Communication interfaces

Thunderbolt is a type of hardware interface technology that is used to connect various devices to a PC. You’ve likely already seen Thunderbolt in the form of its distinctive ports and cables — the latest generations use the USB-C connector. That’s the quick definition. But if you’re here, you’re probably looking for a more comprehensive explanation of what Thunderbolt is, and why it differs from USB-C. In this guide, that’s exactly what you’ll get: We’ll go over some of its current iterations and how they compare,…

USB cables and ports are one of the most common types of connectors for everyday devices like computers, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, A/V receivers, game consoles, and many other components. Engineered for data transmission and charging capabilities, there are currently two main types of USB cables and ports: USB-A and USB-C.  When it comes to data transfer, charging, and other useful features, there are quite a few differences between USB-A and USB-C. This is why we’ve put together this guide to explain how…

What is SATA? In short, it’s how almost everything storage-related connects to your motherboard. If you’ve owned a desktop PC or laptop in the past decade and a half, you can be confident it was a Serial ATA (SATA) compatible piece of hardware. Whether it was a hard drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), or an optical drive, almost all of them used SATA until recently. That’s not always the case, as there are some newer standards available for high-speed drives. But alongside PCIe and NVMe, SATA is still a…

In the ever-evolving landscape of computer hardware, storage interfaces play a crucial role in determining the speed, efficiency, and overall performance of storage devices. Two primary contenders in this arena are SATA (Serial ATA) and PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express). Understanding the differences, advantages, and limitations of these interfaces is essential for users looking to make informed decisions about their storage solutions. Here’s how to distinguish the two storage options by size, speed,…

PCIexpress 7, or PCIe 7, is the next (next) generation of PCI Express technology that will increase the available bandwidth for all add-in cards on your desktop PC. I know, I know — you may still be working on upgrading to PCIe 5. Don’t worry, this one’s at least a couple of years away. But when it does land, it promises to unlock the potential for even greater graphics performance, and open up future generation NVMe SSDs for even faster read and write speeds. In total, it’ll quadruple the available bandwidth over…

Microsoft has remained diligently dedicated to its proprietary Surface Connect port over the years. But now, Microsoft is swapping out its proprietary Surface Connect port for a more conventional Thunderbolt 4 on the latest version of its Surface Dock, which the company announced on Tuesday. This is a first for Microsoft, which has used its proprietary Surface Connect port since 2014 starting with the Surface Pro 3. However, Microsoft said in its announcement blog post that Thunderbolt 4 support on the new…