The main material from which the body of the pocket is made.
— Plastic / rubber. This category includes models that use plastic and/or rubber in the construction of cases. The specific ratio and features of the use of these materials are different: the body can be all-plastic, have rubber lining at the ends to increase impact protection, be completely covered with rubber, etc. And in covers (see "Type"), these materials can also be supplemented with others — such as EVA, neoprene or even cloth. Anyway,
plastic / rubber cases are found exclusively in external models, including docking stations. Such pockets are somewhat inferior to metal pockets in terms of strength and reliability, but they are cheaper, and in normal everyday use, the mentioned difference is not critical.
— Steel. Cases made of
metal are most often made of steel, but there are other options (for example, aluminium alloys). In the inner pockets, only this option is found — this is due to a number of features of such accessories. As for external models in this design, they are much stronger and more reliable than plastic ones, besides, the metal case creates an additional feeling of solidity. The downside of these advantages is the higher price.
The type of power provided in the design of the pocket.
This parameter is relevant only for external models (in internal solutions, power is determined solely by the connection interface). The options could be:
—
USB. Powered by the same USB port used for the main connection. The advantage of this option is obvious: it allows you to do without unnecessary wires and use the pocket regardless of the presence of sockets (which is important, for example, when working with a laptop on the road). At the same time, the power of USB power is generally low, and besides, it directly depends on the version of the connector (see "Connection"). So for pockets with several disks, this option is not suitable in principle. In other cases, you should pay attention to compatibility when connecting to a USB connector of an older version than is supported by the pocket. For example, a model with USB 3.2 gen1 can be physically connected to a USB 2.0 port without any problems, but it may not have enough power for normal operation. However, more modern versions (USB 3.2 gen1 and gen2) practically do not have such compatibility problems.
- Power Supply. Powered by a separate PSU, usually plugged into a power outlet. These pockets are bulkier and less mobile than USB-powered models, they can't work without power outlets nearby, and the extra wire is a bit of a hassle. On the other hand, the power supply is capable of delivering
...more power than USB, and this power is constant and does not depend on the version of the port to which the drive is connected. So many stationary models use just such a power supply; and for external pockets for two or more drives, this is generally the only available option.
