A Closer Look (continued):

The bezel of the Icy Dock is fairly packed with features. The display actually slides to the right to reveal a switch that controls which temperature probe's information is displayed and a knob to control the rack's fan.

From the buttons on the display, you can access a variety of functions. You can set the threshold at which the alarm would sound should your device get too hot. There's an option to switch between Celcius and Farenheit. Finally, there's also a constant monitor that keeps track of total HDD activity (HUTR - HDD Usage Time Record). The display itself, features a hard drive activity indicator, a master/slave indiciator, an icon showing fan activity, an icon that functions as a visual temperature alarm, and last but not least the kitchen sink - just kidding, of course it has the temperature reading. And by the way, did I mention the display also has a backlight?

So you're probably thinking all these features are nice and all, but does it perform? My trial runs indicated the Icy Dock typically kept the HDD 4-6C cooler. In other words, it does its job and does it well. It is also interesting to note that during my tests, the fan spun quietly.

Final Thoughts:

The Cremax Icy Dock is definitely a very nice HDD rack. It can monitor several heat sources and alert you to any hot situations (no pun intended). It never hurts to have another fan available should the main fan malfunction. Combine that with bells and whistles such as the HDD usage time record and the easy mount process and you have a pretty sweet piece of equipment. As for the estimated price of $60, some users may shy away from this purchase. But you have to ask yourself, just how hot does your hard drive get and how important is your data? Regardless of what type of cooling solution you choose (if any) for you HDD(s), alway back up your data.

Pros:
• Cool backlit display.
• Does a solid job keeping the HDD cool.
• Easy to mount HDD.
• Has both visual and audio alarms.
• Helps absorb vibrations.
• Monitors HDD activity.
• Monitors up to 3 peripheral temperatures.
• Redundant fan.
• Quiet operation.

Cons:
• Price tag may be a tad high for some.

Thanks to Cremax for providing the Icy Dock for review.