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Black 5.25 inch front panel card reader with USB 3.0 Type-A, USB 3.1 Type-C and eSATA ports

EN-Labs

EN-Labs U2CR5253U3CESATA 5.25" card reader

SKU CH-R6DM-TD1B6

A 5.25″ front-panel card reader and USB hub with three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, one USB 3.1 Type-C port, one eSATA port, and support for CF, SD, MS, XD, TF and M2 cards up to 64 GB

  • Interface typeUSB & eSATA
  • Installation typeInternal
  • Product colorBlack
  • Key features• Super Speed USB 3.0 supports up to 5 Gbit/s of bandwidth •
  • In the box1 × 5.25 in USB2.0 Card Reader Panel, 4 x Screws,user manual
  • Reads CF, SD, MMC, XD, TF, M2, MS cards up to 64GB
  • Three USB 3.0 Type-A ports plus one USB 3.1 Type-C port for fast peripherals
  • Front eSATA port adds high-speed external drive access
  • Fits any standard 5.25 inch drive bay for clean internal install
  • Backward compatible with USB 2.0, 1.1 and 1.0 devices

Front-panel card reader and hub

The EN-Labs U2CR5253U3CESATA fits a 5.25 inch bay and combines an all-in-one card reader with a USB 3.0 hub, a USB 3.1 Type-C port and an eSATA port. It is aimed at builders who want front access to legacy memory cards and extra USB connections without using rear I/O.

Thermals noise and power

The unit draws power from internal USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 motherboard headers and adds no active cooling, so it produces no audible noise and negligible heat inside the chassis. Power consumption is limited to the connected peripherals and the card reader circuitry itself.

Maximum card capacity

The reader supports SD, MMC, SDHC, CompactFlash types I, II, High Speed and Microdrive, Memory Stick variants, xD, TF and M2 cards up to a maximum readable capacity of 64 GB. Buyers needing support for larger cards or for SmartMedia format should look elsewhere.

How it compares

Measured against everything we stock in USB & Internal Card Readers, at today’s prices. Recalculated every night.

Price $29.99
Pricier than about 73% of the 511 comparable items (median $18.99).

Specifications

Product
Brand nameEN-Labs
Model nameU2CR5253U3CESATA
Product colorBlack
Memory
Support - memory stickYes
Ports & slots
Interface typeUSB & eSATA
Compatibility
Support - compact flashYes
Support - MMCYes
Support - SDYes
Support - smartmediaNo
Support - xdYes
In the box
In the box1 × 5.25 in USB2.0 Card Reader Panel, 4 x Screws,user manual
More details
Installation typeInternal

Questions about this item

How do I install the 5.25" panel and which motherboard headers are required?

Mount the panel into a free 5.25" front bay using the four supplied screws. Connect the internal USB 3.0 20-pin header and the USB 2.0 10-pin header to matching connectors on the motherboard; the step often missed is plugging in both headers so the hub and card reader work together.

What maintenance or replacement will the card reader need over time?

The slot mechanism has no user-serviceable parts; if a card slot wears out or the USB 3.0 hub fails, the whole front-panel unit must be replaced.

What is the first limit I will hit when copying large files continuously?

The card reader tops out at 64 GB maximum capacity, so cards larger than that cannot be read at all, and the USB 3.0 interface caps sustained throughput at 5 Gbps.

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