Vantec NST-D400S3 Dual Bay HDD SSD Dock USB 3.0 SATA 2.5" 3.5" | NO ADAPTER
Vantec NST-D400S3 Dual Bay HDD SSD Dock USB 3.0 SATA 2.5" 3.5" | NO ADAPTER
Vantec NexStar NST-D400S3 Dual Bay Hard Drive Dock
A certified refurbished dual-bay SATA docking station that takes two 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drives at once and presents them to any computer over USB 3.0 at up to 5 Gbps. Supports SATA I, II and III hard drives and SSDs up to 8 TB per slot — 16 TB in total. Backed by a 12-month warranty from Reboot IT. Please note: the external power adapter is not included with this unit.
Key Benefits
- Two drives at once — both bays mount simultaneously as separate volumes over a single USB cable, so you can copy directly between drives without swapping hardware.
- 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch in the same bay — each slot accepts either size, so laptop drives, desktop drives and 2.5-inch SSDs all fit without adapters or caddies.
- Up to 16 TB total — 8 TB per slot covers all but the largest modern archive drives.
- SuperSpeed USB 3.0 — up to 5 Gbps, and fully backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 machines at their respective speeds.
- Tool-free, tray-less loading — drives drop straight into the top-loading slots. No screws, no caddies, no mounting rails.
- At-a-glance status — a blue LED reports power and drive activity, so you can see when a transfer is still running before pulling a drive.
Performance in Use
A dual-bay dock earns its place on a workbench. Recovering files from a pulled desktop drive, wiping a batch of decommissioned disks, imaging a laptop drive before a rebuild, or simply reading an old archive nobody can identify — all of it becomes a matter of dropping the drive into a slot rather than opening a chassis and finding a spare SATA port and power lead.
Because both bays mount independently, the second slot is what makes it genuinely useful. Source in one, destination in the other, and the copy runs through your operating system's normal file tools with both volumes visible in Explorer or Finder at the same time. Over USB 3.0 that runs at practical sustained speeds limited by the drives themselves rather than the interface — a mechanical 3.5-inch disk will saturate long before the 5 Gbps bus does.
Two limits worth stating plainly. First, this model has no standalone clone function: unlike Vantec's dedicated duplicator docks, it must be connected to a computer, and copying is done by the host OS rather than by a button on the dock. Second, it is a plain dock, not a RAID enclosure — the two bays are always independent volumes and cannot be spanned, mirrored or striped.
Technical Specifications
| Brand | Vantec |
| Product Line | NexStar |
| Model / MPN | NST-D400S3 |
| Device Type | Dual bay external hard drive dock |
| Drive Bays | 2 × top-loading, tray-less |
| Drive Sizes Supported | 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch |
| Drive Interface | SATA I / II / III (HDD and SSD) |
| Maximum Capacity | 8 TB per slot — 16 TB total |
| Host Interface | USB 3.0, backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 |
| Maximum Transfer Rate | 5 Gbps (USB 3.0) / 480 Mbps (USB 2.0) |
| Standalone Cloning | Not supported — requires a host computer |
| RAID | Not supported — bays mount as independent volumes |
| LED Indicators | Blue — power and drive activity |
| USB Cable Length | 914 mm (36 in / 3 ft) |
| Power | External AC adapter — not included with this unit |
| Dimensions | 137 × 115 × 88 mm |
| Colour | Black |
| Operating Systems | Windows XP to 10; Mac OS X 10.4 and later |
| Warranty | 12-month warranty from Reboot IT |
Is It Right For You?
| ✓ Best For | ✗ Not For |
|
Workbench data recovery and drive triage Reading and wiping decommissioned disks Copying between two drives via a host PC Mixed 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch drive estates IT staff who already hold spare DC adapters Archive drives up to 8 TB per slot |
Buyers needing a working unit out of the box — no adapter supplied PC-free cloning — this model cannot clone standalone RAID, spanning or mirroring across the two bays M.2 or NVMe drives — this is SATA only Drives larger than 8 TB in a single slot Permanent always-on enclosure duty |
Condition Grades
| Grade A — Excellent | Excellent to very good cosmetic condition. May carry light scratches or other minor blemishes from normal service. Fully tested and functionally as-new. |
| Grade B — Good | Good cosmetic condition with more visible wear, scuffing or marking to the casing. Function and performance are unaffected and testing is identical to Grade A. |
Cosmetic grading describes the casing only. Every unit, whatever its grade, is tested to the same standard and carries the same warranty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a power adapter included?
No. This unit is supplied without its external power adapter, which is reflected in the price. The dock is mains-powered and will not operate on USB power alone, so you will need to source a compatible Vantec DC adapter before use.
Can it clone one drive to another without a computer?
No. The NST-D400S3 is a dock, not a duplicator — it must be connected to a computer, and copying is performed by your operating system. If you need button-press offline cloning, Vantec's dedicated HDD duplicator dock is the model to look for.
Can I use both bays at the same time?
Yes. Both drives mount simultaneously as two separate volumes over the one USB cable, so you can drag files directly between them.
What is the largest drive it supports?
8 TB per slot, for 16 TB across both bays. Both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch SATA I, II and III drives are supported, including 2.5-inch SSDs.
Does it support M.2 or NVMe drives?
No. This dock is SATA only. M.2 SATA drives would need a separate adapter caddy, and NVMe drives are not compatible at all.
Can the two bays be set up as RAID?
No. The bays are always presented as independent volumes and cannot be spanned, mirrored or striped.
What is shipping and delivery like?
Shipping costs apply based on size and destination — rates are calculated at checkout. Orders placed before the daily cut-off are typically dispatched the same business day from our Melbourne warehouse.
Warranty & Reboot IT
This certified refurbished Vantec NexStar NST-D400S3 is supplied with a 12-month warranty covering hardware faults and defects in materials and workmanship. If the unit develops a fault within the warranty period we will repair or replace it, and our Melbourne-based support team can help you diagnose the issue first.
Reboot IT has specialised in professionally refurbished business IT equipment since 2001. Every unit is inspected, cleaned and functionally tested before listing — for this dock that means verifying both SATA bays with known-good drives, confirming USB 3.0 enumeration and transfer, and checking the LED indicators.
Tax invoice supplied with every order. Reboot IT, Melbourne — reboot-it.com.au