00:00Alright, so here's the thing, I went down a rabbit hole this week hunting for the cheapest
00:03way to turn an old laptop drive into a portable external hard drive, and I found some absolute
00:08steals. We're talking the best external hard drive enclosures under $17.24, and honestly,
00:15a couple of these cost less than lunch. Let me show you what I found.
00:20First up is this Yadamaster 2.5-inch enclosure, and it's $6.61, it's the one I'd probably grab
00:27first. It does SATA to USB 3.0 at full 6Gbps speed with UASP support, which basically means
00:35your drive runs noticeably faster than with a cheap generic adapter. Nearly 5,000 people have
00:41bought it, and it's sitting at a 4.9 rating. Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux too, so no
00:47compatibility headaches. For the price, that's just ridiculous value. Now, if you're the kind of
00:54person who likes your tech with a bit of personality, check out this transparent HDD case.
01:00It's $5.54, making it the cheapest one on this list, and you can literally see your drive inside,
01:06which, let's be honest, is just cool. It's tool-free, so you slot the drive in and you're
01:11done in seconds. One thing to know, it's USB 2.0 speed, so it's better for backups and light
01:17storage than for big file transfers. Still, at this price with a 4.9 rating? Hard to argue.
01:25Number 3 is this 2.5-inch SATA to USB 3.0 case at $6.80, and this one's the
01:32workhorse of the bunch.
01:33It supports drives up to 3TB, it hits 5Gbps transfer speeds, and it's plug and play with
01:40pretty much any PC or laptop. No tools, no software, no fuss. Over 4,300 sold and a 4.9
01:49rating to back
01:49it up. If you've got an old drive sitting in a drawer, this is the easiest way to bring it
01:54back
01:54to life. If you want to step up a notch, the Orico Type-C enclosure at $9.71 is the
02:01premium pick here.
02:03Orico is a brand people actually trust, and this one does USB 3.1 with SATA at 6Gbps plus
02:10UASP support, so it's the fastest option on the list. The Type-C connector is reversible too,
02:16so no more flipping the plug three times like some kind of ritual. For under $10, getting a name
02:22brand enclosure with this kind of speed is a genuinely good deal. Last one, and this is the
02:27Sleeper Pick, a 2.5-inch enclosure with a Micro-B to Type-C cable for just $7.12.
02:34The big selling point? It supports drives up to a massive 5TB,
02:39which is the highest capacity on this whole list. You get 5Gbps speeds, UASP support,
02:46and it's small enough to just toss in your bag. If you're planning to carry a big library of files
02:51around with you, this is the one I'd pick. So those are my 5 picks for the best external
02:56hard drive enclosures under $17.24, links to all of them are in the description below.
03:02If this helped you out, smash that like button and subscribe so you don't miss the next round of
03:07deals. Catch you in the next one!
