But if performance is your primary consideration, these make a better choice for expanding with external storage.
Thunderbolt is a newer technology developed by Intel that combines PCI Express and DisplayPort functionality in a single port capable of 10Gbps transfer speeds.įor both FireWire and Thunderbolt drives, your options are limited, and the drives are more costly. FireWire is generally faster than USB 2.0, transfers data more reliably, and requires less PC and CPU resources than USB.
#EXTERNAL RAM FOR PC USB PORTABLE#
IoSafe recently launched a Thunderbolt version of its Rugged Portable drive.FireWire / ThunderboltįireWire and Thunderbolt are both technologies that compete with USB. There is backwards compatibility, so your USB 2.0 device will work in a USB 3.0 port, or your USB 3.0 device will work in a USB 2.0 port, but in either case it will run at USB 2.0 speeds, so you are losing significant performance by not taking advantage of what USB 3.0 has to offer. One thing you need to pay attention to with USB is whether your device is USB 2.0 or USB 3.0, and what the capabilities are of your USB ports. An external hard drive is a hard disk storage product that emphasizes portability and realizes large-capacity data exchange between computers. It’s called external because it functions outside the computer as opposed to an internal hard drive, which is integrated into the computer. A USB flash drive is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface, and its also called a pen drive and thumb drive. Most PCs and laptops have more USB ports than other kinds of ports-if they have the other ports at all-and USB hubs are cheap and plentiful if you need to connect more devices. External Drive Definition: Also known as an external hard disk or portable hard drive, this is a storage device that is connected to a computer using a USB cable. For expanding your storage capacity, though, you will want a much larger drive than what even the biggest flash drive has to offer.
For small, immediate data storage needs you could even resort to using a USB thumb drive. USB drives are the most obvious, and most plentiful option.