Hard Drive Enclosures for 9.5mm and 12.5mm Laptop Hard Drives
The standard size of a Hard Drive designed for use in a Laptop PC is 2.5″ but this is a misleading size really as it refers not to the physical dimensions of the hard drive but the actual disk platter (the disk) inside what most people would assume to be the Hard Drive itself.
But. 2.5″ is the critial size that’s used to refer to laptop hard drives and the size you will need to be aware when considering an enclosure.
One key dimension to be wary of when considering an external Hard Drive Enclosure for your laptop hard drive is the “thickness” of the drive. The vast majority are 9.5mm thick but some older Hard Drives and 1st genreation hard drives are a little thicker at 12.5mm.
It would be straightforward if it was possible to say only older hard drives are the thicker 12.5mm size but as hard drives push the boundaries of storage (e.g.500GB Sata Hard Drive) the “1st generation” of these can also be 12.5mm dropping back to 9.5mm when the drives hit full production. So, beware and if necessary measure the thickess of your hard drive before committing to purchase a hard drive enclosure.
Because the vast majority of Laptop Hard Drives are 9.5mm most enclosures are designed for 9.5mm drives. HDD enclosures for the thicker 12.5mm drives are difficult to find and enclosures that support both sizes don’t exist because the enclosure needs to be a “snug” fit around the Hard Drive.
Something that can catch you out is a “sheath” or “frame” put around a standard laptop hard drive by the laptop manufacturer. This will need to be removed before the Hard Drive can be used with any enclosure. These are “sheaths” are normally pretty obvious and can removed easily.
If in any doubt or your want some advice before buying contact the team at USBNow.
About the Author
Phil is part of the team at USBNow. Launched in 2002 USBNow specializes in all things USB related. If you are looking for helpful advice on your USB related problems or you’re interested in the latest USB products be sure to check us out at http://www.usbnow.co.uk
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