Standard connection interfaces for external hard drives include USB-A and USB-C. USB-C and Thunderbolt connections offer faster data transfer speeds, making them preferable for high-performance needs.

External USB/Thunderbolt 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 ...

Before we get to Thunderbolt, we need to address a fundamental building block of hard drives that has always affected compatibility and probably always will: the file system. An external drive's ...

Also: Best cloud storage services of 2025 The solution? Invest in an external hard drive. Not only does it alleviate the strain on your computer's limited storage, but it also provides a secure ...

These connection types are ever in flux, but these days, most external hard drives use a flavor of USB or, in rare cases, Thunderbolt. You'll only see the speed benefits of Thunderbolt ...

If you're looking for a high-capacity external drive for your Xbox One, the WD Black P10 2TB portable hard drive is a good value at around $75 (the 5TB version is about $150). It gives you ...

Apple's MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops, along with some Intel-powered Windows laptops, often feature Thunderbolt ports. Peripherals like external hard drives, monitors and docking stations ...

Thunderbolt 3 or 4 vs. plain old USB 3.0. Thunderbolt 3 and 4 claim potential bandwidth up to 40Gbps, but again, your typical external hard drive won't push data anywhere close to that limit.

Here's how to choose the best Apple-friendly SSD or hard drive for your needs, plus our top tested picks. Since 2004, I have worked on PCMag’s hardware team, covering at various times printers ...