CONCLUSION

   When we finished testing the BPN-DE340SS a few weeks back we were quite surprised to see that it improved on the already very fast read/write speeds of the Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5 V3 4TB SATA III quite a bit (perhaps due to the reduced temperatures of the drives). Well the same pretty much applies to the BPU-340SS only in a slightly smaller degree but any improvement in terms of speed is welcome, regardless of whether that's large or small. iStarUSA has packed the BPU-340SATA with quite a large number of useful features like the 4 power on/off buttons placed right next to each tray that also double as activity/temperature LEDs. These are very convenient not only because they can alert you whenever a drive goes over the temperature alarm preset you chose at the rear (50/55/60 degrees) but also because thanks to them you can be 100% certain that the drive you want to hot-swap is not powered on. The presence of both SATA and Molex power connectors means that the BPU-340SATA can be used with older power supply units as well. Much like the BPN-DE340SS the only issue we found with the BPU-340SATA was its rather high noise levels when the 80mm fan switch is set at high RPM but that's to be expected so we think that the low selection might be more ideal for most users.

   With a price tag set at USD113.55 inside the USA (Purchase Directly from Amazon.com) you just can't go wrong with the BPU-340SATA Military Grade Hot-Swappable Drive Enclosure. Certainly the BPN-DE340SS retails for slightly less but it doesn't really offer the same range of features found in the BPU-340SATA (although the BPN-DE340SS is slightly easier/faster to use). Unfortunately iStarUSA doesn't have a strong presence inside the EU so their products are pretty much available mainly inside the USA something which will certainly disappoint potential buyers around the globe so i really hope they do something to resolve that soon. Because of everything mentioned in this review we are awarding the BPU-340SATA Military Grade Hot-Swappable Drive Enclosure by iStarUSA with our Platinum award and we hope that they will continue on the same successful path for many years to come.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Performance
- 2.5” And 3.5” Compatible
- Activity/Temperature Alarm LEDs
- 4 Different Color Models
- Hot-Swap Aluminum Drive Trays
- 80mm Exhaust Fan
- Temperature Alarm Selection (50/55/60 Degrees)
- Low/High Fan Speed Switch
- SATA And Molex Power Connectors
- LED On/Off Switch
- Drive Power On/Off Buttons
- SATA/SAS Compatible
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Noise Levels (mostly at High RPM)
- EU Availability