Review Typhoon USB 3.0 ExpressCard /34

The third ExpressCard with USB 3.0 interface under review is a model from Typhoon. At the time of writing, its (street-) price is about 35.- euro (plus P&P), and therewith on par with the solution from Iomega reviewed previously. The Icy Box from Raidsonic costs about 10 euros less.

Shape, size, and weight are comparable with the other ExpressCards and do only differ marginally. The expansion offers two USB-3.0 ports side-by-side and a separate power supply. The later can be found lateral, is powered by an additional USB-cable.

In terms of performance Typhoon's ExpressCard also hardly differs from the reviewed models from Raidsonic and Iomega. Transfer rates up to 104,1 MB/s (NEC-Chip) only slightly distinguish it from the competition and can be neglected for a purchase decision. The handling is identical and convinces  by a simple and fast use once the drivers are installed. Hard drives with a separate power supply are directly and trouble-free recognized. However, it was not possible to reliably power all the tested hard drives solely via USB 3.0 and we had to use an additional USB-2.0 cable as power supply. This is, e.g., true for Verbatims Store`n`Go portable USB 3.0 (only USB 3.0 port, Fujitsu MJA2500BH G2 at 5400 rpm) and Typhoon's external USB 3.0 hard drive, which houses a Toshiba MK3256GSY (7200 rpm). These only work with an additional USB 2.0-power supply.

Verdict

The USB 3.0 ExpressCard/34 from Typhoon is on par with already reviewed solutions. High transfer rates and an additional power supply make a trouble-free use possible in most cases. Only the bad availability and the rather high price tarnish the otherwise very good overall picture.