Enermax Laureate

Examination:

Grasping the Enermax Laureate in our hands, the aluminum enclosure would barely flex with the force applied by our fingers. Not only is this device sturdy, but its appearance is also pleasing to the eye. Although a majority of the enclosure is made of aluminum, both of the ends are made of thick plastic. Printed onto one side of the device is Enermax while the opposing side is accompanied by the word Laureate. Measuring in at 125 x 74 x 12mm the device is certainly slim and should have no problems sliding into a pocket of a coat or briefcase. While one end of the enclosure simply prevents the hard drive from sliding out, on the opposing end is the USB connector as well as an LED for indicating power and access to the hard-drive. Due to the low power requirements for 2.5" hard-drives, primarily used for notebook computers, a single USB 2.0 connection is able to provide the power (+5V DC) and data transfer (480Mb/s) needs for the drive. The innards of the Enermax Laureate can be accessed by removing two screws from both sides. Popping off the end of the Laureate is the 44-pin ATA socket as well as the container for which the 2.5" hard-drive can be inserted. Unfortunately, current generation Enermax HDD enclosures have no support for Serial ATA interface drives. For travel purposes, included is a neoprene travel pouch. This pouch, with Enermax branded across the front, allows the entire enclosure to offer water-resistance as well as shockproof capabilities. Overall, we were very much pleased by the travel pouch especially and its abilities to protect the device even while connected to the USB interface.