by 199 reviews.
OWC Mercury Elite Pro 6TB External Hard Drive Enclosure Review: A Professional-Grade Storage Solution
The OWC Mercury Elite Pro 6TB External Hard Drive Enclosure is a high-performance storage solution designed for professionals and tech enthusiasts who demand reliability, speed, and versatility. With its sleek aluminum design, USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectivity, and compatibility with a wide range of devices, this enclosure is a standout choice for anyone needing robust external storage. Whether you're editing videos, backing up data, or managing large files, the OWC Mercury Elite Pro promises to deliver.
Pros and Cons: What Customers Are Saying
Build Quality and Durability
The OWC Mercury Elite Pro is praised for its premium build quality. The all-aluminum enclosure not only looks sleek but also acts as a heat sink, ensuring the drive stays cool during operation. One customer noted, "The enclosure itself is all aluminum with an aluminum stand that has silicon skids on the bottom. It firmly holds the drive upright and fits perfectly on my desk." Another user appreciated the shock isolation technology, which protects the drive from vibrations and impacts, making it a reliable choice for long-term use.
However, some users reported issues with the shipping packaging. One reviewer mentioned, "It came in its box with styrofoam end caps, but I would have preferred an outer box for added protection." While the enclosure itself is sturdy, the lack of additional packaging could be a concern for those worried about damage during transit.
Performance and Speed
When it comes to performance, the OWC Mercury Elite Pro shines. With real-world transfer speeds of up to 252MB/s, it’s a powerhouse for tasks like video editing and large file transfers. A customer shared, "I transferred about 3TB of FLAC music files and general documents in a few hours. It’s much faster than my previous Seagate 4TB bus-powered drive." The USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-B connection ensures compatibility with both USB-A and USB-C devices, offering flexibility for various setups.
That said, some users experienced connectivity issues. One reviewer reported, "It disconnected a few times but always restored after a reset on the on/off button. However, after a month or two, it stopped connecting altogether." While this isn’t a universal experience, it’s worth noting for potential buyers.
Ease of Use and Setup
The plug-and-play setup is a major highlight for many users. One satisfied customer said, "My MacMini recognized the drive right away, and I used OWC's included drive formatting utility. I was up and running in a matter of minutes." The inclusion of a 1-year subscription to Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office was an unexpected bonus for another user, who praised the software for its malware protection and backup capabilities.
On the flip side, some users found the standby mode to be frustrating. A reviewer mentioned, "Every 10 seconds or so, it goes into standby, and you have to wait several seconds to resume work." This could be a dealbreaker for those who need constant access to their files.
Compatibility and Versatility
The OWC Mercury Elite Pro is compatible with a wide range of devices, including Mac, Windows, Linux, PlayStation, Xbox, and Smart TVs. One user appreciated its ability to support 12TB NAS PWDIS drives, stating, "It supported my 12TB NAS PWDIS drive just fine!" The ability to position the enclosure vertically or horizontally adds to its versatility, making it a great fit for any workspace.
However, a few users reported compatibility issues with certain drives. One reviewer noted, "It worked moderately well for a month or two but eventually stopped connecting altogether." While this isn’t a widespread issue, it’s something to consider if you’re using non-standard drives.
Conclusion: Is the OWC Mercury Elite Pro Worth It?
The OWC Mercury Elite Pro 6TB External Hard Drive Enclosure is a solid choice for professionals and tech enthusiasts who need reliable, high-speed storage. Its premium build quality, fast transfer speeds, and versatile compatibility make it a standout product in its category. The inclusion of Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is a nice bonus, adding an extra layer of security and functionality.
However, it’s not without its flaws. Some users reported connectivity issues and standby mode frustrations, which could be a dealbreaker for those needing constant access to their files. Additionally, the shipping packaging could be improved to better protect the enclosure during transit.
Final Verdict: If you’re looking for a durable, high-performance external hard drive enclosure, the OWC Mercury Elite Pro is an excellent choice. While it may have a few quirks, its overall quality and performance make it a worthwhile investment for anyone in need of reliable storage.
Specification OWC Mercury Elite Pro 6TB External Hard Drive Enclosure for 3.5 Inch SATA Drives, USB 3.2 and USB-A/USB-C Thunderbolt Connection, Professional Plug n Play HDD Enclosure with Power Adapter:
Comments from Amazon:
I owned a previous version of a Mercury Elite Pro Dual RAID drive bought directly from OWC. It frequently caused unexpected ejects from my Mac and eventually caused a drive failure after 3 years. The fan was loud too. I say all this because I was hesitant to replace that drive with another OWC drive. I bought 2 of these empty enclosures and installed one of the remaining drives from the prior enclosure in one, and a brand new drive in the other. Both work like a charm. Are completely silent and the speed of the interface is a huge improvement. For the price, I'd say this is a bargain.
I needed a new direct attached storage solution for use with my 2018 MacMini and Backblaze cloud backup service and I wanted an enclosure that I could replace the drive in later on and, I wanted a drive that could take advantage of the USB C speeds of the 2018 MacMini's USB C ports. I've used OWC products before, I had one of their external BluRay burners back in the day and a few of their portable USB (bus powered) HDD enclosures so OWC has been on my radar. The enclosure itself is all aluminum with an aluminum stand that has silicon skids on the bottom, it firmly holds the drive upright so it fit on the desk top right behind my 34" ultra wide monitor. It has a nice beefy USB Type B (3.2 gen 2) port, it comes with a USB Type B to Type A cable but I bought this Tripp Lite cable to use with it rather than using a Type A to USB C adaptor. The cable itself seems well made and made a reliable connection: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08298VJY9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I departed from my usual MO in purchasing hard drives by getting this with an installed Toshiba desktop drive that OWC populates their enclosures with. At the time of purchase this was $229 for the 6TB capacity and it is a 7200 rpm drive and I felt it was an affordable choice for both the HDD and enclosure and, when you purchase this with the drive installed it carries a three year warranty. And I figured I didn't have to worry about getting a OEM hard drive from WD or Seagate that might not be warrantied, as I've read about many times in hard drive reviews. So not having had any previous experience with a Toshiba drive I'm hoping that it lasts. After shutting down the computer each day I'm also powering off the OWC drive. The enclosure does not have an active fan. The case acts as a heat sink to dissipate heat that the drive creates. I transferred about 3TB of FLAC music files and general documents in a few hours. I haven't clocked the speeds but it is much faster than my previous Seagate 4TB bus powered drive. My MacMini recognized the drive right away and I used OWC's included drive formatting utility and it automatically created an HFS+ volume and I was up and running in a matter of minutes. There is some question of whether to use APFS on newer Mac's or HFT+ when formatting new drives but HFS+ is supposed to be more optimized for mechanical HDD's whereas APFS is more optimized for SSD drives. Overall it has a very high quality feel and appearance, the only negative is how it was shipped. It came in its box with styrofoam end caps on the drive and while it’s own packaging was sufficient I would have thought it would be shipped with an outer box for added protection. I will report back after having used it for a few months.
Looks like good construction. Good transfer speeds, easy to setup. Supported my 12Tb NAS PWDIS drive just fine!
I bought this as a drive bay for running Time Machine Backups on my Mac. It ran moderately well for about a month or two. It disconnected a few times but always restored after a reset on the on/off button. Right now, it turns on, but will not connect. The last few weeks I've had it disconnect after a few minutes and now will not reconnect at all. It's junk. Good looking junk. But junk. As of tonight it's in the trash. See photo.
Works with server HDDs with the PWDIS protocol.
Elke 10 seconden of zo valt ie in standby en dan moet je tiental seconden wachten om weer iets te kunnen doen.
I owned 2 lacie rugged drives one that connected via thunderbolt the other used usb-c. I had bought the usb-c one because they stopped making the thunderbolt drives. When the first 2 tb lacie started to fail it came with software that basically locked it and said that i should try to back it up asap. I bought the 5 gb usb-c version (orange) for that purpose. I noticed that they seemed to sort of battle each other to load up anywhos it was not very long till i started having issues with the newer drive. One day upon starting up the usb-c 5 tb newer one would not load at all. I tried disk utility i tried everything i could but it would not even show up on the list. I called for support and am supposed to send them back now to see if the lab could try to get my important files off of them could take up to a month. I can't go without my drive space so i looked for a new drive this time i didn't want to get a lacie or seagate as they are easy to work with but never seem to last very long. I have had previous experience with OWC and anything i've gotten from them has always been great quality. I bought the mercury elite pro in 6gbs i figured that when i finally heard from the lab if something was saved i could put it on my new drive and just have the others as backups for that. What i got was a beautiful great quality harddrive that was super easy to connect and set up. What i had not planned on was i got a complimentary (1 year subscription) to Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office. I had not used that software prior and it now is protecting my drives from malware,virus, can clone drives and back up my computer. I don't know if the new software is what did the trick or maybe the drives were dying intermittently but day after i installed my missing drive is now suddenly appearing on the desktop. I quickly took advantage and used the new software to copy everything from both drives. I now no longer need to send the drives to the lab and will be calling about sending them back to exchange for working drives. I now have all my files safe and sound on a stable harddrive and 11+ months left of protection. I am over the moon with this product and with the company who rushed it to me. When installing and setting up i couldn't find the serial number needed so i quickly got online and was chatting with an agent within 3 minutes where i was told it is on a card that was in the box (code is on the business card sized card) which i promptly found and had no issues. My point is if i had a problem it would have easily been dealt with since i could get assisstance so easily.