External zalman hard drive pocket. Review of Zalman ZM-SHE350
There are a lot of stereotypes in the modern world... for example, that Japanese cars are better than South Korean ones, or that money is best kept in Swiss banks. Sometimes it can be interesting to see how much existing stereotypes actually justify themselves. Electronics produced by South Korean companies such as LG or Samsung have always been considered a good compromise between product quality and cost. The hero of our today's testing is an external 2.5" enclosure for hard drives, Zalman ZM-VE200, also made by a South Korean manufacturer. Zalman actually has a good reputation among manufacturers of cooling systems for computers. But HDD enclosures are not cooling systems. Let's see how The Zalman company is doing well in the “HDD pockets” market.
The factory packaging turned out to be relatively small, as was the product itself. On its front side there is an image of a black HDD pocket, on the sides of which two silver devices are placed in the background. Apparently, the manufacturer has set itself the goal of presenting the external HDD box to the buyer at a glance, and in the same way helping him decide on the more desirable color of the product. The packaging is well balanced and not overloaded with secondary information; only the basic names and designations of the external HDD pocket ZM-VE200. Despite the laconicism of the packaging, one inscription still makes you pleasantly surprised: “External HDD Case + Virtual Drive.” Wait a minute, is the virtual disk included? This is great, but let's talk about everything in order.
Let's first take a brief look at the main features and technical characteristics of the external pocket for hard drives Zalman ZM-VE200, which can be found both on the back of the package and on the manufacturer's official website.
Key features of Zalman ZM-VE200:
Aluminium case
Pre-installed software for mounting CD/DVD images from ISO files: no additional software is required to mount any ISO image.
Built-in screen that displays information about the status of the hard drive
Protective case included
The ability to mount ISO images, a built-in screen on which information is displayed - yes, it looks like we have here a case with its own operating system, no less!
Technical characteristics of Zalman ZM-VE200:
Dimensions (LxWxH): 135.3x78.6x13.1 mm
Weight: 98.5 g
Material: aluminum, acrylic, polycarbonate
Type: 2.5" SATA HDD
Interfaces: USB 2.0 (compatible with USB 1.1), eSATA Direct HDD Access
Data transfer rate: USB up to 480 Mbit/s, eSATA up to 3 Gbit/s
Spindle speed: 5400 or 7200 rpm
Nutrition: USB
Color: black, silver
The factory packaging opens from the top, after which you can take out another additional cardboard package (gray, without beautiful pictures), in which, in addition to the HDD pocket itself, a protective case, a short user manual, and a screwdriver with bolts are neatly packed. It's nice to note that USB and eSATA cables also come standard. Obviously, the device comes without a hard drive. The protective case is a very nice bonus that protects the appearance of the HDD case, especially considering that the ZM-VE200 can be in it while it is connected to the computer without fear of overheating.
As mentioned above, the outer case for the hard drive can be either black or silver. The USB pocket we received for testing is painted silver, and in my opinion, it is more attractive than black, since it contrasts more with the overall appearance of the product.
Connecting and using the Zalman ZM-VE200 will not cause any trouble even to the most ordinary PC user. On the right, on the top side of the HDD case there is a USB port, a write-protect function switch, a hard drive activity LED, a factory firmware recovery button, and an eSATA port. Unlike other 2.5" and 3.5" devices, this HDD box is powered only by a USB or eSATA cable, which explains the absence of a special power connector. This fact is both a plus and a minus at the same time. The fact is that not all today's eSATA ports support the function of powering the devices connected to them, so it would be nice to still leave a special connector for powering the hard drive if necessary, or at least emphasize the fact of incompatibility with the eSATA standard.
Installing a hard drive in the Zalman ZM-VE200 we tested today turned out to be even easier than I could have imagined. All you need to do to install your hard drive inside the pocket is to connect the HDD itself to a special controller via the appropriate connectors, and then insert the HDD along with the connected controller inside the pocket (HDD first, the controller remains at the top). Once you have connected and inserted the hard drive inside, all that remains is to securely fasten it inside using a screwdriver and two bolts, which the South Korean manufacturer thoughtfully included in the delivery package. During installation, you need to slightly open the rubber band that hides the mounting holes. By the way, after installation, this tape will stick out a little due to the tightened bolts, and this, although small, is still a flaw of the Korean engineers.
After installation is complete, it would be a sin not to test the strength and build quality of the case of our today's test subject. Simply shaking and moving the device convinced me that the engineers had designed the case well and that it was strong and reliable. While most 3.5" devices aren't designed for everyday carry, the ZM-VE200's 2.5" HDD pocket—one of the smallest HDD enclosures I've ever handled—is specifically designed for maximum mobility and portability.
The undoubted advantages of this device also include the LCD display. Few modern HDD enclosures can boast of its presence; in fact, I have never encountered similar devices before. And while external hard drives usually don't need a built-in screen (which is probably why they don't come with one), having a display on the ZM-VE200 is a really important option. Of course, using the LCD, the user will be able to monitor such minor indicators as the temperature of the hard drive (the pocket in any case must provide the necessary ventilation for the HDD, otherwise serious problems may arise), but also using the LCD you can quickly obtain information about the status of more important details.
In addition to its main functionality of turning an internal hard drive into an external one, the ZM-VE200 also boasts one very interesting feature - a virtual CD/DVD drive. And this is really a very nice bonus. Zalman ZM-VE200 is the first HDD box to offer a virtual CD/DVD drive option. Even its predecessor, the ZM-HE100, did not have such a feature, which offers a wealth of new possibilities for the end user.
By the way, do you want to know why the LCD display is so important for this device? It allows the user of the ZM-VE200 not only to switch the mode of use of the device between HDD, ODD or both at the same time - with its help the user can easily mount existing ISO files, which in itself is an alternative to CD, DVD and yes, you guessed it, BD-ROM drives. The user can mount any ISO image, as long as it is located in the "_ISO" folder on the HDD. If necessary, you can create additional subfolders in this folder, each of which can accommodate up to 32 optical disc images.
The USB 2.0 HDD port of the ZM-VE200 pocket has some specifics of working with the SATA port of the hard drive itself. First you will need to remove the protective coating on the chip, and then read a special disguised code printed in very small font. The thing is that the interface converter board is based on the OXU931SF controller from Oxford Semiconductor, now a division of PLX Technology (http://www.plxtech.com/products/consumer/oxu931sf), which entails some features of its use.
Three modes of operation Zalman ZM-VE200
The idea of the South Korean manufacturer Zalman to integrate a virtual CD/DVD drive into a HDD box is actually very good. In theory, this additional functionality will greatly expand the capabilities of the ZM-VE200, and perhaps even take this HDD case to a new level. However, this virtual optical disk is not without its flaws. Simply put, I'm not very happy with this new functionality.
As mentioned above, this device can operate in three different modes: HDD, ODD and Dual Mode. HDD mode is a hard drive mode in which the ZM-VE200 can be used as a regular HDD pocket. ODD mode is an optical drive mode in which the user only has the option of mounting ISO files into a virtual drive using it like a regular CD/DVD device. In HDD mode, the user does not have the option of directly mounting ISO images into a virtual drive, and vice versa. In fact, the ZM-VE200 will be recognized by your operating system as two different devices, two disks: the first for storing information, that is, for normal work with a hard disk (HDD mode), and the second for operating a virtual drive (ODD mode). Despite the creation of two virtual devices, the data is stored on one internal hard drive. That's why the ZM-VE200 can still be considered a "normal" external HDD pocket. Well, the last mode is Dual Mode - a combination of the first two modes.
Technically, there is one more mode left - eSATA, however, this mode is kept “apart” from the first three, and here’s why. The first three modes are very easy to use. On the left side of the HDD pocket there is a special switch with which you can activate the mode you need: by sliding the switch down and connecting the USB cable, the device will turn on in HDD mode, switch up + USB cable - ODD mode, switch inward + USB cable - combined mode. All three modes create virtual devices in your computer, while eSATA is activated when you connect the cable of the same name, and is used only for normal information transfer between the computer and the HDD pocket.
A physical drive can only handle one optical drive at a time. The same applies to the virtual CD/DVD drive in the ZM-VE200; Only one ISO image can be downloaded at a time. I was easily able to mount my existing DVD images, game and music CDs, as well as software disk images. There was no need to use the OS to control the device when the device itself can control the OS. A special jog-switch, together with the LCD display, made it possible to quickly and easily view existing ISO images, mounting which took approximately 5 - 10 seconds, depending on the size of the ISO file itself.
Among other things, the Zalman ZM-VE200 can not only emulate a virtual CD/DVD drive - it allows you to create up to 4 floppy drives, and they can work simultaneously. Interestingly, Zalman did not provide any information about this functionality. Of course, floppy disks are rarely used these days, but this feature will help target the product at a very specific market where technicians sometimes still use floppy disks to run system diagnostics.
Testing
For testing, we used a Samsung HM160HI hard drive; the external box was connected via USB to the computer. The results are as follows: reading - 27.8 MB/s, writing - 21.6 MB/s.
During our work, sometimes the built-in hard drive was detected as empty, and the operating system offered to format it. It is also known about some “floating” glitches in this model, which are software in nature.
conclusions
Today, it is very easy to buy a cheap 2.5" hard drive enclosure. In fact, there is now a large selection of different HDD boxes on the market. However, a smart choice would be to purchase a device not only with USB 2.0 support, but also to consider options with support for eSATA interfaces and, possibly, even USB 3.0. The good news is that the Zalman ZM-VE200 doesn't fit the usual criteria for choosing external HDD pockets. The fact is that the Zalman ZM-VE200 we're testing today is more than just an external HDD case.
From a theoretical point of view, I see a dual external HDD box, with an optional virtual optical drive, as a great addition to the main unit. Why hasn't this idea been used before? Who knows.
The nice and slim design allows the user to effectively use the internal hard drive as an external drive. And such “little things” as an LCD display and a “jog-switch” switch make it easy to mount the necessary images of optical disks, or switch the mode of using the HDD enclosure. Although the Zalman ZM-VE200 has distinct advantages, it also has disadvantages. The disadvantages include the use of an aging USB 2.0 interface, which makes this purchase less promising. Let us also remember that this HDD enclosure is incompatible with the eSATAp interface; The manufacturer should have provided the possibility of using an external power supply.
With all this, the Zalman ZM-VE200 is a kind of unique product that will appeal, first of all, to enthusiasts and lovers of technical innovations, for whom the novelty of the product is important and who value the quality of the materials in the product.
We thank OST-COM, the official distributor of Zalman in Russia, for the equipment provided.
V.Golub
04/08.2011
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2.5" External box Zalman ZM-VE350 is an affordable and multifunctional solution. The manufacturer took into account all the nuances and created the ideal device. The case is black, it is made of metal and has a pleasant texture, durable construction. There is a liquid crystal display, it will be especially useful when using the model as a virtual drive.
Zalman ZM-VE350 comes with an extended configuration. Along with the device, the owner receives a screwdriver for installing the disk into the box. A convenient and high-quality case, USB cable, and screws are provided.
An important feature will be compatibility with Windows and Mac OS operating systems. There will be no connection problems; the model is suitable for all users. The USB 3.0 interface allows you to copy large amounts of information in a short time.
The box has compact dimensions, it can easily fit into any bag and is easy to transport. The user will be able to independently create an external hard drive; simply select the appropriate module and install it in a dedicated compartment.
The kit includes an aluminum ZM-VE300 case, a thick carrying case, a USB 3.0 cable, an installation CD with programs, a quick user guide and a small screwdriver with bolts for fixing the hard drive.
Zalman ZM-VE300 has an impressive design: a lightweight aluminum case with plastic inserts on the sides, a small LCD screen that displays the status of the disk. On the top edge there is an activity indicator, a socket for connecting a USB cable and a “Backup” button. In addition, on the left side of the box there is a three-position joystick-wheel, with which almost all actions are performed. The activity indicator is two-color. White color is used to indicate operation in USB 2.0 mode, blue - in USB 3.0 mode.
In order to install a hard drive in the Zalman ZM-VE300, you need to remove the top board with the display and connect the drive itself to it. Then insert the resulting structure into the aluminum housing.
Of the three 2.5" drives we tried, the Zalman ZM-VE300 refused to work with one, but accepted the other two normally. I didn’t find any pattern in its preferences, and, as it became clear from reviews on various Internets, I wasn’t the only one who had this problem. So it's probably better to have a few different drives ready.
When the disk is installed and functionality has been verified, you need to secure it. Bend the seal from the sides of the case; holes for the bolts are hidden under them. As I already said, bolts and a small screwdriver are included in the kit, so there shouldn’t be any problems with fastening. But the seal doesn’t want to go back up, since it is made of hard plastic and after bending it starts to hang out. A trifle, of course, but it spoils the impression. A regular rubber seal would look more harmonious here.
In the first Zalman ZM-VE300 models, the firmware only allowed working with disks formatted in FAT32; to support the NTFS file system, it was necessary to install alternative firmware from a similar device - iODD-2531. In new batches, the firmware is more recent, with it NTFS drives are perfectly supported without additional steps. You can download the latest firmware version and the programs necessary for updating on the website.
ZM.VE300.Firmware.Upgrade.R1288N.zip (343,728 bytes)
In order to install firmware from iODD-2531 on Zalman-VE300, you will need to slightly modify the firmware program. I corrected the latest firmware version. After installing it, the device is identified in the system as iODD, but this will not work any worse. On the contrary, all new features from the iODD-2531 will be added to the functionality, which are not and are not expected to be included in the official Zalman-VE300 firmware.
iODD.2531.to.ZM.VE300.Firmware.Upgrade.R1600N.zip (345,755 bytes)
Entering and exiting the Menu occurs by pressing the side switch for more than 3 seconds. Navigating through the menu and selecting items is done using the joystick; returning to the previous level is done using the "Backup" button.
- Main menu:
- Mode Select- setting the device operating mode
- Setting- adjust the brightness of the LCD display and Sleep mode
- Information- view information about the HDD and firmware version
- USB Connect- USB connection setup
- Advanced- setting up a virtual HDD connection
- Mode Select menu:
- Dual Mode- work in combined mode, external HDD and virtual DVD-ROM/Blu-Ray drive
- ODD Mode or CD Mode(for iODD firmware) - works only in DVD-ROM/Blu-Ray mode (this mode is usually used when installing the OS)
- HDD Mode- the device is detected only as an external HDD (this mode is used when connecting to devices other than a PC)
- Settings menu:
- LCD Bright- adjust the brightness of the LCD screen backlight
- Idle Bright- adjustable LCD backlight in sleep mode
- Standby time- setting the time to go into sleep mode
- Load Default- return to default values
- Menu "Information":
- S.M.A.R.T- S.M.A.R.T information
- HDD Model- display the name of the hard drive model
- HDD Serial- display the serial number of the hard drive
- Firmware Ver.- display firmware version
- USB Speed- display the type of current connection (USB2.0: Hi-Speed, USB3.0: Super-Speed)
- USB Input Volt- display the lowest input voltage via the USB port after connecting to a PC and the current input voltage
- Menu "S.M.A.R.T":
- HDD Temp.- display HDD temperature
- HDD Health- display the HDD status (Good, Warning, Bad). If a Warning or Bad appears, immediately backup all data and check the HDD
- "USB Connect" menu:
- Refresh- reconnect the device to the PC
- Safe Removal- safe removal of the device
- Advanced menu:
- Umount VHDD- unmount all disk and floppy images
- Write Protect- enable or disable write protection
- Instant Save- remember the image immediately after selecting it (only in iODD firmware)
- Force USB 3.0- USB 3.0 priority mode (only in iODD firmware)
It is not indicated anywhere in the documentation, but it has been experimentally established that there should be no more than 32 images in the “_ISO” folder at the same time, otherwise the Zalman ZM-VE300 will display the message “Too Many Files”. This can be easily circumvented by creating subfolders, although this still leaves a limit of 32 files per folder. There are alternative firmwares that do not have such a limitation, but personally, I have the entire necessary set of distributions in a dozen files. By the way, as a cheaper alternative to the Zalman ZM-VE300, unscrupulous sellers may offer you enclosures for hard drives of the brand Konoos. Such a replacement is far from equivalent, since low-end models of Konoos cases support only one image, while more sophisticated ones support only three. Naturally, online shopping sites are modestly silent about this.
The Zalman ZM-VE300 comes with a backup utility called Backup Utility. It is recorded on a CD, but the latest version is always available on the website. As you might guess, it is used to make backup copies of selected files and folders from your computer to an external hard drive in the Zalman ZM-VE300. In the program, configure the required paths, then click the “Backup” button on the box and the utility copies the information.
But that's not all she can do. Using Backup Utility, you can create virtual disks and then save them to the "_ISO" folder on an external hard drive. It's worth understanding virtual disks better. "Virtual HDD" are empty files of a given size with the ability to connect them as external drives. Naturally, the Zalman ZM-VE300 is responsible for the connection and emulation functions.
Everything should also be clear with the “Safe Removal” function. You can safely turn off the Zalman ZM-VE300 by pressing the wheel or the "Backup" button on the device itself, or you can do this at the initiative of the computer through this Backup Utility function.
And this is how the system displays physical hard drives and virtual drives connected or created using the Zalman ZM-VE300.
Returning to the topic about installing Windows XP on the HP Mini 210-1130ER netbook. The inconvenience of installing the system from a flash drive was the last argument for me to buy the Zalman ZM-VE300. After purchasing it, I conducted an experiment: I recorded the prepared image on an external hard drive, installed a blank hard drive in the netbook, then mounted the image onto a virtual CD and tried to install the system. As I expected, everything went well.
The instructions that come with the kit are very sparse. All you can learn from it is where to attach the bolts and how to install backup software. On the Internet there are instructions in electronic form, even translated into Russian, but in essence they are no different from the paper version. According to rumors, complete documentation is available in Korean, but this is unlikely to be of any help. So you'll have to be content with what you have.
Zalman.ZM.VE300.Manual.RUS.zip (546,663 bytes)
Zalman.ZM.VE300.Manual.ENG.zip (492,463 bytes)
Because the instructions are quite brief, and they do not describe all the capabilities of the Zalman ZM-VE300. In preparing this review, I collected from various sources and organized useful tips and undocumented functions. All other possible problems were discussed in detail at the IXBT conference.
- If you hold down the "Backup" button while connecting the device, write protection will turn on.
- If you hold down the joystick wheel while connecting, the write protection is removed and the device goes into “Dual Mode”.
- If you hold the joystick wheel up while connecting, the “ODD Mode” is set.
- If you hold the joystick wheel down while connecting, the “HDD Mode” mode is set.
- If you turn down and hold the joystick wheel during operation, the device will be safely turned off. The same thing happens if you press and hold the "Backup" button.
- If you turn up and hold the joystick wheel while working, the “_ISO” folder will be rescanned and the list of images contained in it will be updated. This is very convenient if new images were recorded on the device in “Dual Mode” or “HDD Mode”.
- In order for Zalman VE-300 to remember the last mounted image, it must be safely disabled. Install the desired image, press and hold the "Backup" button or scroll down, wait for the "Data Saving..." message and disconnect the disk from the computer. After this, Zalman VE-300 will start with the selected image.
- To unmount a floppy disk image or drive from a "Virtual HDD", you need to go to the "End Of List" item and hold down the wheel for 3 seconds.
- When connecting to a desktop computer, it is better to use USB ports that are located on the back of the system unit rather than on the front panel.
- If the hard drive installed in the case is divided into several partitions, then the partition with the "_ISO" folder should be Primary.
- It is not recommended to install SSD drives in the Zalman ZM-VE300, as they are more sensitive to insufficient power supplied via USB and may fail.
To defragment files and directories, it is most convenient to use the free program WinContig. Its main feature is the fast defragmentation of individual files without the need to defragment the entire disk. Just launch WinContig, select one or more image files and defragment, after which the Zalman ZM-VE300 quietly mounts everything.
What can I say to sum it up? Zalman ZM-VE300 is a very cool thing that justifies its cost to the penny. Now the problem with preparing installation flash drives and a stack of CD/DVD disks with different distributions has been solved once and for all; all this remains a thing of the past. The Zalman ZM-VE300 will be an excellent assistant for system administrators and advanced users who often have to rearrange the system or use different boot disks.
Despite all the advantages, there are some disadvantages. Neither the instructions nor the website contains a list of recommended hard drive models that work with the Zalman ZM-VE300. As a last resort, it would be possible to indicate the recommended characteristics, type of amperage and rotation speed, so that you can independently select the right model, but this information is not available anywhere. The USB cable included in the kit is short and VERY stiff, which is why there is a risk of damaging the housing connector with frequent use. It would not hurt to provide additional power so that the Zalman ZM-VE300 can be connected to older computers. Of course, no one bothers you to find and purchase the right cable yourself, but it’s strange that the manufacturer made such a wonderful device and saved on a cheap cable. Judging by the reviews, for some hard drives you have to add an additional seal to the case so that the drive does not hang around inside. In my case this was not necessary, but in general I agree that the fastening system could have been thought out better. Otherwise, I am very pleased with the purchase.
UPD. After the untimely death of the Zalman ZM-VE300 (connected it to a problematic system unit, and there was a breakdown of electricity on the USB port), I purchased the original iODD-2531. So, there are no problems with seals described there. They are of sufficient length and have “horns” at the end, which are tucked under the side plugs and hold perfectly. Zalman also has these “horns”, but the seal itself is shorter, as a result they are useless. The cable is also long and flexible. The only thing is that the iODD case is uncomfortable - soft. I replaced it with a vacant case from Zalman. So it makes sense to purchase original iODD devices, rather than crookedly copied replicas.
An external hard drive today has become one of the essential items for everyone whose activities are in one way or another related to PC maintenance. The choice of discs and containers is large - for every color, taste and budget. However, there are solutions that stand out noticeably in the general series, one of them can be called an external container Zalman ZM-VE300 which, in addition to serving as an external drive, can serve as an optical disc drive emulator.
This allows you to kill two birds with one stone, since an external ODD drive and a stack of disks for it are the same essential items for system administrators, service engineers and simply computer enthusiasts. Installation disks with the OS, various service and diagnostic Live-CDs - in the end we get a rather impressive list of disks that you should always have with you, and important disks are also not in one copy. Otherwise, it will be very unpleasant when, at the most crucial moment, a “worn out” disk refuses to be read.
But first things first. At first glance the cost Zalman ZM-VE300 may seem very overpriced, paying about 2000 rubles for an external container without an HDD, even from a renowned manufacturer, is somehow too much; for this money you can easily get a good external drive. But this is only at first glance; as we will see later, the device fully justifies its price.
The container is supplied in a medium-sized cardboard box, on which the manufacturer emphasized the main advantages of the device.
It's obvious that Zalman ZM-VE300 in virtual drive mode, it is significantly ahead of any existing optical drive. Even in USB 2.0 mode, which is the main one, when using this container as a boot drive, only Windows 8 can currently be loaded via USB 3.0, and not always successfully, since USB 3.0 controllers from different manufacturers have their own characteristics.
To evaluate the performance of the virtual drive as a bootable drive, we compared the startup time of the Ubuntu 13.0 LiveCD by burning it to a new DVD+R disc.
Optical drives showed quite expected results: the external drive is the slowest, the internal drive is slightly faster. Zalman ZM-VE300 once again showed a significant lead - loading the image in less than a minute. This is a truly excellent result, which will be appreciated by those who often boot their PC from optical discs.
conclusions
We have before us a truly excellent product that fully justifies its price. Its main advantage is a virtual optical drive, which will allow you to abandon the use of optical discs and external drives. In addition, a virtual drive allows you to work with disk images much faster than any optical drive. All this does Zalman ZM-VE300 an indispensable assistant for administrators, service engineers and simply computer enthusiasts.
ZALMAN ZM-VE300 | Introduction
Today on the market you can find a large number of external accessories or enclosures/boxes for hard drives. Therefore, it is difficult for manufacturers to stand out among competitors. But ZALMAN succeeded: the new ZM-VE300 box contains a unique function - it can independently mount disk images, that is, it can also work as an optical drive. Of course, you will also get traditional 2.5" equipment with a USB 3.0 interface.
| Specification table ZALMAN ZM-VE300 (1M1NZ21C00185909) | |
|---|---|
| Housing material | Aluminum alloy, acrylic, polycarbonate |
| Products webpage | Official page ZALMAN ZM-VE300 |
| Retail price | About 1.8 thousand rubles |
| Form factor | 2,5" |
| Interface | USB 3.0 (backwards compatible with USB 2.0) |
| Internal interface | SATA |
| Supported OS | Windows 98, ME, XP, VISTA, 7, 8, Mac OS, Linux |
| Colors | Black, silver |
| Dimensions | 135.3×78.6×13.1 mm |
| Weight (without HDD) | 96 g |
| Contents of delivery | User manual, USB 3.0 cable, case, software disc, screwdriver |
Design and appearance
The design of the ZM-VE300 is very impressive. The body consists of an aluminum alloy coated with acrylic. It is thanks to this that the box is quite light, has a small thickness (13 mm), and also removes heat well from the drive. On the front side there is a small LCD display that displays the disk status and a text settings menu. Navigation through the setup menu is done using a three-position joystick (wheel) located on the left side of the box and the “Backup” button, which is located on top. In addition to the box itself, the package includes instructions for use, a USB 3.0 cable, and a pouch for the ZM-VE300. The drive itself (hard drive or SSD) is not included in the package; it must be purchased separately.
But the main advantages of the ZALMAN ZM-VE300 lie in additional functions, which we will consider below.
Software
The cheapest external boxes and hard drives come without software. Therefore, to highlight their products, well-known manufacturers add useful programs to the package. The ZALMAN company was no exception - the package includes the “Backup Utility (ZM-VE300)” utility, which is used to backup data. Utilities and programs significantly expand the functionality of external HDDs. The installation file for the ZALMAN ZM-VE300 backup utility was located on the CD included in the package; it can be immediately installed on your computer.
This program can create virtual disks (VHD), backup files from specified directories (Backup) and has a “Safe Removal” function. The program interface is very simple and easy to understand. It’s a pity that the utility does not support a Russian-language interface.
Below we will look at the basic functions of the utility.
Backup function. If you click the Backup button on the top end, a backup of the directories specified in the settings starts.
"Safe Removal" function. Used to safely remove a USB storage device. This function is activated by long (more than three seconds) holding the Backup button on the top end. If you hold down the button while copying files, extraction will occur only after the copying operation is completed.
"Virtual HDD" function- the most interesting feature presented in the software package. We'll talk about it below.
ZALMAN ZM-VE300 | Possibilities
The ZALMAN ZM-VE300 hard drive box is interesting with its “VIRTUAL DRIVE” function, that is, the ability to independently connect disk images, after which you can work with them in the system.
The operating mode is selected through the text menu on the ZALMAN ZM-VE300 display. You can also perform some actions there.
Menu
First menu section "Mode Select" allows you to select operating modes of ZALMAN ZM-VE300. A total of three operating modes are available.
- Dual Mode – work in combined mode, hard drive + virtual CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive
- ODD Mode – virtual CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive mode
- HDD Mode – hard drive mode
In the next section of the menu "Setting" drive settings are shown.
- LCD Bright – adjustable screen backlight, variable in the range from 1% to 100%
- IDLE Bright – sleep mode brightness adjustment, also available in the range from 1% to 100%
- Standby time – adjust the time after which the ZALMAN ZM-VE300 goes into sleep mode, you can completely disable this function, the time range is from 1 minute to 180 minutes.
- Load Default – load default settings.
Chapter "Information" serves to obtain information about the status of the hard drive and other parameters.
- S.M.A.R.T. – information about the temperature and condition of the hard drive
- HDD Model – information about the hard drive that is inserted into the box.
- Firmware Ver – information about the firmware installed on the ZALMAN ZM-VE300.
- USB Speed – information about the transfer speed of the USB interface.
- USB Input Volt – information about the voltage supplied to the box via USB; both the lowest voltage and the voltage supplied at this point in time are presented.
Chapter "USB Connect" allows you to reboot the hard drive (Refresh) or perform a safe removal (Safe Removal).
In chapter "Advanced" you can unmount all images (Umount VHDD), and also enable write protection (Write Protect).
We've finished describing the menu; now let's move on to studying the drive's capabilities in practice.
In progress
The main advantage of the ZALMAN ZM-VE300 is the connection of disk images without the help of additional software.
To connect ISO images, just copy the file with the .iso extension, switch the ZALMAN ZM-VE300 to ODD Mode or Dual Mode, and select the ISO file using the three-position joystick. It will be mounted on your computer as a virtual CD/DVD/Blu-ray drive.
You can also create virtual disks yourself using the “Virtual HDD” function. It creates empty files of a given size (we set the size ourselves, except for the floppy disk image), which ZALMAN ZM-VE300 will then connect as external drives. You can create three types of virtual disks: 1.44 MB floppy disk, fixed disk (.dsk), and removable disk (.rmd). The last two types are essentially the same; they differ in recognizing the type of disk under Windows.
We created test virtual disks of all three types (1 GB each, 1.44 MB floppy disk), and then connected them to the Windows 7 system.
The floppy.ima floppy disk image appears on the system as a standard 1.44 MB FAT floppy disk.
Then we connected the remove.rmd removable disk image. Windows immediately offers to format it. After formatting, the disk is recognized as “removable media”
Once connected, the fixed hard disk image fixed.dsk is visible in the system as a hard disk.
You can unmount virtual disks using the “Unmount VHDD” command.
ZALMAN ZM-VE300 | Tests
HD Tune
Using HD Tune, we assessed the disk's performance when reading and writing sequentially and with various data blocks. Below are screenshots showing the disk performance.
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SATA III
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We conducted four read and write tests with the native SATA interface and when connected via a ZALMAN ZM-VE300 box with a USB 3.0 interface.
As you can see, the 320 GB Seagate hard drive, in the case of a direct SATA connection, gives an average throughput of 70 MB/s for reading and 46 MB/s for writing. The result is not bad, although modern 2.5" hard drives operate at about 100-120 MB/s. When connected via USB 3.0, the average throughput is 69 MB/s for reading and 54 MB/s for writing. Thus, the performance of USB 3.0 is limited into the hard drive itself, and not into the USB-SATA controller of the ZALMAN ZM-VE300 box.
ZALMAN ZM-VE300 | Conclusion
The ZALMAN company presented the ZM-VE300 equipment with a USB 3.0 interface, which is distinguished by a reliable and durable aluminum housing. When connected via USB 3.0, you will get hard drive performance close to native SATA, which indicates a good SATA-USB controller in the box. The ZM-VE300 also features an LCD display and several buttons for advanced functions.
But the advantages of the ZM-VE300 lie in its additional capabilities. Box itself can connect CD/DVD/Blu-ray images to HDD or virtual disks. Such support eliminates the need to install an optical drive in the system, and will also be useful for modern ultrabooks and laptops, which usually do not have an optical drive. Virtual disks are useful for many work scenarios, and in this regard, the ZM-VE300 can be a great solution for enthusiasts and power users.
All this justifies the price of an external box of about 1.8 thousand rubles in Russia.
For more information about the capabilities of the ZM-VE300, please visit the ixbt conference.
Advantages of ZALMAN ZM-VE300
- Mounting optical disk images and virtual disks
- High-quality assembly, durable aluminum housing
- Convenient and simple software
- Good delivery set (case, screwdriver)
Disadvantages of ZALMAN ZM-VE300
- Short and stiff cable with no additional power supply, may cause power issues with older computers
- High price