Not that long ago I looked at the Thermaltake BlacX 5G docking station and walked away fairly impressed; or at least impressed enough that when asked I readily agreed to look at the Thermaltake Max 5G. Thermaltake Max 5G has basically all the features of the BlacX 5G (2.5" and 3.5" SATA 6Gb/s hard drive compatibility with USB 3.0 controller chip) but is an enclosure with a twist: dual 80mm fans for cooling! So for you readers who don't like docking stations and are looking for an active cooled USB 3.0 enclosure is the Thermaltake Max 5G "the one" for you? Read on to find out in my full review.

The Verdict:
With its dual 80mm fans and ASMedia controller the Thermaltake Max 5G is certainly a very capable performer. The only issue that you may not like about it is the fact that it made entirely from plastic; if owning a plastic enclosure is not a problem, then this one deserves a long hard look.

The Good:
+ Active cooling keeps even hot running hard drives cool
+ LEDs can be turned on and off
+ Simple easy to locking mechanism
+ Low speed (800rpm) fans are very quiet
+ Easy to replace the fans if they die (just need 2 pin header for them)
+ 3 years of warranty

The Bad:
- Removal of hex bolts is a tedious task
- Only metal in the enclosure is the mesh on the sides
- While easy, the locking mechanism for the hard drive is less than "robust"[/quote6
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