USB vs FireWire vs eSATA

Most external hard drives connect to your computer through USB 2.0 and some with FireWire ports. Your choice may be limited by the type of port you have available and the type of system (Mac or PC) you’re running. However, if you have both types of ports, you’ll need to decide which type of connectivity to use. Although the theoretical bandwidth for USB 2.0 is higher than that of FireWire 400, actual transfer speeds are comparable. Some Mac Pro computers include the faster FireWire 800 interface, and some external hard drives have this connector.

One of the advantages of FireWire is its support of what’s called isochronous data transfer. This unwieldy term means that FireWire is an excellent choice for multimedia files, where uninterrupted transfer of time-critical data and just-in-time delivery reduces the requirement for costly buffering. Most Mac owners will use a FireWire connection, because most Mac computers come with at least one FireWire port. Owners of lower-end PCs will generally go with USB 2.0, but higher-end PCs have FireWire and eSATA ports. FireWire is now fading from popularity. It is likely to be useful only if you have FireWire ports on your current computer(s).

The newest connectivity method is called eSATA. The acronym stands for External Serial Advanced Technology Attachment and is a variation of SATA (SATA II is now the standard interface for internal hard drives). ESATA allows faster transfer speeds. Whereas USB 2.0 and FireWire have typical data transfer rates of about 400 to 480 megabits per second, eSATA can transfer data at up to 3 gigabits (or 3,000 megabits) per second.

The catch is that unless your computer has an eSATA port, you’ll have to install an upgrade card or bracket on your computer. Some eSATA hard drives include a PCI-card eSATA adapter with the drive, along with instructions for installing it. Portable eSATA hard drives are rare. Most eSATA drives support Windows (2000 Pro or higher) and Mac (OS 10.4 or higher) computers.

Most external hard drives with eSATA ports also have USB ports. These drives are the best long-term solutions. Even if your computer doesn’t have eSATA ports and you don’t intend to add them, your next desktop or laptop computer is very likely to have them. You’ll be able to capitalize on the performance enhancement then. In theory, an external drive with eSATA provides the fastest data transfer, but reviewers often find it isn’t much faster in reality.

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