External drive enclosures and cloning stations are for anyone who wants to turn a spare HDD or SSD into a portable drive, or copy data from one disk to another. This category includes enclosures and cloning stations from ICY BOX, RaidSonic, UGREEN, ORICO and other manufacturers.
How to choose an external drive enclosure or cloning station
Drive size and thickness. 2.5-inch enclosures take laptop HDDs and most SATA SSDs, while 3.5-inch enclosures and stations are needed for desktop drives. Check the drive's thickness too: some 2.5-inch HDDs are thicker than typical SSDs and may not fit a slim enclosure.
Drive interface. A SATA drive will not work in an M.2 NVMe enclosure, and the other way round. Some M.2 enclosures support only SATA and others only NVMe, so check which type of drive you have before buying.
Connection and speed. Real-world speed is limited by the slowest link in the chain: the enclosure, the cable and the computer's port. A mechanical HDD is fine with USB 3.x, but a fast SSD, especially an NVMe one, is better paired with a USB-C enclosure, a fast port and a suitable cable.
Enclosure or cloning station. An enclosure holds a single drive that you connect to a computer like any external storage device. A cloning station usually takes two drives, and most models can copy data between them without a computer, which helps when replacing an old drive or making backups.
Power and cooling. 2.5-inch enclosures are usually powered over USB, whereas 3.5-inch enclosures and cloning stations generally need a separate power adapter. A metal casing dissipates heat better, which matters during long copies of large amounts of data, particularly with NVMe SSDs.
Brands in our range
- RaidSonic and ICY BOX: ICY BOX is a RaidSonic brand, known for external storage enclosures, docking stations and cloning stations.
- ORICO: a manufacturer widely known for 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch drive enclosures and other USB storage accessories.
- UGREEN: known for USB-C cables, adapters, chargers and other connectivity accessories, including drive enclosures.
- DIGITUS: a brand of ASSMANN Electronic, offering network and connectivity accessories for offices and IT equipment.
- UNITEK: specialises in cables, adapters and docking stations, so its enclosures sit alongside a wider connectivity range.
- Trust: a manufacturer known for computer peripherals such as mice, webcams and headsets.
Also in our range: Coreparts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a drive enclosure and a cloning station?
An enclosure holds one drive that you use as external storage. A cloning station usually accepts two drives and can copy data from one to the other without a computer. If you only need to put an old drive in a portable case, an enclosure is enough.
Can I use an old laptop drive as an external drive?
Yes, as long as the enclosure matches the drive's size, thickness and interface. Most older laptops use 2.5-inch SATA drives, which fit a 2.5-inch SATA enclosure. Once the drive is inside, you connect it to a computer over USB.
Does a cloning station need a computer?
Most cloning stations with a dedicated clone function do not need a computer, only power and two drives. The target drive generally has to be the same size as the source drive or larger. Check the product description to confirm that the cloning function works on its own.
How do I know if an enclosure will fit my SSD?
First check whether your SSD is SATA or M.2 NVMe, and what size it is. The enclosure's interface and size must match the drive. For M.2 drives, also confirm that the enclosure supports the M.2 protocol your SSD uses.
