Introduction

No, Brando has nothing to do with the famous Godfather actor. It’s a Hong Kong manufacturer of 1001 hardware related goodies. They have been around for quite some time now, but it wasn’t until recently we got a chance to take a closer look at one of their products.

The Brando SATA HDD Dock might look familiar if you have browsed the web before. Visually it’s eerie similar to the Thermaltake BlacX although Brando definitely has the edge when it comes down revisions, updates, upgrades and expandability. To illustrate: the SATA HDD Dock we received for review has support for 2.5/3.5” SATA HDD disk, connects to your PC with USB, and also functions as a 4-port USB hub. That particular model is now already superseded by 4 newer models at the Brando online shop (which ships worldwide for only $3!).Brando constantly innovates their product line-up.

Back to the product on the test bench today; The Brando SATA HDD Dock/USB Hub.



The packaging reveals that the product can be linked to Century Corporation, a Japanese company which lists these USB products.



Inside the box

Inside the box you’ll find a small power adapter and USB connection cable. The SATA Dock is compact with a heavy base to make sure it doesn’t topple over when a disk is installed.



At the front of the unit you see an eject button, 4xUSB 2.0 ports, and dual-LED status light, which shows power status and activity.


At the bottom are four soft rubber feet to minimize vibration noise.



Installation

If you are able to connect an USB mouse to your PC, you should be able to manage with the SATA Dock. You hook up the USB cable to both the SATA Dock and your PC. Plug in the power adapter and press the power button at the back of the unit.



Performance tests next ->