SilverStone MMS02 Drive Enclosure Review

The SilverStone Mammoth Series MMS02 is an all aluminum external drive enclosure with USB 3.1 Gen 2 capability.

This protective drive case offers Ingress Protection (IP) of IP68, a rating which is resistant to intrusion of solid objects and liquids – like dust, accidental contact, and water. All key characteristic of protecting a portable electrical enclosure such as your 2.5-inch hard drive.

Hardware

Boxed with the SilverStone Mammoth Series MMS02 hard drive enclosure is a screw driver, anti-vibration pads for mechanical disk drives, extra screws with rubber o-rings, footpads and a multi-language user manual.

At the time of this publication the SilverStone MMS02 has a price tag of $79.99 USD. Though I couldn't find the unit being sold at popular online stores in North America – SilverStone has confirmed availability is coming soon.

The entire housing is constructed from aluminum material with a slight charcoal color. Dimensions of the unit are 4.13" (W) x 0.63" (H) x 6.48" (D) and totes a surprisingly hefty weight.

Built-in voltage regulation allows for a single power input from USB 5V bus power so there isn't a need for an additional power adapter. A soft rubber cap keeps debris out and tucks away neatly near the drive activity light (blue in color).

An integrated USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable with an overall length of 16.5 inches is affixed and conveniently wraps around the housing for easy storage.

Though the enclosure isn't a tool-less design, drive installation is easy as removing the six screws and inserting a drive. Each screw has a rubber o-ring, in addition to a soft silicone like rubber ring outlining the housing internal fringe. This is how an IP68 rating is achieved (more on that below under performance).

Located on backside of the printed circuit board (PCB) is a VIA Lab VL715 controller. This high performance, low power, single chip USB 3.1 to SATA 6Gb/s bridge controller is designed for external storage devices by connecting a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid-State Drive (SSD) at SATA 6Gb/s, SATA 3Gb/s, or SATA 1.5Gb/s.

The integrated USB 3.1 physical layer enables VL715 to run in USB SuperSpeedPlus (10Gb/s), Super-Speed, High-Speed, and Full-Speed modes. Supporting USB mass storage class Bulk-Only Transport (BOT), VL715 based devices can work on various Linux kernels without the need for additional drivers.

Also, the USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface is capable of data transfer speeds up to 10Gbps which also supports USB Attached SCSI Protocol (UASP) for better performance and reduced protocol overhead. Linux Kernel 2.6.3 and higher supports UASP, but you may want to confirm hardware support with lsusb (Note: Driver=uas).

/: Bus 02.Port 1: Dev 1, Class=root_hub, Driver=xhci_hcd/8p, 10000M

|__ Port 8: Dev 2, If 0, Class=Mass Storage, Driver=uas, 5000M

Kernel: 4.15.0-20-generic (x86_64)

Features

Highlight summary:

• USB 3.1 Gen 2 and SATA 6G interface
• Supports 7mm or 9.5mm thick 2.5" SATA hard drives or SSD
• Supports UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol)
• Integrated USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C cable for easy cable management
• Certified IP68 for dust proof and water resistance
• Waterproofed connector
• All aluminum design with smart cable integration
• Efficient heat conduction pad for reducing temperature

Performance

IP68-certification indicates protection against contact with harmful solids and immersion in liquids with a depth greater than 1 meter. The manufacturer specifies exact water resistance for the enclosure is rated at a depth of 1.5 meter for duration of 60 minutes.

To evaluate, I performed a simple test by inserting a dry piece of paper into the sealed enclosure and then submerged in 3' of fresh water for duration of 60 minutes. I then conducted another test for a duration of 120 minutes. Both exposures passed and as shown in the image above the paper was dry after subjected to submersion. Simply proving that the SilverStone MMS02 is suitable for continuous immersion in water under defined conditions. Additionally, I then reinstalled a SSD to verify all components were functioning after the wet test.