UGREEN 2.5″ SATA Dual Bay RAID Hard Drive Enclosure – CM381

The UGREEN CM381 is a dual-bay external hard drive enclosure designed to house two 2.5-inch SATA drives simultaneously. It offers flexible RAID configuration options and USB 3.0 connectivity, making it ideal for students managing large project files and business users who need reliable data backup solutions. This compact enclosure transforms internal drives into portable storage while providing hardware-level data protection.

Key Features & Benefits

• Dual Drive Capacity: Houses two 2.5″ SATA drives up to 10TB each, giving you expanded storage space without cluttering your workspace with multiple external drives.
• Multiple RAID Modes: Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, JBOD, and Normal modes, allowing you to prioritize either speed, data redundancy, or maximum capacity based on your workflow needs.
• USB 3.0 Connectivity: Delivers transfer speeds up to 5Gbps, which means backing up a 50GB project folder takes around 2 minutes instead of 15+ minutes with older USB 2.0 devices.
• Tool-Free Installation: Features a sliding drive tray system that lets you install or swap drives in seconds without screwdrivers, perfect for students who frequently switch between project archives.
• Universal Compatibility: Works seamlessly with Windows, macOS, and Linux systems without requiring additional drivers, so you can move between your laptop, lab computers, and home desktop effortlessly.

Technical Specifications

Physical Dimensions

• Size: 126 × 80 × 38mm (4.96 × 3.15 × 1.5 inches)
• Weight: 245g (8.6 oz) without drives
• Material: Aluminum alloy housing for heat dissipation

Drive Support

• Interface: SATA I/II/III (compatible with all 2.5″ SATA drives)
• Capacity: Supports drives up to 10TB per bay (20TB total)
• Drive Types: HDDs and SSDs both supported

Performance & Connectivity

• Interface: USB 3.0 Type-B (backward compatible with USB 2.0)
• Transfer Rate: Up to 5Gbps (theoretical maximum)
• RAID Modes: RAID 0 (striping), RAID 1 (mirroring), JBOD (separate volumes), Normal (single drive)

Power & Operation

• Power Supply: 12V/3A DC adapter (included)
• Operating Temperature: 0°C to 40°C
• LED Indicators: Drive activity and power status lights

System Requirements

• OS Support: Windows 7/8/10/11, macOS 10.6+, Linux
• No driver installation required

Use Cases & Applications

For Students: The UGREEN CM381 excels at managing semester projects and research data. Set up RAID 1 mode to automatically mirror your thesis work across both drives, protecting against drive failure during critical deadlines. Additionally, the enclosure provides an affordable way to repurpose old laptop drives into a centralized backup system for multiple computers in shared housing.

For Business Users: Small businesses can deploy the CM381 as a local backup solution for critical documents and client files. Use RAID 0 mode when working with large video files or design projects that require faster read/write speeds. The dual-bay design also simplifies drive rotation strategies—keep one drive onsite for daily backups while rotating a second drive offsite for disaster recovery.

Data Migration Projects: The tool-free installation makes this enclosure particularly useful when upgrading computers or consolidating storage from multiple older machines. Connect both your old and new drives simultaneously to transfer data directly without consuming your primary computer’s drive bays.

The UGREEN CM381 strikes a practical balance between features and affordability. However, note that RAID configuration is set via hardware switches on the enclosure itself, so switching between modes requires ejecting drives and toggling physical switches. For users who frequently change RAID configurations, software-based RAID solutions might offer more flexibility.