CONCLUSION

   Even though we didn't have 8 identical drives to use with the ICY BOX IB-RD3680SU3 as you can all tell just by looking at our charts it had no problem (we didn't expect anything less really) surpassing every other model with ease and in most cases by a very large margin. Of course when an external enclosure offers space for a total of eight 3.5" drives it obviously can't be small and the IB-RD3680SU3 is quite large so although it can't be helped i expect that most people will consider that to be its primary drawback (along with weight with all drives mounted). That being said build quality is very good, mounting the hard drives is very easy (attach the brackets and slide them in the enclosure), the ability to change modes just by clicking two buttons is convenient and we really can't complain about its design especially because of the activity LEDs (stripe included).

   RaidSonic is an EU based company and since they have yet to expand overseas their products are still available only here so unfortunately we weren't able to trace the ICY BOX IB-RD3680SU3 there. Inside the EU however it retails for roughly 396Euros (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which i too have to admit seems a bit high. Now i do realize that RaidSonic is amongst a handful of companies to have an 8 bay external RAID enclosure available so a high price makes sense but i really hope they can cut it even just a bit to win over even regular consumers. Overall if we exclude the price the ICY BOX IB-RD3680SU3 is something we feel can be of extreme use to people such as ourselves with countless TBs around and since it really doesn't fall short in any area it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- 8x3.5" Drive Bays
- USB 3.0 & eSATA Connectivity
- LARGE & RAID 0/5/50/10 Modes
- Two Quad Drive Cages
- Dual 80mm Exhaust Fans (Auto & Manual Mode)
- Easy Drive Mounting
- Door Lock
- Excellent Performance

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Loud Fans (100% Setting)