Final Thoughts
Vantec has been around with their NexStar line since the USB 2.0 days. The NexStar line encompasses enclosures for both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch hard drives so you have a wide variety of different options to choose from. It is great to see Vantec bring USB 3.1 devices out. With the popularity of the connection increasing, especially with the Z170 natively supporting it we are going to see a lot of these devices starting to come out.
The NexStar 3.1 is an extremely small enclosure, not much larger than the solid state drive we installed inside of it. Installation is quite easy too, just slide in the drive, attach a few screws and you are good to go. Once you have your drive installed all you have to do is connect it to a USB 3.1 port and you are good to go. There are no extra drivers or anything like that to install.
While the NexStar 3.1 is a very simple device it is also made to last as well. Most of the device is made of brushed aluminum which will withstand you dropping it and the typical wear and tear. If you are looking to make use of an older 2.5-inch hard drive or SSD the NexStar 3.1 is the perfect device for it!
I was unable to find the NexStar 3.1 for sale, but from what we know it will have a MSRP of $29.99 with a 1-year warranty. With not that many USB 3.1 enclosures available yet this is a great time to pick up a NexStar 3.1! Overall ThinkComputers gives the Vantec NexStar 3.1 2.5-inch Hard Drive Enclosure a 9 out of 10 score and our Recommended Award!
Pros:
– Solid design
– Easy to install
– Very fast performance
– No extra software to install
Cons:
– No USB 3.1 Type-C cable included (only Type-A)
