All of the new large capacity hard drives tested during this review, work with the 2EN2 activity lights. However, some older drives may not display the activity light. The only hard drive available that would not work with the activity light feature was a Seagate 160GB 7200.7 model ST3160023AS.
The hard drive mounting trays utilized in the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 also work with the dual bay FirmTek SeriTek/1EN2 and the four bay SeriTek/2EN4 enclosures. This compatibility feature is very nice for users with several FirmTek enclosures. The FirmTek drive trays screw to the bottom of the hard drive making them very easy to install. With the use of additional trays ($22.95) users can expand their storage capacity and still maintain fast hard drive switching capabilities. Hot swapping hard drives between FirmTek enclosures is quick and easy. The rear power switch on the upper right side of the SeriTek/2EN2 is easily accessed and is separated from the eSATA connections. This setup allows the users hands to stay away from the data cables while turning the enclosure on and off.
AcousticsThe three speed fan provided with the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 is a very nice feature. The enclosure fan is silent using the "Low" setting, while "Medium" and "High" settings provide more airflow to the hard drives. Moving the fan selector switch all the way to the left while facing the back of the enclosure places the fan setting on "Low". Any noise heard will be the hard drives accessing data. Placing the fan selector switch in the middle is the "Medium" setting which is still much quieter than a PowerMac G5 Dual. Moving the fan switch all the way to the right places the fan on "High". Even on the "High" setting the enclosure is still quiet, but the fans can just start to be heard above the sound of a PowerMac G5 Dual.
The ability to control the enclosure fan speed provides the user with much more acoustical control of the computing environment. The "Low" setting could be used for quiet recording, listening sessions or sleep mode. Once the session is over, the user can turn up the fan setting which provides the hard drives with a cooler environment. The balance of acoustics and cooling is placed in the hands of the user with the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure. This feature is found in very few SATA enclosures on the market today. Having the ability to use sleep mode with a totally silent dual SATA enclosure attached is a very nice option.
CoolingThe cooling fan provided with the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 is a 40x40x10mm fan. It is rated to provide air flow of up to eight cubic feet per minute. However, the three position fan selector switch reduces the speed of the fan significantly.
I wanted to determine what the hard drive temperature readings would be with two SATA hard drives mounted in the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure. For this test, two Maxtor Maxline III 300GB SATA II hard drives model 7V300F0 were mounted in the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure. The enclosure was connected to a PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0 running Mac OS X and worked very hard continuously duplicating two video files in a folder with a size of 4.2GB. After 90 minutes the hard drive temperatures were recorded using Hardware Monitor. Next, the enclosure was left idle for 60 minutes but still mounted on the desktop without sleep mode. This allows me to determined how the enclosure might cool down. This process was completed with each fan speed setting and recorded in the table below.
SeriTek/2EN2 Enclosure Hard Drive Heat Test
| Temperature | Low | Medium | High |
| After 90 minutes Duplicating | |||
| Top Bay | 127.4 | 120.2 | 118.4 |
| Bottom Bay | 129.2 | 122 | 120.2 |
| After 60 min. idle (no sleep) | |||
| Top Bay | 118.4 | 111.2 | 109.4 |
| Bottom Bay | 118.4 | 111.2 | 109.4 |
Hardware Monitor was used to provide the temperature readings of the Maxtor Maxline III hard drives in the table above in Fahrenheit. As you can see, the three speed fan control provided approximately a nine degree difference in hard drive temperatures. In addition, the anodized extruded aluminum enclosure was able to cool down between 9-11 degrees during the 60 minute idle period. Most hard drive manufacturers indicate that temperatures of 131 to 140 degrees are within their operating range.
The mounting feet on the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure can be placed on the side or the bottom. Using the enclosure vertically may provide superior cooling capability. However, a vertical setting may not be as sturdy if you are using the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure in a mobile setting. With the size of this dual bay enclosure being one of the smallest in its class, I would expect mobile usage of this enclosure to grow.
While the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure is not the coolest fan capable enclosure, it is certainly the quietest with the "Low" fan setting. Consider the fact that the fan speed can be increased for better cooling and you start to realize that the acoustical user control of the SeriTek/2EN2 eSATA enclosure is an excellent feature.
Backplane Mounting
The SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure features direct backplane SATA hard drive mounting. If you remove the two hard drive trays and look inside the backplane board can be seen.
As you slide the SeriTek/2EN2 hard drive trays into the enclosure, the rear of the SATA hard drive connects directly to the SATA connector on the circuit board. Openings are cut into the board for ventilation and the fan is mounted on the rear cover plate. The rear of the circuit board provides the eSATA connectors for the external eSATA cables to attach to. No internal SATA cables are required with the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure design. This setup allows the SeriTek/2EN2 to be one of the smallest dual bay eSATA enclosures available.
The use of SATA backplane mounting reduces the number of connections between the hard drives and the host adapter. Using direct backplane mounting does not usually result in faster performance. However, it does allow for a smaller enclosure size, reduces electromagnetic interference and reduces the possibility of slower performance from poor SATA connections. Hard drive performance with an SATA setup is primarily governed by the speed of the host adapter. Some host adapters will perform marginally different with various enclosures and cables, but the primary performance component of any SATA hard drive system is the host adapter and the hard drives installed.Booting
One feature that all of the FirmTek SATA host adapter cards have in common is the ability to boot from each port on the host adapter using a PowerMac G4 or G5. If you are trying to make a bootable backup of your hard drive, the FirmTek host adapter allows you to test it while the backup drive is mounted on the host adapter. Non-bootable cards do not have this capability. If the main internal drive fails, PowerMac users can boot from the backup hard drive mounted in the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure. Next, reformat the main internal hard drive and copy the backup drive data to the main internal boot drive. When purchasing a SATA host adapter, selecting one with boot capability will provide more functionality.
Energy Usage
According to the Kill-a-Watt electricity usage monitor, the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure uses 2 watts when the enclosure is turned on but empty. It also uses 2 watts when the adapter is plugged in and the enclosure is turned off. Adding a single Maxtor 300GB SATA II hard drive increases the energy usage to 12 watts while idle. Once two Maxtor 300GB SATA II hard drives are mounted inside the enclosure the power usage increases to 20 watts while idle. When a two drive Maxtor 558GB striped RAID set begins copying lots of data, the power usage rises to between 27-29 watts. Any size 3.5" SATA hard drive can be used with the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure. However, energy usage will be slightly different.
PerformanceThe SeriTek/2SE2-E host adapter with firmware version 5.3.0 was installed in slot 4 of a Mac Pro 2.66 GHz, running Mac OS X 10.4.10. Two Western Digital 500GB RE2 model WD5000YS 3.5" SATA hard drives were installed in the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure. DiskTester 10GB read and write tests were performed using a run area test on the 930GB formatted striped RAID set. DiskTester 2.0 measures the combined performance of the striped RAID set and the Mac OS X operating system. It is a Terminal application. Using the command: ./disktester run-area-test --chunk-size 128M --test-size 10G --delta-percent 10 DriveName, puts DiskTester to work testing how the RAID will perform when empty, 10% full, 20% full and so on. The chart below also compares the results of the FirmTek SeriTek/2SE4 PCI-X SATA host adapter in a PowerMac G5 Dual 2.0 GHz with the same hard drives and the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure.
WD 500GB RE2 Dual Drive 930GB Striped RAID - DiskTester 10GB Test
| Mac Pro 2.66 | SeriTek/2SE2-E | PowerMac G5 2.0 | SeriTek/2SE4 | |
| Area Full | write | read | write | read |
| empty | 137 | 135 | 137 | 139 |
| 10% | 136 | 135 | 136 | 136 |
| 20% | 133 | 133 | 133 | 133 |
| 30% | 129 | 130 | 130 | 130 |
| 40% | 125 | 125 | 125 | 125 |
| 50% | 119 | 119 | 119 | 119 |
| 60% | 111 | 111 | 111 | 111 |
| 70% | 103 | 103 | 103 | 103 |
| 80% | 94.5 | 94.8 | 94.4 | 94.8 |
| 90% | 83.3 | 83.5 | 83.3 | 83.5 |
| 100% | 72.9 | 73.2 | 72.9 | 73.2 |
| Average | 113 | 113 | 113 | 113 |
| Ports | 2 | 4 | ||
| Type | PCI-Express | PCI-X |
As you can see in the DiskTester results above, the Western Digital 500GB RE2 striped RAID set performs very well. It provides approximately 137MB/sec read and write performance while mounted in the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure. Using the SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure with the SeriTek/2SE2-E or the SeriTek/12SE4 host adapter provides almost identical performance results when used in slot 4.
SeriTek/2EN2 Versus Seagate FreeAgent Pro USB/eSATA
The high performance benefit of SATA hard drives has drawn several competitors to the external SATA enclosure market. Seagate has introduced the FreeAgent Pro that supports both USB and eSATA connections. AMUG wanted to find out how the Seagate FreeAgent Pro 500GB (model ST305004FPA1E2-RK) performance might compare to the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure. The tables below display the performance differences between using a 500GB Seagate FreeAgent Pro with the eSATA interface on a Mac Pro 2.66 GHz compared to using a single hard drive in the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure.Seagate FreeAgent 500GB eSATA Performance - DiskTester 1GB Test
| Mac Pro 2.66 | 2SE2-E | SiImage | E4P | 2.1.2 | Mac Pro | Motherboard |
| Hard Drive | Seagate | 500GB | Seagate | 500GB | Seagate | 500GB |
| Area Full | write | read | write | read | write | read |
| empty | 53.5 | 52.2 | 59.7 | 54.5 | 75 | 45.1 |
| 10% | 57.5 | 51.9 | 59.3 | 56.5 | 46.4 | 45.9 |
| 20% | 57.8 | 52.7 | 59.6 | 56.5 | 45.8 | 44.8 |
| 30% | 57.5 | 53.1 | 60.1 | 57.1 | 45 | 44 |
| 40% | 57.9 | 54.9 | 59.2 | 58.3 | 43.5 | 44.4 |
| 50% | 57.8 | 56.7 | 54.8 | 57.7 | 42.3 | 43.2 |
| 60% | 56.6 | 55.7 | 56.3 | 56.1 | 40.6 | 41.4 |
| 70% | 53.2 | 54.3 | 54.3 | 52.6 | 39.2 | 38.2 |
| 80% | 50.3 | 49.1 | 49.9 | 49.5 | 36.5 | 36.5 |
| 90% | 45.6 | 44.9 | 45.7 | 44.7 | 33.5 | 33.3 |
| 100% | 38.9 | 38.9 | 39.5 | 38.9 | 29.7 | 29.2 |
| Average | 53.3 | 51.3 | 54.4 | 53 | 43.4 | 40.5 |
| PCIe Ports | 2 | 4 | 2 | |||
| Host MSRP | $99.95 | $299 | Included |
As you can see in the table above, the Seagate FreeAgent Pro 500GB provides 15-30% slower performance than the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 single drive tests. One problem with the FreeAgent Pro is that it provides slow performance with the extra SATA ports on the Mac Pro motherboard and mediocre performance with SATA host adapters. Another issue with the FreeAgent Pro is that the SATA interface may not work with all SATA host adapters. Sonnet has recently released driver version 2.1.2 for the Tempo E4P with support for the FreeAgent Pro. FirmTek is still working on an update. However, a SiImage application is available from FirmTek that allows the FreeAgent Pro to work with FirmTek cards using Silicon Image drivers in the meantime.
FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 Single Drive Performance - DiskTester 1GB Test
| Mac Pro 2.66 | 2SE2-E | 5.3.0 | E4P | 2.1.2 | Mac Pro | Motherboard |
| Hard Drive | Seagate | 320GB | Seagate | 320GB | WD RE2 | 500GB |
| Area Full | write | read | write | read | write | read |
| empty | 75.5 | 75.1 | 74 | 76.2 | 69.1 | 68.4 |
| 10% | 73 | 75 | 74.5 | 75.1 | 68.3 | 68 |
| 20% | 72.9 | 73.2 | 73.3 | 73.2 | 66.5 | 66.6 |
| 30% | 71.9 | 71.2 | 72 | 71 | 64.7 | 64.9 |
| 40% | 69.2 | 68.2 | 68.7 | 68.2 | 62.3 | 62.6 |
| 50% | 66.2 | 65.6 | 65.8 | 65.3 | 59.7 | 59.2 |
| 60% | 61.3 | 61.3 | 61.1 | 61 | 56.1 | 55.7 |
| 70% | 57.7 | 58.1 | 57.9 | 58.1 | 51.9 | 51.4 |
| 80% | 52.2 | 51.7 | 52.3 | 52 | 47.8 | 47.4 |
| 90% | 46.7 | 46.3 | 46.4 | 46.3 | 42 | 41.7 |
| 100% | 39.2 | 39.4 | 39.5 | 39.4 | 36.3 | 36 |
| Average | 62.4 | 62.3 | 62.3 | 62.4 | 56.8 | 56.5 |
| PCIe Ports | 2 | 4 | 2 | |||
| Host MSRP | $99.95 | $299 | Included |
The FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 works with a wide variety of SATA host adapters and requires no special drivers as it uses a standard direct connect design. The SeriTek/2EN2 two bay enclosure allows the user to install and hot swap any brand of hard drive. These features provide users with the ability to install high performance hard drives and utilize the same enclosure to hot swap an unlimited amount of drives in and out as needed. The results of these tests demonstrate that multi-interface eSATA enclosures like the Seagate FreeAgent can provide significantly slower performance and much less flexibility than the FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 design provides.
The FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 is a small, powerful, well built enclosure for mounting up to two SATA hard drives externally. The hot swap drive trays allow users to replace hard drives with very little effort. The fact that FirmTek enclosures utilize the same hard drive trays makes moving hard drives from one computer setup to another simple. No screws or extra mounting issues to deal with. Just eject the tray and re-insert it into another FirmTek enclosure.The FirmTek Cardbus for the PowerBook and the FirmTek SATA ExpressCard 34 adapter designed for MacBook Pro users allows the small SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure to be a favorite among mobile users that want to take additional storage with them. Users that are interested in reading more about the performance of the FirmTek SATA ExpressCard 34 adapter with the SeriTek/2EN2 you should check out the Barefeats article.
The FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 enclosure is one of the quietest dual SATA solutions that AMUG has tested. The new three position fan selector switch allows users to dial in the desired acoustical hard drive setup for their particular needs. If you require silence, the "Low" setting will accommodate you. If later your needs change and you want the fans to run a little faster you can simply switch the fan setting to "Medium" or "High". The fact that the user has control over the fan setting adds value to this wonderful two bay enclosure. Users in the audio recording and HD video capture/playback industries might think this enclosure was designed for them - and they would be right.
Pros
Supports Macintosh, Windows or Linux computers.
Mounts up to two external SATA drives.
Hot swappable with a FirmTek host adapter.
Hard drive power and activity lights on trays.
Allows data transfer to both drives simultaneously.
Three way user selectable fan switch.
Includes eSATA connections and cables.
Supports SATA I and SATA II hard drives.
Can be used with RAID or individual drives.
Can be used with boot drives with a FirmTek SATA card.
Performs faster than FireWire 800 in most situations.
Can provide faster performance than Seagate FreeAgent.
Uses the same trays as the FirmTek 1EN2 and 2eEN4 enclosures.
Drive trays are easy to install.
Additional trays are available.
Supports deep sleep with a FirmTek SATA card.
Less than 5.5 pounds loaded with hard drives.
Direct backplane mounting.
Great for mobile use.
Ultra Quiet operation.
Cons
Hard drives may operate warmer than when mounted in a PowerMac G5 but still within the hard drive manufacturers temperature specifications.
FirmTek SeriTek/2EN2 gets 5 AMUGs out of 5!
The SeriTek/2EN2 is a high quality dual bay hot swap eSATA enclosure that has a very small foot print and lots of features. If you are looking for a mobile eSATA dual bay solution, the SeriTek/2EN2 should be at the top of your list. User selectable fan control, hot swap capability, great construction and a very small size makes the SeriTek/2EN2 a perfect match for any external SATA use. SeriTek enclosures are direct backplane designed while many other
enclosures still require internal SATA cables to connect between the backplane and the rear of the enclosure. This design adds stability to the enclosure and less cable clutter. Direct backplane design is just one example of the engineering you can expect from FirmTek. You can read more details about this product at http://www.firmtek.com/seritek/seritek-2en2/.Contact Information:
FirmTek, LLC
29300 Kohoutek Way #120
Union City CA 94587
Tel: 510.675.9800
http://www.firmtek.com
FirmTek Special Offer - (Requires Discount Coupon)
AMUG Members can save $25 on the SeriTek/2EN2 ($199.95 retail), or 15% off on all FirmTek External Storage Bundles by inserting the MUG discount code into the comments section of the FirmTek order page. The discount code can be found in the AMUG members only area. This special deal provides the SeriTek/2SEN2-E Two-Bay External eSATA Bundle with 2-Port PCI Express (PCIe) Host Adapter (normally $289.95) for $246.46 with the MUG coupon. Mac Pro users save over $40 with this deal.
Apple PowerMac G4 and G5 users with PCI and PCI-X slots can benefit from the SeriTek/2eVEN2-1 Two-Bay External eSATA Bundle with 4-Port Host Adapter bundle (normally $329.95) for $280.46 with the MUG coupon. Or they can select the SeriTek/2eSEN2 bundle with a 2-Bay eSATA enclosure and a two port host adapter (normally $289.95) for $246.46.
Apple MacBook Pro users with an ExpressCard/34 slot can purchase the SeriTek/2ENSM2-E bundle which includes one SeriTek/2EN2 external dual-bay hot-swap SATA enclosure, and one SeriTek/2SM2-E ExpressCard adapter (normally $309.95) for $263.46 with the MUG coupon.
Place orders at http://www.store.yahoo.com/firmtek/ and enter the code found in the AMUG members only area, into the comments section of the FirmTek order page. This promotional code will expire January 30, 2008. FirmTek will adjust the price of the External Storage Bundle when the order is processed.
Copyright 2007
Arizona Macintosh Users Group, Inc. (AMUG)
Visit AMUG at www.amug.org for computer news, and resources.
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Additional Resources
AMUG FirmTek SeriTek/2SE2-E SATA PCIe Host Adapter Review
AMUG FirmTek SeriTek/2SE4 PCI-X SATA Host Adapter Review
AMUG FirmTek SeriTek/1eVE4 Host Adapter Review Review
Barefeats FirmTek SATA ExpressCard/34 Host Adapter for MacBook Pro Review
AMUG FirmTek SeriTek/2eEN4 eSATA 4 Bay Enclosure Review