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Product:
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VIZO MTP-101 Master Panel |
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Price:
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$32 (CDN) / $28 (U.S)
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Supplied By:
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VIZO Technology
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Author:
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Mars
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Date:
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March 14th, 2006
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Rating:
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Testing:
Installation of the MTP-101 Master Panel is an easy task. If you plan to use the IDE, SATA, and eSATA ports on the
front you must connect all three SATA ports on the rear of the panel to your motherboard’s SATA headers. The panel
uses a 4-pin floppy type power connector.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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The supplied power cable has both SATA and standard 4-pin power connectors and is sleeved. The supplied SATA data cable has
a locking tab on it to prevent accidental disconnection.
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Click image for larger view
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Click image for larger view
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Once the panel is installed and wired up, you can now connect your hard drive or external enclosure by way of IDE,
SATA or eSATA. Turn the power on for the panel by way of the ON-OFF switch and begin to back up your files with
ease at full SATA transfer speeds.
For those that do not know what eSATA is, I have quoted some information from SATA-IO
website:
Initially SATA was designed as an internal or inside-the-box interface technology, bringing improved performance and
new features to internal PC or consumer storage. Creative designers quickly realized the innovative interface could
reliably be expanded outside the PC, bringing the same performance and features to external storage needs instead of
relying on USB or 1394 interfaces. Called external SATA or eSATA, customers can now utilize shielded cable lengths
up to 2 meters outside the PC to take advantage of the benefits the SATA interface brings to storage. SATA is now out
of the box as an external standard, with specifically defined cables, connectors, and signal requirements released as
new standards in mid-2004. eSATA provides more performance than existing solutions and is hot pluggable.
- Key benefits of eSATA:Up to 6 times faster than existing external storage solutions: USB 2.0, & 1394
- Robust and user friendly external connection
- High performance, cost effective expansion storage
- Up to 2 meter shielded cables and connectors
Applications: External Direct Attached Storage for notebooks, desktop, consumer electronics and entry servers.
Many existing external hard drives use USB and/or 1394. These interfaces are not nearly as fast as SATA when compared using
peak values, and can compromise drive performance.
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Conclusion:
The VIZO MTP-101 Master Panel is a niche product with limited application, but if you have a need to connect a stand
alone hard drive or an external SATA hard disk enclosure such as VIZO’s Luxon enclosures, this product is worth the
upgrade. The speed benefits of SATA vs USB or IEEE 1394 are quite great, plus the ability to plug in either SATA or
IDE devices at the front of the computer for sharing or backing up files offers great convenience. Despite the fact
the user manual is poorly written and offers no real usefulness. Overall, the VIZO MTP-101 Master Panel is well built
and stylish. I am awarding the VIZO MTP-101 Master Panel a final rating of 8 out of 10.
If you have any questions regarding this review, be sure to visit the
VIZO Technology website for more information or discuss them in our
forums.
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Pros:
- Offers great convenience
- Simplifies external SATA enclosure hook-up
- Offers maximum transfer speed of the hard disk
- Quality build and finish
- Included cables are top quality
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Cons:
- Poorly written user manual
- Limited application
- Not plug and play friendly
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