I'd like to pick your brains on external HDs

Hi there,

Looking for a new external HD.

I know the z170-A motherboard (as a reference) is able to support USB 3.1.

And I've tried googling but it still confuses me, i guess my questions are multi-fold:

1. Is the USB 3.1 technology meaning the usb CABLE itself? meaning, i can get a USB 2.0 or 3.0 external harddrive and use a USB 3.1 cable and have faster transfer speed?

2. I assume #1 is incorrect, so does that mean the USB 3.1 technology means the external HD itself? Meaning I have to specifically look for external HD that is named/has "USB 3.1" in the description?

3. If that is the case, I am struggling to easily find western digital USB 3.1 external HD. Most common is USB 3.0 HD even though the technology is from last year? What am i missing?

4. Which leads me to this: Should I just "be safe" and just get a USB 3.0 external HD along with a USB 3.0 cable and be done with it?

5. Or can I use the USB 3.0 harddrive BUT use a USB 3.1 CABLE to get higher transfer rate?


As you can see, these 5 questions are really just one big clusterF of question, can you help me out?

end goal: just trying to get an external with the fastest transfer speed from computer to external for files (videos, ms docs, zips, whatever). But if latest tech is not ready/too much hassle, willing to step back down.

Note: I have a USB 2.0 external from almost 4 yrs ago and it takes like an hr or 2 to transfer 500 pics...hence this question...

thanks!

1,2,3,4,5. Your speed is only as fast as your slowest component.

So if you have a usb2.0 external, usb 3.0 cable and using the 3.1 usb port on the pc, your fastest speed is going to be the max speed of usb 2.0.

you can move that around any which way you like the answer is still the same.

to get full usb 3.1 speeds first you have to know that there are 2 gens, gen 1 and gen2. gen2 is the newest and has the faster speeds, gen 1 usb 3.1 has around the same speed as usb 3.0.

now if your external is usb 3.1 gen 2, you have a cable that is usb 3.1 gen2 compatible and your mobo has usb 3.1 gen2, then you will get usb 3.1 gen 2 speeds.

hope that helps.

Now as for you getting an external. Don't get a brand name external.

You are probably going to throw out your old one right? but what if instead of being the slow hdd it was this whole time, the hdd could be upgraded to be bigger and faster, or even upgraded to be an ssd?

Well it could only if, only if you have bought an external enclosure and your own hdd to put in it, that way you can always exchange your drive in that external enclosure, so that it can be upgraded in both speed and size.

Go here its my clone guide but at the bottom of the post I have some links for external enclosures. they will give you an idea, I have a link for which I use in there also. Get yourself a usb 3.0 external enclosure, get your own hdd or ssd and put it in there, connect it to your pc's usb 3.0 port with a usb 3.0 cable so that you get usb 3.0 speeds.

Ya I think its the gen 1.

you are just looking for usb 3.0 enclosure and sata III drives.

You are gonna have more better choices for usb 3.0 and your speeds are gonna be the same anyways since you are gen1. there is only like 9 enclosures on newegg that are 3.1.

Edited by DST4ME - 19 Aug 2016 at 7:02am

I use this one for single drives I use this one for all kinds of stuff, I got so many of these. For example I got a 1tb wd enterprise in one to extent the record space on my dvr.


And this one for multi drives of course when I bought them they were $400 and now they are $175 I use this one with my pc for backups and etc.



Edited by DST4ME - 19 Aug 2016 at 7:19am

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