Stefan Mileschin

The power and capabilities of a desktop computer system have expanded rapidly over the time. Following Moore's law a CPU doubles in performance every two years. GPUs or graphics cards have also followed suite in this expansion of power. Memory speed has been almost as linear; modern DDR3 (2400 MHz effective) is up to 24 times faster than SDRAM first accepted nearly 20 years ago (PC100). Storage has been one of the most underdeveloped technologies for desktop users, as increased speed often led to increased heat and noise, anathema to a modern desktop system.

Solid State Drives have broken new speed barriers and forced storage manufacturers to increase the speed of the SATA interface twice in the last 6 years. Starting in 2006 when SATA 3Gbps interface hit the desktop market, and again in 2010 when the first 3rd party 6 Gbps controllers started appearing. Already that barrier is being pushed to the limits. Further more external storage solutions are becoming faster and faster as Solid State technology continues to increase and design faster NAND in smaller packages.

The Universal Serial BUS, is one such method for connecting external devices. The latest version is USB 3.0 which was first released in 2008, 12 years after the original USB port started appearing in desktop systems. By utilizing the same physical port and basic power and data lines any USB device will theoretically work in any USB port although speed will operate at the format of the lowest speed. (USB 3.0 drive in USB 2.0 port operates at USB 2.0 speed, USB 2.0 drive in USB 3.0 port operates at USB 2.0 speed). There is a VERY small performance advantage to using a USB 2.0 device in a USB 3.0 port. A top speed USB 2.0 flash drive scored better in USB 3.0 ports when testing the ADATA USB 3.0 flash drives almost 2 years ago.)

http://www.techreaction.net/2012/08/...0-accessories/