Conclusion & Final Thoughts

Given my benchmarks, it's safe to say that StarTech.com's four bay SATABAY425BK 5.25" SATA/SAS backplane is fantastic addition to any desktop, workstation, or server. The unit does not impede on disk performance, and the dual 40mm rear fans keep the drives cool.

The SATABAY425BK offers compatibility with both serial-attached SCSI (SAS) and serial-attached ATA (SATA), and I can even mix and match drives if I wanted. In this way, the SATABAY425BK isn't meant for adding low-end laptop drives to your system, but rather gives me the ability to add some real performers with SAS drives running 10,000-15,000 RPM. Or, if I had the money, I could also add a few solid state drives.

The possibilities are endless, but if you're like me, you'd probably drool at the idea of utilizing two of these units to built an 8-drive SAS array in RAID5. Even with only as single unit and four drives, a very powerful array could be created in a single 5.25" bay. Remember the days when single hard drives came in that form factor?

For the solid performance and overall coolness factor we're still feeling from this drive, we've decided this product has earned our Editor's Choice Award. Head on over to StarTech.com to pick up one of these.

Pros

• 4 2.5" Hot Swap bays
• SAS and SATA cables included
• Dual 40mm rear fans with adjustable settings
• Doesn't affect drive performance
• Aluminum body makes for light weight and great heat dissipation

Cons

• None!

Rating
10/10