Icy Dock ‘Black Vortex’ MB074SP-B 3.5” 4-in-3 Cage Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

When we look at drive bay adaptors and caddies, to be perfectly honest I don’t feel that we should be paying that much for them, especially as they only have a simple job to undertake. Whilst the general build quality of the Black Vortex is pretty good and bar the dust filter, it is up to the same standard as we would expect to see from Icy Dock, US pricing is around the $40 mark with both Amazon.com and Newegg holding stock. In the UK the pricing bracket is fairly similar with Amazon UK and Scan Computers listing the MB074SP-B at around £38.

Overview

As you may have gathered from my time with the Black Vortex MB074SP-B, there are a number of things that I like about this item, but sadly there are an almost equal number things that I don’t like. I’ve said many times over now that there is a market for products like this and the only way to prove this statement true would be to remove them all and watch the demand for them quickly build up. Granted the Black Vortex has a very basic job to perform, simply by allowing four 3.5″ drives to be mounted into the space of three 5.25″ drive bays and there are a whole host of other products out there that do the same. What it all boils down to is the fact that Icy Dock have designed something that is that little bit different to whet the appetites of a few users. Due to the fact that this item has a very simple job to undertake though, I am a bit disappointed that I’ve found a number of areas where the design needs to be revised and improved.

The biggest area that needs to have some serious attention is the dust filter. Not only is the filter stiff to remove and install, the mesh has been affixed to the plastic frame and finished in a way that I’d have expected to see on an early mock-up sample. The rough edges and the fact that the filter gets stuck in the frame is a bit of a let down, especially given the reputation for qulaity that has been built up over the years. Other points that I feel need revising include the stock power connector on the fan. Yes molex power headers are still available on today’s PSU’s, but it would be nice to see a SATA power header or even a native 3-pin header in its place instead. The last little item that could do with a little adjustment is the positioning of the door hinge. When opening the door up to access the drives, it would be nice to have it flip round 180° as opposed to only moving round just over ~110° and bouncing back to the chassis; thus restricting the travel of the door. Sitting the centre of the hinge forward so that it sits on the front of the cage would be a more suitable solution.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the Black Vortex though. Whilst there is the legacy molex connector on the fan, Icy Dock actively encourage users to swap out the fan for one that blends in with the theme of their system or for one that offers far greater performance. The basic bracket design for locking the drives in place is also a welcome sight. By removing most of the drive tray that we would typically see, Icy Dock have cut don on the cost of materials, which in turn leads to a lower cost when on the shelf. The other nice thing to see is a lack of a PCB with SATA power and data headers. Whilst this means that you will have to remove the side panel of your system to connect / disconnect that cables each time you want to change a drive, there is no impact on the drives performance due to additional connections being made between the drive and host controller.

When it comes to the bottom line about this product, I am a little in the dark overall. On one hand there are a number of advantages to be had by opting for this product; however at this current moment in time, the number of disadvantages slightly outweigh the advantages. Were Icy Dock to take my feedback on board and make a few alterations to the design and build whilst also addressing the price point, then I may be persuaded to re-consider my verdict. Until then however it’s a bit of a thumbs down for the time being.

Pros:

• Lightweight open frame design
• Simple installation
• Compatible with a number of other Icy Dock products
• Fan easily changed if desired

Cons:

• Poor dust filter which catches on removal
• Steep price tag

“I’ve seen some great products from Icy Dock over the last few years, but sadly this time round it feels like some crucial quality control steps and design thoughts have been left out, followed by a steep price tag. There is the potential for this to be another class product, but I really think that Icy Dock need to get back on the drawing board to make some improvements.”

Thanks to Icy Dock for providing us with this review sample.