When reviewing products you do get a bit excited a certain things more than others, and today for review I have one of those products. It is from ICY DOCK it is the Modiflash 722 Removable HDD Enclosure (SATA version), it excited me because it just looked so darn cool on the ICY DOCK website.(not to mention the fact that when you go to the site you are greeted with a silhouette of a naked woman) The Modiflash 722 is something that everyone can appreciate, it adds a level of security and portability not found in any other enclosure that I know of. Read on to learn a bit more about the Modiflash 722…

ICY DOCK Modiflash 722 Removable HDD Enclosure (SATA)

Reviewed by: Kristofer Brozio AkA Dracos

Sponsor: ICY DOCK

Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

ICY DOCK Modiflash 722 Removable Hard Drive Enclosure (SATA version)

Available Colors: Black

Product Description:

Gamers everywhere needing hard drive security, exchangeability, expandability and manageability will enjoy the MB722 Series that has the look thats suitable for every gamer system. Illuminating through a four segment motion electron luminescence faceplate insert, your removable storage gear is no longer dull but sweet looking! Built with aluminum body cooling, the unit is also equipped with a back lit cool blue LCD readout display indicating real-time drive temperature/activity/positioning/overheating and fan failures. The front buttons are equipped for you to adjust the temperature that you wish to allow the drive to operate under. If temperature exceeds it, then both the visual & the audio alarms would indicate accordingly for your caution. Further features include, metallic finish eject handle for easy drive extraction and secure key lock in keeping the drive safe. Most importantly, with the MB722 Series, you are able to quickly and easily share massive files among your fellow gamers if theyve got a unit installed in his/her system too!

Suggested Applications: 

All gamer/non-gamer systems requiring storage drive security, exchangeability, expandability, manageability with a sweet system exterior.

Product Features: 

* Drive Fit : 1 x 3.5" Hot Swappable SATA I or II

* Device Fit : 1 x 5.25" device bay

* Internal drive security, exchangeability, expandability and maintenance capabilities

* Advanced drive monitoring system built internally w/ LCD visual & audio indicators

* Stylish faceplate with aluminum cooling body

* Warm air outtake fan cooling of drive

* Safeguard key lock capable of power control to disable data accessibility from others

* Accessible Master/Slave setting thru the drive tray without having to physically remove the drive

* Compact size version in SATA is available for limited depth integration

Models & Specifications:

Item Number: Black MB722SKGF-B

Internal Host: 7 pin SATA

Drive Fit: 1 x 3.5 SATA I / II

Drive Bay: 1 x 5.25

Transfer Rate: 1.5Gb/sec.

Insert & Extract connection Via 64 pin industrial DIN converter

Stucture Aluminum body w/ partial plastic

Drive Cooling Aluminum heat dispersion w/ 1 x rear outtake fan

Alarm Indication Audio & Visual

LED Indication Real-time drive temp., Drive activity/overheat/MASTER/SLAVE status, Fan working/failure status, Device usage time record

LED Display Color Cool blue

Drive Security 3 segment key lock

Dimension (LxWxH) 235.5 x 148.0 x 42.0 mm

Weight 2.10 lbs.

A Better Look at Things

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The packaging of the ICY DOCK Modiflash 722 is your standard cardboard box enclosure, on the front we find a nice picture of the Modiflash 722 and information about optional EL slides to customize your Modiflash. Along the bottom of the front are some features in a picture type format that most people should be able to figure out.

On the back of the box we find a nice in depth look at the ICY DOCK Modiflash 722, along with its specs and features. There is a picture of the enclosure that has numbers on it that correspond to the pictures along the side of the back panel to let you know what things are.

Opening the lid we find the enclosure nice and tightly packed away in styrofoam and wrapped in a plastic bag for extra protection.

After fully unpacking the Modiflash we find only two things in the box, the enclosure itself and the installation guide. (We’ll find later that the other parts are tucked away inside the enclosure)

Let’s take a nice close look at the ICY DOCK Modiflash 722 while it is still together. The front has a small LCD display that will display the temperature inside the housing, the drive status, the drives activity and the fan status as well. There are three small buttons located beneath the LCD display that are used for changing the settings of the display. On the far right is a lock, it is a three position lock type, position one, or down is unlocked, removable and power off, position two or about 8 o’clock is locked, non-removable and power off, and finally position three or 9 o’clock is lock, non-removable and powered on. Basically the entire front acts as the handle to remove the enclosure from its docking bay.

If we take a look at it from the right angle, we can see the locking mechanism, and the side of the chassis housing. The enclosure is aluminum, so it will help in heat dissipation. The left side has nothing special except the mounting holes, the same as the right side. If you look behind the front bezel and on the top, you will see a black piece of plastic, that is the anti dust cover that will swing down once the enclosure is removed from its chassis.

Looking at the view from the back we can get a quick look at the cooling fan and the connectors.

On the bottom we can see the mounting holes for the hard drive, and a better look at the actual connectors.

Removing the enclosure from the chassis is very easy, you need to make sure the key is turned to the proper position, and just slide it out with the handle.

When you slide it out the anti dust cover will snap down into place to keep dust out of your computer and the Modiflash chassis.

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Here is a closer look at the locking mechanism and the back of the chassis where the connectors are located. This enclosure uses an SATA drive but notice the standard Molex connection.

The inside of the back of the chassis has what looks to be a female IDE connection, but this is used to connect the enclosure with the chassis.

Here are some shots of the enclosure itself outside of the chassis, I like the shiny aluminum look, even though you really won’t see it inside of your case…. You can get a better look at the actual handle that is used to release the enclosure from the chassis in the first two pictures.

To insert the hard drive you need to remove the top of the enclosure, this is done very easily by pushing a plastic tab/button and sliding the cover toward the rear. Inside we find the two security keys and the mounting screws.

On the rear of the enclosure is the IDE like connection that docks with the like one inside of the chassis.

Looking at the inside of the enclosure we find that the SATA hard drive will just slide into place into the female power and data ports.

Lifting the locking handle we find ventilation slits, the LCD and the buttons, on the inside we find the back of the LCD and the slits…

My first impression of the ICY DOCK Modiflash 722 was that it was very well made. Then once I got a better look I found this to be true, the Modiflash is very sturdy and designed well, the aluminum should do well at dissipating heat from your drive and the included fan will help that along nicely.

I like the security features of the Modiflash, knowing that I can turn my main drive off and still leave it secured in my case is nice, but of course, unless I bolt the case to the ground there isn’t much to stop someone from removing the drive anyway. I would have liked to have seen some type of security related to the screws, possible using hex style screws or secure hex screws would be nice as well.

Installation, Testing and Comparison

Installation is very easy, I decided to use my main drive, which is a Maxtor DiamondMax 10 SATA 200Gb hard drive as I figured that is the one that needs to be the most secure. Installing it is as easy as slipping it into the female SATA power and data connections inside the enclosure and then adding the screws to the bottom to secure the drive in place.

Once that is done, you can just slide the enclosure into the chassis and install in your case. This is done the standard way that you would install any 5.25 device, slide it in and secure with screws, then attach the power and data cables. All done, you just need to turn the key to make sure it is in the power on position and fire up you system.

The LCD display is a bright blue, and I found that the fan is whisper quiet, I was a bit worried about the noise level of the fan, but it is surprisingly silent. In the top left hand corner of the display is the HDD activity icon, to the left of that is the status of your drive, whether it is set to master or slave. There is also a tiny animated fan to indicate the fan is on, and below that is an LCD readout of the temperature inside the Modiflash with a thermometer icon next to it. Above the far left button is the word SET, this is obviously for setting the time and alarm of the Modiflash, above the other two buttons are arrows for making your selections.

I already mentioned that the fan is quiet, that fan also does a good job of keeping the drive cool as well, I only noticed a four degree rise in temperatures from the bare drive. I haven’t had the chance to actually remove the drive from the enclosure to take it anywhere, but I did test it and it slides out smoothly without a hitch, the chassis stays firmly in place while removing or replacing the enclosure.

The only thing I might worry about is the handle that is used to remove the enclosure from the chassis, it is made of plastic, and might break with rough use, but it seems very sturdy so I don’t see it being a problem unless extreme force is used on it or carelessness occurs.

I have to say though I was kind of bummed when I opened the box and didn’t see the cool optional face plates, but oh well, you can check them out on the site if you wish, they do add a bit of personality to the Modiflash 722.

Summary:

In closing, I can say that I would really like a few more of these, these are just plain cool, the ICY DOCK Modiflash 722 has become a permanent part of my system. The Modiflash 722 is very well designed and manufactured, it seems like a very solid piece of equipment that would be a welcome addition to any system I believe. The Modiflash 722 not only looks good but it provides a level of security and functionality that I think everyone can appreciate, from the standard ‘Joe’ user to the professional who needs to swap drives in a server.

DragonSteelMods gives the ICY DOCK Modiflash 722 Removable HDD Enclosure (SATA) a 5 out of 5 score and our Recommended Award as well.

Pros:

-Looks cool

-Functional and useful

-Added level of security

-Ease of use

-Well designed

Cons:

-None

I would like to thank ICY DOCK for the chance to review their products.