INTRODUCTION

   One of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that as time goes by consumer products get closer and closer to enterprise grade products both in terms of performance and reliability in an effort to cater the needs of professionals and enthusiasts alike. Certainly pure enterprise grade products will never have something to fear from high end consumer products since in the end we are talking about two entirely different markets with massively different price ranges but the gap between them is simply not what it was a decade ago. That combined with the continuous price drops on electronics in general are more than enough even for casual users to turn towards solutions that up until recently were primarily aimed towards professionals and enterprise users. Amongst such products are internal hot-swap drive cages and since 2.5" drives gain ground over their larger 3.5" brothers today we will be taking a look at the BPN-2535DE-SA 3.5" to 2x2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Hot-Swap Cage by iStarUSA.

   iStarUSA Group has over 20 years of experience in the industrial computers industry. We specialize in OEM/ODM projects and manufacture of industrial power supply, rackmount chassis, enclosed cabinets and racks, data storage, and custom power solutions. Our intrinsic value is driven by one steadfast belief: "To always provide our customers with the best products and superior customer service." This credo has made iStarUSA Group a major contender in the IPC power supply industry. We cover a multitude of vertical markets. Our products are widely used in industrial computing, servers, multimedia production, DVR/Surveillance, and telecommunication industries. In the past eighteen years, iStarUSA Group has provided unsurpassed OEM/ODM products and services with exceptional design flexibility, rapid prototyping, and cost-effective solutions. The ISO 9001 certification ensures our product quality and customer commitment. iStarUSA Group bases its strength on our experience, technology, and strong partnerships. For many years, we have worked closely with major computer component manufacturers and system integrators to ensure our products are highly compatible and extremely stable. We continuously adopt new industrial standards to improve our designs. Our ability to customize products according to customers' specifications has won us a prominent and solid industry reputation. Our experienced design team and project engineers complete OEM projects within deadline and product specs. Being on the cutting edge of technology is a key to the success of iStarUSA Group and that of our customers. We believe an innovative technology leader must be able to incorporate the latest advances into all products to ensure customer satisfaction.

   Just like external docking stations internal hot-swap drive cages provide a very convenient way for people to use many drives without having to open the tower each time they wish to do so. Of course although we happen to use both docking stations and hot-swap cages with our test rigs unlike the first they also keep the drive(s) inside protected and in many different occasions thanks to their design and materials also provide better cooling (two obvious advantages). The downside of course is that internal drive cages take up either 1.44" or 5.25" drive bays something which many people may not want to do (especially now that 1.44" bays are no longer available so you always have to use 5.25" ones) but in the end it's a small price considering the advantages. In any case let’s move on and take a closer look at the BPN-2535DE-SA Hot-Swap Cage to see what it has to offer.