Using external hard drive enclosure is a great way to back up what matters most while maintaining full access to your data. However, you don’t necessarily need to buy a pre-built external drive. If you have an old hard drive enclosure, you can get a new external best hard drive enclosure by connecting it to a box with a fraction of the cost.

These are our favorites, from fantastic USB-C cases like the Ineo Shockproof case to the Rosewill RX-358, with its fantastic fan cooling system. There is something for everyone here.

Best USB-C Hard Drive Enclosure: Ineoproof External Hard Drive Enclosure

USB-C connections are common in modern laptops and are also displayed on desktop cases. However, most disc cases still use only USB-A. This is not the case with the 2.5-inch case from Ineo, which not only has a USB-C 3.1 connection, but also an extremely protective case. The housing has a rubberized outer band to protect against falls and is completely waterproof.

Best 3.5-inch hard drive case: 3.5-inch Inateck case with power case

A 3.5-inch unit requires more than a 2.5-inch unit. It requires more electricity and more space, which in turn can lead to higher heat accumulation. This makes the Inateck home perfect for our needs. It offers space for drives up to 10 TB in size of 3.5 inches and thanks to its external power cord can also be powered. To avoid overheating, one part is completely covered with mesh, which allows the cooling air to circulate over the drive, but without additional noise or damage to an active fan.

It only supports USB 3.0, so it’s not the fastest case. But it should be fast enough for most needs.

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The best hard drive case for several drives: case with 4 media bays

If you have multiple disk drives that you want to install in external drives, why not just one for everyone? The Mediasonic USB 3.1 4-bay case for 3.5-inch units is the perfect choice for multi-unit users. Supports up to 16 TB per drive with a total of 64 GB of storage space. With USB-C 3.1 support, data transfers can be processed up to 10 Gbit / s, so you don’t have to worry about your data getting stuck on your drives and backing up forever.

It also supports UASP for faster transfer between SATA and USB media and uses an active fan with intelligent temperature tracking. This means that it only spins when it is absolutely necessary to cool the units.

Installation is easy thanks to a quick release mechanism on the back. Synchronization between the computer and the case ensures that the drives never run longer than necessary.

The best hard drive case with active cooling: Rosewill RX-358

If worried about the life of your hard drive in the new home, an active fan can ensure that it stays at safe operating temperatures. Hard drives usually do not overheat unless they have very little room to breathe. However, an active fan can guarantee that this will not happen.

Rosewill RX-358 is best option for a hard drive case with an integrated fan. It supports 3.5-inch drives with a capacity of up to 6 TB and has outputs for USB 3.0 and eSATA (although this is a fairly dead standard), with UASP support for faster data transfer.

It’s much more expensive than most of other cases on this list, but the Rosewill RX-358 offers more money so you get what you pay for.