Akasa Integral NMAX review

Akasa’s Integral NMAX hard disk enclosure can accommodate either a SATA or a PATA 2?in laptop hard disk.

With both connectors inside, it’s a little chunkier than other portable enclosures we’ve seen, but while the vast majority of 2?in disks are 9.5mm thick, this enclosure is big enough to fit the less common 12.5mm disks too.

Fitting a disk is simple and straightforward. The circuit board inside feels a little fragile and flexed as we installed the disk, but the drive as a whole feels sturdy once it’s assembled. If you fit a PATA disk, you have no choice but to access your data over USB. With a SATA disk installed, you can access your files using either USB or eSATA. A switch allows you to choose between the two interfaces. If you use eSATA, you’ll have to plug in the included 5V-to-USB cable to provide power. A handy travel pouch is also included.

With a 500GB 5,400rpm SATA disk fitted, the NMAX excelled in our file-transfer benchmarks, no matter which interface we used. Akasa’s Integral NMAX 2?in hard disk enclosure is fast and easy to assemble. It’s also great value, so it wins aBest Buy award.