Thermaltake releases USB 3.0 HDD docking station

Thermaltake has introduced its latest hard drive dock aimed at giving HDD owners the chance to easily store and transfer information on 2.5″ and 3.5″ HDDs.  The BlacX 5G HDD is USB 3.0-compatible, but is backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1.

This is an accessory designed for PC owners looking to backup large amounts of data — and when USB 2.0 just isn’t enough.

The independent dock can support HDDs with storage capacities up to 2TB, and its USB 3.0 support provides transfer speeds up to 5Gpbps.  Thermaltake included both Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X support with the BlacX 5G.

The Thermaltake BlacX 5G retails for $49.99, which is a significant price increase over traditional USB 2.0 docking products.  It’s possible to find suitable USB 2.0-powered HDD docking stations for less than $30, with specials available to drop the price below $20.

Another downside is that the docking station lacks an eSATA connection, which is something else a number of USB 2.0 products also include.

Unless you have a PC or notebook that supports USB 3.0, I’m unsure if dropping $50 on the HDD dock is necessary.  Since I normally begin transferring files and walk away, I just can’t see myself personally spending $50 for the BlacX 5G.

I look forward to seeing if other companies also begin to offer USB 3.0 docking stations, but if they add eSATA and a lower price tag.