USB 3.0 Computer Drive Enclosures and Docks
The easiest way to add extra storage to your computer is with an external drive; it works on the outside so you don't have to worry about the rest of your computer hardware. A hard drive enclosure even works with your existing drives.
Why USB 3.0?
There are a number of different external storage interfaces for hard drives. Some computer drive enclosures and docks can use tape and data cartridge drives or drive bay caddies, but the majority of systems rely on USB because of:
- Speed: USB 3.0 offers about ten times the transfer rate of USB 2.0; it's still slower than the fastest hard drives but faster than anything short of Thunderbolt.
- Capacity: The higher speed of USB 3.0 makes higher storage capacity more practical than with earlier drives.
- Compatibility: Every computer supports USB, and 3.0 is backwards compatible with 2.0 ports so your drive will work even if more slowly.
Using Enclosures
While you may need a caddy for a duplicator, it's hard to beat the flexibility of a drive you can just plug into any computer.