Over the last week or so, I have done a Hands-On review of several Backplane Hot Swap Modules. I would have really preferred to have a few more to include in this article, but I guess some companies are not receptive to having one take a look at their products. It is now time to take a look at those that I have reviewed together and give you some of my final thoughts on these devices.
Backplane Hot Swap Modules are not a must-have product for your Windows Home Server. They are even a critical part of a computer. And in some cases (pun not intended), they are not an option due to space restrictions. They do, however, provide a handy means of HD upgrades and HD back-up swaps. And they add that certain level of coolness or professionalism to personalize your WHS system.
What are the contenders in this round-up?
Norco SS-500 
Icy Dock MB454SPF-B 
Icy Dock MB235SPF-1B 
iStarUSA BPU-340-SA 
And all together: 
I really do not want to rehash much of what I have already discussed in my individual reviews. Read them and come back here for my final thoughts. I don’t think I need to go into much detail here, as for the most part they are my opinions. Translation: short and sweet on the verbiage that follows!
What are the features one looks for shopping for one of these modules? And what features does one not think about when shopping for one?
Packaging
This is never really one of those features one looks at when shopping for an item. Other than for marketing reasons. Doesn’t the prettiest package always win? Not that this is about how pretty the box is. This is about the condition of the item when it arrives on your doorstep. You would think that this is a no-brainer, but I have read too many posts about the packaging (or lack of) of hard drives. So it is important.
Does one product stand out from another in this category? The answer is simply no. All of the items (even the iStarUSA that I can remember about, but not document) arrived on my doorstep braced for the worst that could be dished out by a shipping company.
Winner: All!
Construction
All the modules are well constructed. The iStarUSA module stood out, however. Machined aluminum shell and caddies. As a result, it was the heaviest of the modules. The caddies had a full bottom tray, and I felt a drive was well protected once installed in one. To put it another way, all the vital parts of a drive were protected from harm, whether installed in the module or not.
All the other modules had caddies that lacked that feature, no bottom. The result was minimal protection of the electronics of the drive when it was not installed in the module.
Winner: iStarUSA BPU-340SA
Features
A rather all-encompassing section.
Bay slots:
The iStarUSA BPU-340SA and Icy Dock MB454SPF-B have them. The remaining two do not. I would hazard to guess that most consumer-style cases incorporate bay guides. If you were to choose a module without this feature, take a close look at your case to see how easy it would be to modify.
# of drive bays:
Let’s take a quick count. One has three bays (taking up only two case bays, however). Two of the modules have four bays, and one has five. The Norco SS-500 easily wins this feature battle. Is five bays over four important, however? My motherboard supports only 4 SATA drives, so if matching connections to drives, four drive bays are adequate for me.
Ease of install:
Obviously, the modules that come with bay slots have an advantage (see above). Both Icy Dock modules slid in quite snug. Using the tooless holders was adequate to secure them. A special note of interest, however, was that the Icy Dock MB454SPF-B was too snug. After finishing my review, I went to remove it to go on to the next module. It was stuck! No amount of gentle or forced pushing would budge it. I actually had to take a small hammer and pound it out! This may perhaps be attributed to the how I bent the bay tabs out of the way in this case, but I had no problems at all sliding in or out any of the other modules. Icy Dock: you need to review your manufacturing specifications for this particular model.
Connections: All the modules had the data connections that were easy to get to. The Norco SS-500 had the data connections on the bottom of the module, while the remaining modules had the data connections on the open side of the case.
The Icy Dock MB454SPF-B and the Norco SS-500 were by far the easiest to install power cables, as they were on the open side of the case. On the other hand, the Icy Dock MB235SPF-1B was the most difficult. While the iStarUSA BPU-340-SA power connections were on the closed case side, it allowed for the use of SATA power connectors. With the power supply that I am using, it was much easier to install these cable outside of the case bays versus when I tried to install Molex power cables.
And while I have basically understated this to a point in my individual reviews, I won’t here. These are SATA modules. Current power supplies have an abundance of SATA power cables and less Molex cables. Dump the Molex connections and use SATA connections! If they cost a bit more, eat it! The iStarUSA module is the only one that had both, but I truly believe that we are now at a point where most (all?) potential buyers will have a PSU that will accommodate SATA power connections.
Versatility: Three of the four modules are long. The iStarUSA BPU-340SA was short enough that you can probably install it in most cases, assuming of course that you have a sufficient number of bays to install this module. While the Norco SS-500 is long, the fan placement is far enough away from the motherboard side to provide adequate clearance for most situations. Both Icy Dock modules have the fan fairly close to the motherboard side. I did not feel that this was much of a problem with the MB454SPF-B, at least with the particular motherboard I was using. The MB235SPF-1B, on the other hand, caused me some concern. The combination of length, fan placement, and power connection location came quite close to several MB capacitors. If you use this module, take extra care here!
Ease of Use:
Quite frankly, I am not a fan of caddies. If required, I prefer the security that the full caddy tray of the iStarUSA BPU-340SA provides.
The style of caddies used by both Icy Dock and Norco do not provide much protection and are simply a PITA to deal with. 4 screws to take out and 4 screws to put back are not synonymous to the term “hot swap” I realize that the term deals with the ability to remove a drive while the machine is powered, but what is the point if it takes 10 minutes to change out drives? Even if you have an extra caddy, it is still inconvenient considering that this is what I would consider an insertion caddy, not a protective caddy.
My request? Dump them. Design them as caddyless modules. In my workstation, I have a single bay module that I use to change out my Vista install on one hard drive to another with my Windows 7 install. It is a caddyless device. It takes 10 seconds to change drives, and this particular module is designed such there is distinct feeling of proper insertion of the drive when one closes the door.
Which leads me to my last topic item. The iStarUSA BPU-340SA module is the only one that gave me a firm sense of proper drive insertion. The other 3 modules felt a little soft when closing the bay door. Not that there were any problems with any of them. It is simply an area that I always had a slight desire to recheck to make sure that the drive was properly inserted.
Winner: iStarUSA BPU-340SA
Fan
I made this a separate category. Fan features and noise levels is the one area that one will either never notice (can’t hear it) or will quickly make one detest the product (due to noise level).
In this category, the iStarUSA BPU-340 looses big time. It has a 2 speed fan setting, but even on the low setting, it was still louder than any of the other modules.
Both Icy Dock units were near-silent. Big winners in this category.
The Norco SS-500 was quieter than the iStarUSA module, but definitely louder than the Icy Dock units. The one huge advantage that the Norco unit has over the other 3 is that the fan is easily replaceable and/or it can easily be hooked up to an external fan controller. This feature appeals to the computer modding side of me.
WInner: Both Icy Dock modules. As delivered and installed, they have what it takes to not be noticed in the noise arena. The Norco module comes in a very close second due to the fact that it has a standard fan, which gives one the ability to “tune” it to one’s desire. Either by a direct replacement or through the use of a fan controller.
Looks
A very subjective area. When I purchased the iStarUSA module, I thought the blue latch gave it a certain “Yea, I like this.” feeling. After taking a look at all 4 modules, I’m no longer sure about that. The Icy Dock MB235SPF-1B had a nice black and silver contrast, but just a bit too heavy on the silver for me.
The nearly all-black look and vertical arrangement of the Norco SS-500 looked fantastic. I also liked Icy Dock MB454SPF-B very much. All black with just the right amount of contrasting colors, except purple(?) for the latch lock? Minus a point or two for that.
Winner: The Norco SS-500 by a nose over the Icy Dock MB454SPF-B. Perhaps too plain (or understated) for some, but it simply looked awesome in my case. Once again, looks are very subjective, so take this accordingly.
Price
Norco SS-500: $89.99
Icy Dock MB454SPF-B: $118.99
Icy Dock MB235SPF-1B: $99.99
iStarUSA BPU-340-SA: $99.99
These are all not-on-sale prices at Newegg. You may find a better deal elsewhere on an individual item. Fire up your favorite price search engine and see what is out there.
Winner: Norco SS-500
Overall Winner
The Norco SS-500. Best price, best looks (to me), and while not the quietest module, I can very easily make it so. It is not perfect, but none of them are.
