Performance:
The test system used in this review was an HP dc7900. The computer came equipped with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz CPU, 2GB of DDR2 800MHz memory, Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB SATA hard drive, NVIDIA Quadro FX570 256MB PCIe graphics card, Intel 82567LM-3 gigabit network card and Patriot SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe host card. For the operating system, I installed a fresh copy of Windows 7 Enterprise.
To test the performance of the HornetTek Viper U3, I ran a series of benchmarks using CrystalDiskMark 3.0, HD Tach RW 3.0.4.0, ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46 and HD Tune Pro 4.50. I used a Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 7K1000.B hard drive and ran the tests with the enclosure plugged into a USB 3.0 port and then again using USB 2.0.
CrystalDiskMark 3.0:
First, I ran a few quick tests using CrystalDiskMark. This benchmark tool measures the performance of a storage device by testing its sequential read and write speeds as well as its random read and write speeds using blocks 512K and 4K in size.
HornetTek Viper U3 - USB 3.0
HornetTek Viper U3 - USB 2.0
The Viper U3 performed very well when connected to the computer's USB 3.0 port. In our tests, the enclosure reached speeds as high as 116 MB/s when reading and 102 MB/s when writing.
HD Tach RW 3.0.4.0:
Using HD Tach, we can benchmark a drive's read, write and burst speeds as well as its seek times and CPU usage.
When connected to the computer's USB 3.0 port, the Viper U3 had average read and write speeds of 93.2 MB/s and 93.7 MB/s, respectively, as well as a burst speed of 138.4 MB/s. The enclosure wasn't nearly as fast when using USB 2.0 though. Compared to what we saw with USB 3.0, the Viper U3's read and write speeds dropped by two-thirds.
ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.46:
I also used ATTO Disk Benchmark to test the Viper U3's sequential read and write speeds. The tests are run using blocks ranging in size from 0.5KB to 8192KB and the total length set to 256MB.
 HornetTek Viper U3 - USB 3.0 |
 HornetTek Viper U3 - USB 2.0 |
When tested with ATTO, the Viper U3's USB 3.0 read speeds topped out at about 115 MB/s and its write speeds at 97 MB/s.
Final Thoughts:
With the Viper U3, HornetTek has delivered a simple, yet functional hard drive enclosure that should meet the basic needs of most users. The Viper U3 is well constructed with an aluminum body that not only looks good, but acts like a heat sink to help keep your hard drive cool. The downside here is that it can get a bit warm to the touch. Thanks to its USB 3.0 interface, the HornetTek's new enclosure also offers some impressive performance. With USB 3.0 providing transfer speeds up to 5 Gb/s, the Viper U3 shouldn't have any problems keeping up with the industry's fastest SATA hard drives.
The HornetTek Viper U3 is available now and can be purchased from online stores like Amazon and Buy.com for less than $35.
Highs:
- Well constructed
- Great USB 3.0 performance
- Compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux
- Backwards compatible with USB 2.0
- Includes vertical stand
- Reasonably priced
Lows:
- LEDs are very dim
- Can get warm to the touch
- Doesn't support hard drives over 2TB in size
