The only case with hard drives where the USB standard matters much is if you connect a drive to an old-style, low-bandwidth USB 2.0 port, which is better reserved for items like keyboards and mice.

External USB ... drives (aka direct-attached storage, or DAS) are a super-convenient way to quickly back up your important files, as well as store any data that you don’t need on your computer ...

By utilizing a complimentary USB port and a modest amount ... to an impressive 44 terabytes. Also: Best cloud storage services of 2025 An external hard drive can effortlessly cater to your ...

Use your 2.5" / 3.5" SATA I / II / III as an additional external hard drive.This USB3.0 to SATA adapter supports up to 18TB hard drive. High speed USB 3.0 specification and backward compatible ...

The fastest read/write speeds will be bottlenecked when transferring data over a connection that uses an older standard like USB 2.0. Make sure your external hard drive uses at least USB 3.0 ...

If you're shopping for a huge amount of local storage, here's a deal that beats pretty much anything I saw during Black ...

Safeguard your data and/or increase your capacity with an on-sale SSD or HDD. Especially if you're in the business of video ...

But choosing an external SSD means sorting through a dizzying array of options, and making a poor choice can leave you feeling hard done ... one of the fastest 20Gbps drives we’ve tested ...

This rugged, external hard drive comes pre-formatted for Mac ... This G-Drive is exclusively USB 3.2, and the best port for it is one with USB 3.2 Gen 2 level bandwidth. It offers a useful level ...

The best PS5 external hard drives can help you avoid disappointment. We’ve all been there, you pick up a brand new PS5 game only to get home and discover that you don’t have any space on your ...

Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio ...

These connection types are ever in flux, but these days, most external hard drives use a flavor of USB or, in rare cases, Thunderbolt. Right now, the fastest connection type in wide use on hard ...