Icy Dock has recently released another interesting product from the ToughArmor series, which is suitable for SoHo and home server as well as industrial use. Today, on OCinside.de we are testing the ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B removable frame made of solid metal with four 2.5-inch bays.
The Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B currently has a price of approx. 110 Euro (10/2023).
Here you can order the Icy Dock MB607SP-B at a reasonable price. *Ad
The most important technical data is summarized on the back.
And on the pages you can find a quick guide for mounting the drives on the drive trays, …
… but also a diagram about the active cooling.
Let’s move on to the technical specifications of the Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B …
However, it should be noted that the specifications on the box differ from those on the Icy Dock website, although it is not serious. The SAS transfer rate of up to 12 Gbps is suppressed on the box, and the dimensions in length differ from 140.3 mm (box) and 142.4 mm on the website, otherwise the specifications match.
Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B Layout, design and features …
Typical for the Tough Armor series, this removable frame is also completely made of black metal and makes a very stable and high-quality impression as usual from IcyDock. According to IcyDock, the removable frame is well suited for medical systems as well as for servers and industrial PCs. The full metal construction also makes this removable frame flame retardant.
Besides the single SATA power connector, the four SATA data connectors are also present on the back.
In addition to the heat conduction via the metal casing, the drives are also actively cooled with a 40 mm fan. This can be regulated in two stages and even switched off completely via a switch. If the fan needs to be changed, conventional 2- and 3-pin fans fit here. If no drive is installed, the fan is disabled by default.
The EZ-Tray series is again used for the removable frame, more precisely the Slide Mini Trays as drive carriers. These are characterized by a high stability. Since they are completely made of metal, they are also responsible for heat dissipation. Drives from 7 to 15 mm high can be installed in these trays. The trays sit securely in the removable frame and are locked by means of a button.
By means of enclosed, numbered pins, the trays can also be individually marked.
Now let’s move on to the installation of the Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B removable frame …
The Icy Dock ToughArmoer MB607SP-B fits into a 5.25″ drive bay, making it suitable for use in any desktop chassis with bays or 2U servers.
Fortunately, you only need a single SATA power connector, which you connect to the back of the removable frame. In addition, the four SATA data connections for the respective drives are connected on the back.
Up to four drives are then attached to the drive carriers using four enclosed screws and simply slide into the removable frame after the drives are mounted and sit stably and securely thanks to the aforementioned locking mechanism.
Now we want to see if the ToughArmor Lite removable frame can also convince in practical testing.
Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B Practical testing …
We installed and tested the Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B removable frame in a server.
The following PC setup was used as the test system:
The ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B removable frame could easily be installed in a 2U case and fits flush in the 5.25″ bay.
The removable frame was equipped with two Crucial MX500 1TB SSDs. The large height of 15 mm allows the use of HDDs with a higher capacity, but the last representative for the home user of such drives, Toshiba’s MQ03ABB300, which has a whole 3 TB of storage space on 2.5″ and 15 mm height, was discontinued some time ago and there is currently no inexpensive hard drive with more than 2 TB and the CMR method for 2.5″ available. In this case, you would have to go for the Seagate Exos E, an enterprise hard drive with up to 2.4 TB for a steep price. However, SAS SSDs that can also feature heights of up to 15 mm, such as Seagate’s Nytro Enterprise series, can also be considered for commercial use.
Since the ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B is a removable frame without integrated RAID functionality and thus the drives are connected directly to the motherboard or HBA, there should be no compatibility or speed issues. As expected, the drive speed is identical to the direct connection to the mainboard and is therefore not listed separately. The temperatures of the data media were about 23 °C at a room temperature of 21 °C, so the cooling can be described as very effective. The fan remained almost inaudible in low mode, while it can also only be heard slightly in high mode. The frequency is not disturbing at all.
Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B Result and general impression …
As usual from Icy Dock, the build quality of the Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B is very high!
Both in the private home server area, as well as in the professional application area such as video editing and servers, the ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B removable frame offers a solid and functional way to accommodate even drives with higher data density in a small, possibly unused space in the form of a 5.25″ drive bay. Temperatures remain very low even under high data loads thanks to passive heat dissipation via the metal housing and thanks to the switchable active fan.
The only point that could allow criticism would be the screwing of the drives onto the drive carriers with four screws each. Icy Dock has previously shown with other trays that the number of screws can also be reduced to two, which was unfortunately not done here.
All in all, the removable frame tested here is a solid expansion option for data storage in limited spaces.
Discuss in our forum and share experiences about the Icy Dock MB607SP-B …
Here you can order the Icy Dock MB607SP-B at a reasonable price. *Ad
Read on in the hardware test area with several hardware reviews …
Thanks for the support …
Thanks for the support to MisterY and the manufacturer Icy Dock/Cremax Tech LTD.The Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B currently has a price of approx. 110 Euro (10/2023).
Here you can order the Icy Dock MB607SP-B at a reasonable price. *Ad
The delivery of the Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B …
As usual, Icy Dock delivers the ToughArmor Lite in an environmentally friendly cardboard box. As with many of IcyDock’s products, you’ll find a QR barcode on the front as well as the most important features listed as symbols. The MB607SP-B is a removable frame/backplane that does not have a RAID controller and can therefore be connected directly to the motherboard or HBA.The most important technical data is summarized on the back.
And on the pages you can find a quick guide for mounting the drives on the drive trays, …
… but also a diagram about the active cooling.
This is included in the delivery package …
Inside the box, you’ll find a removable frame wrapped in bubble wrap and protected from any environmental influences, along with mounting screws and instructions. The manual is limited to the essentials and is mainly in English. However, this is not a tragedy, since the illustrations are clear.Let’s move on to the technical specifications of the Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B …
The technical data …
| Manufacturer | Icy Dock |
| Description | ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B |
| Dimensions | 146 x 41.3 x 142.4 mm (WxHxL) |
| Color | Black |
| Weight | 847 g |
| Host Interface | 4x S-ATA III |
| Number of media | 4x S-ATA/SAS Single Channel |
| Power supply | 1x S-ATA |
| Transmission rate | SATA up to 6GBit/s (depending on drive speed) / SAS 3.0 up to 12 Gbps |
| Compatible drives | 2.5″ drives up to max. 15 mm height |
| Fits for | 1x 5.25″ drive bays |
| Status LED | Ready: Green illuminated Access: Flashing green Empty bay: LED off |
| Material | Full metal |
| Cooling | Active cooling by means of 40 mm fan and passive cooling by means of heat dissipation via metal |
| Manufacturer warranty | 5 years |
However, it should be noted that the specifications on the box differ from those on the Icy Dock website, although it is not serious. The SAS transfer rate of up to 12 Gbps is suppressed on the box, and the dimensions in length differ from 140.3 mm (box) and 142.4 mm on the website, otherwise the specifications match.
Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B Layout, design and features …
Layout, design and features …
Typical for the Tough Armor series, this removable frame is also completely made of black metal and makes a very stable and high-quality impression as usual from IcyDock. According to IcyDock, the removable frame is well suited for medical systems as well as for servers and industrial PCs. The full metal construction also makes this removable frame flame retardant.
Besides the single SATA power connector, the four SATA data connectors are also present on the back.
In addition to the heat conduction via the metal casing, the drives are also actively cooled with a 40 mm fan. This can be regulated in two stages and even switched off completely via a switch. If the fan needs to be changed, conventional 2- and 3-pin fans fit here. If no drive is installed, the fan is disabled by default.
The EZ-Tray series is again used for the removable frame, more precisely the Slide Mini Trays as drive carriers. These are characterized by a high stability. Since they are completely made of metal, they are also responsible for heat dissipation. Drives from 7 to 15 mm high can be installed in these trays. The trays sit securely in the removable frame and are locked by means of a button.
By means of enclosed, numbered pins, the trays can also be individually marked.
Now let’s move on to the installation of the Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B removable frame …
Installation …
The Icy Dock ToughArmoer MB607SP-B fits into a 5.25″ drive bay, making it suitable for use in any desktop chassis with bays or 2U servers.
Fortunately, you only need a single SATA power connector, which you connect to the back of the removable frame. In addition, the four SATA data connections for the respective drives are connected on the back.
Up to four drives are then attached to the drive carriers using four enclosed screws and simply slide into the removable frame after the drives are mounted and sit stably and securely thanks to the aforementioned locking mechanism.
Now we want to see if the ToughArmor Lite removable frame can also convince in practical testing.
Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B Practical testing …
Practical testing …
We installed and tested the Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B removable frame in a server.
The following PC setup was used as the test system:
| AMD Motherboard | MSI MAG MORTAR B550 |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 9 3900X |
| Cooling | Noctua NH-9A |
| Thermal compound | Revoltec Thermal Grease Diamond |
| SSD | Samsung 970 EVO 512GB as system drive |
| PSU | Cooler Master G450M |
| Case | Chenbro RM24100 2 HE |
| Operating system | Win 11 |
The ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B removable frame could easily be installed in a 2U case and fits flush in the 5.25″ bay.
The removable frame was equipped with two Crucial MX500 1TB SSDs. The large height of 15 mm allows the use of HDDs with a higher capacity, but the last representative for the home user of such drives, Toshiba’s MQ03ABB300, which has a whole 3 TB of storage space on 2.5″ and 15 mm height, was discontinued some time ago and there is currently no inexpensive hard drive with more than 2 TB and the CMR method for 2.5″ available. In this case, you would have to go for the Seagate Exos E, an enterprise hard drive with up to 2.4 TB for a steep price. However, SAS SSDs that can also feature heights of up to 15 mm, such as Seagate’s Nytro Enterprise series, can also be considered for commercial use.
Since the ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B is a removable frame without integrated RAID functionality and thus the drives are connected directly to the motherboard or HBA, there should be no compatibility or speed issues. As expected, the drive speed is identical to the direct connection to the mainboard and is therefore not listed separately. The temperatures of the data media were about 23 °C at a room temperature of 21 °C, so the cooling can be described as very effective. The fan remained almost inaudible in low mode, while it can also only be heard slightly in high mode. The frequency is not disturbing at all.
Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B Result and general impression …
Result and general impression …
As usual from Icy Dock, the build quality of the Icy Dock ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B is very high!
Both in the private home server area, as well as in the professional application area such as video editing and servers, the ToughArmor Lite MB607SP-B removable frame offers a solid and functional way to accommodate even drives with higher data density in a small, possibly unused space in the form of a 5.25″ drive bay. Temperatures remain very low even under high data loads thanks to passive heat dissipation via the metal housing and thanks to the switchable active fan.
The only point that could allow criticism would be the screwing of the drives onto the drive carriers with four screws each. Icy Dock has previously shown with other trays that the number of screws can also be reduced to two, which was unfortunately not done here.
All in all, the removable frame tested here is a solid expansion option for data storage in limited spaces.
Discuss in our forum and share experiences about the Icy Dock MB607SP-B …
Here you can order the Icy Dock MB607SP-B at a reasonable price. *Ad
Read on in the hardware test area with several hardware reviews …
