您的台式机或笔记本电脑有各种各样的端口和连接类型(connection type)，但它们的用途是什么，它们有何不同？USB 2.0、USB 3.0、eSATA、Thunderbolt、Firewire和以太网(Ethernet)是当今许多计算机中内置的一些技术。那么，最快的连接类型(connection type)是什么？对于外部硬盘驱动器，最好考虑哪种类型的连接？4K 多显示器支持怎么样？在本文中，我们将讨论不同类型的高速数据端口以及它们的使用方式。
无论您拥有哪种类型的计算机，您都可能拥有本文介绍的一种或多种高速连接(speed connection)类型。让我们先来看看每种连接类型的不同速度。请注意，额定速度并不是您在实际条件下所能获得的。最有可能的是，您将能够获得所列最大速度的 70% 到 80%。
速度(Speed)
USB 2.0(The USB 2.0) 连接类型(connection type)几乎已成为标准。您可能曾经使用USB 2.0电缆将某些设备或驱动器(device or drive)连接到您的PC 或 Mac(PC or Mac)，并且您可能在房子周围放置了几条备用USB电缆。(USB)尽管USB 3.0已经问世，但许多 PC 外围设备和其他设备仍在使用USB 2.0连接进行制造。
许多设备尚未使用 USB 3.0，也未使用Thunderbolt。为什么？因为USB 2.0的速度足以处理小型任务，而且许多设备根本不需要闪电般的速度，例如鼠标和键盘。好的，那么USB 2.0到底有多快？
USB 2.0 is rated at 480Mbps. That’s about 60 megabytes per second. For quick reference, 1000 Mbps equals 1 Gbps, which is considered gigabit.
USB 3.0 连接类型是(connection type)USB（从 2.0 开始）的下一步。USB 3.0 传输速度比以前的USB 2.0速度快约 10 倍。那么，这意味着什么？
USB 3.0 is rated at 5 Gbps. That’s about 640 megabytes per second.
2013 年，USB 3.1也发布，额定速度高达10 Gbps。这大约是每秒 1280 兆字节或每秒 1.2 GB。这意味着USB 3.1的速度大约与单个第一代Thunderbolt 通道(Thunderbolt channel)一样快。
还值得注意的是，新的USB Type C 连接(USB Type C connection)将支持USB 3.1，最大数据传输速率(transfer rate)为 10 Gbps。
eSATA代表外部SATA。SATA当然，是一种用于将内部硬盘驱动器连接到计算机的连接类型。(connection type)因此，您的台式机或笔记本电脑(desktop or laptop)内部是硬盘驱动器，在大多数情况下，它使用SATA 接口(SATA interface)连接到主板。
使用 eSATA，外部硬盘驱动器可以使用相同的连接类型和技术(connection type and technology)连接到计算机。电脑内部的硬盘比标准的外置硬盘（USB 2.0）快，那么eSATA能产生什么样的速度呢？
eSATA is rated at 3 Gbps and 6 Gbps.
Thunderbolt电缆是此列表中最新的连接类型。(connection type)Thunderbolt最初的代号为“ Light Peak ” ，最初是由英特尔(Intel)开发的一项技术。对于Thunderbolt的消费者首次亮相(consumer debut)，Apple Inc.将高速接口添加到其(speed interface)Mac 系列(Mac lineup)中几乎所有的设备中，使其成为首批使用该技术的公司之一。Thunderbolt的能力超过其他连接类型(connection type)，但我们稍后会谈到。Thunderbolt产生什么样的速度？
Thunderbolt is rated at 10 Gbps per channel (x2). Thunderbolt 2 raises that value to 20 Gbps over a single channel. Thunderbolt 3 doubles the bandwidth again to 40 Gbps.
Firewire或IEEE 1394是另一种流行了一段时间的连接类型(connection type)，但在过去几年中已经消失了。USB 2和USB 3设备的普及减缓了Firewire的采用，导致连接缓慢下降。即使Firewire 400和 800 比以前的USB技术（不包括 3.0）更快，也会发生这种情况。
Firewire is rated at 3 Gbps (400) and 6 Gbps (800).
以太网(Ethernet )是一种主要用于联网的连接类型(connection type)，因此它的设计目的不是超快。但是，以太网(Ethernet)电缆也可用于传输计算机数据。
Ethernet is rated at 100 Mbps.
概括(Summary)
总结以上数据，连接类型将导致以下，从最快到最慢。
1. Thunderbolt（高达 40 Gbps）(1. Thunderbolt (up to 40 Gbps))
2. USB 3.1 (10 Gbps)，然后是 USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)(2. USB 3.1 (10 Gbps), then USB 3.0 (5 Gbps))
3. eSATA (6 Gbps)
4.火线（6 Gbps）(4. Firewire (6 Gbps))
5. 千兆以太网（1 Gbps）(5. Gigabit Ethernet (1 Gbps))
6. USB 2.0 (480 Mbps)
7. 以太网（100 Mbps）(7. Ethernet (100 Mbps))
然而，这种分析并不十分准确。如前所述，在实际情况下，这些最大速度中的许多很少达到。这是来自Wikipedia的图表，它总结了许多连接类型的规范，而不仅仅是我提到的那些。
购买外部设备或新计算机时，主要考虑的是连接类型(connection type)的版本。例如，如果您购买新的Retina MacBook Pro笔记本电脑，您会注意到它有一个USB 3.0端口和一个Thunderbolt 2端口。
如果您稍等片刻，Apple可能会将较新的Thunderbolt 3连接包含到他们最新的 MacBook 中，这意味着您可以使用这些端口做比以前更多的事情。例如，使用Thunderbolt 2，您最多可以将一台 60Hz 的 4K 显示器或两台 30Hz 的 4K 显示器连接到您的计算机。借助Thunderbolt 3，您将能够连接多达三台 60Hz 的 4K 显示器或一台 60Hz 的 5K 显示器。
以太网(Ethernet)速度极慢，可用于文件传输和移动文件夹，但其主要用途是用于本地网络。
在我看来， Thunderbolt 和 USB(Thunderbolt and USB) 3.1（Type C）最终将成为大多数计算机的标准。它们通过双向电源和多显示器支持等额外功能提供最快的速度。此外，这两种技术已被许多主要 PC 制造商采用。如果您有任何问题，请随时发表评论。享受！
USB 2.0 vs. USB 3.0 vs. eSATA vs. Thunderbolt vs. Firewire vs. Ethernet Speed
Your deѕktop or laptop computer has a wide νariety of ports and connection types, but what are they all for and how do they differ? USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eSATA, Thunderbolt, Firewire, and Ethernet are some of the technologies that are buіlt into many of the computers sold today. So, what’s the fastеst connection type? What typе of connectіon is best to conѕider for an external hard drive? What about for 4K multi-monitor support? In this article, wе’ll talk about the different tyрes of high-speed data ports and how they are used.
No matter what type of computer you have, you probably have one or more of the high speed connection types covered in this article. Let’s first take a look at the different speeds for each type of connection. Note that the rated speeds are not what you’ll get in real-world conditions. Most likely, you’ll be able to get anywhere from 70% to 80% of the max speeds listed.
Speed
The USB 2.0 connection type has pretty much become the standard. You have likely used a USB 2.0 cable to connect some device or drive to your PC or Mac at some point and you probably have several spare USB cables laying around the house. Even though USB 3.0 is here, many PC peripherals and other devices are still being manufactured with USB 2.0 connectivity.
Many devices do not yet use USB 3.0, nor do they use Thunderbolt. Why? Because USB 2.0 is simply fast enough to handle minor tasks and many devices simply do not require lightning fast speed, such as mice and keyboards. OK great, so how fast is USB 2.0 exactly?
USB 2.0 is rated at 480Mbps. That’s about 60 megabytes per second. For quick reference, 1000 Mbps equals 1 Gbps, which is considered gigabit.
The USB 3.0 connection type is the next step for USB (from 2.0). USB 3.0 transfer speeds are about 10x faster than previous USB 2.0 speeds. So, what does that amount to?
USB 3.0 is rated at 5 Gbps. That’s about 640 megabytes per second.
In 2013, USB 3.1 was also released and is rated up to 10 Gbps. That’s around 1280 megabytes per second or 1.2 GB per second. This means that USB 3.1 is about as fast as a single first generation Thunderbolt channel.
It’s also worth noting that the new USB Type C connection will support USB 3.1 for a max data transfer rate of 10 Gbps.
eSATA stands for external SATA. SATA, of course, is a connection type that is used to connect an internal hard drive to a computer. So, inside your desktop or laptop is the hard drive, which in most cases, connects to the motherboard using a SATA interface.
With eSATA, an external hard drive can use that same connection type and technology to be connect to the computer. The hard drive inside a computer is quicker than a standard external hard drive (USB 2.0), so what kind of speeds does eSATA produce?
eSATA is rated at 3 Gbps and 6 Gbps.
Thunderbolt cables are the newest connection type featured on this list. Originally codenamed “Light Peak,” Thunderbolt was first a technology that was developed by Intel. For Thunderbolt’s consumer debut, Apple Inc. added the high speed interface to nearly all of their devices in the Mac lineup, making them one of the first companies to use the technology. Thunderbolt is capable of more than other connection types, but we will get to that later. What kinds of speeds does Thunderbolt produce?
Thunderbolt is rated at 10 Gbps per channel (x2). Thunderbolt 2 raises that value to 20 Gbps over a single channel. Thunderbolt 3 doubles the bandwidth again to 40 Gbps.
Firewire, or IEEE 1394, is another connection type that was popular for a while, but has kind of gone away over the last few years. The popularity of USB 2 and USB 3 devices slowed adoption of Firewire, resulting in the slow decline of the connection. This occurred even though Firewire 400 and 800 are faster than previous USB technologies (not including 3.0).
Firewire is rated at 3 Gbps (400) and 6 Gbps (800).
Ethernet is a connection type that is used mainly for networking, so it is not designed to be super-fast. However, Ethernet cables can be used to transfer computer data too.
Ethernet is rated at 100 Mbps.
Summary
To summarize the above data, the connection types would result in the following, from fastest to slowest.
1. Thunderbolt (up to 40 Gbps)
2. USB 3.1 (10 Gbps), then USB 3.0 (5 Gbps)
3. eSATA (6 Gbps)
4. Firewire (6 Gbps)
5. Gigabit Ethernet (1 Gbps)
6. USB 2.0 (480 Mbps)
7. Ethernet (100 Mbps)
However, this analysis is not quite accurate. As mentioned earlier, in actual situations, many of these max speeds are rarely achieved. Here is a chart from Wikipedia that summarizes the specs for many connection types beyond just the ones I mentioned.
When purchasing an external device or a new computer, the main thing to consider is the version of the connection type. For example, if you are purchasing a new Retina MacBook Pro laptop, you’ll notice that it has a USB 3.0 port and a Thunderbolt 2 port.
If you hold off for a bit, Apple will probably include the newer Thunderbolt 3 connections into their latest MacBook’s, meaning you can do a lot more with those ports than before. For example, with Thunderbolt 2, you can connect up to one 4K display at 60Hz or two 4K displays at 30Hz to your computer. With Thunderbolt 3, you’ll be able to connect up to three 4K displays at 60Hz or one 5K monitor at 60Hz.
Ethernet is extremely slow and it can be used for file transfers and moving folders, but its main purpose is for local networking.
In my view, Thunderbolt and USB 3.1 (Type C) will eventually become the standard on most computers. They provide the most speed with extra features like two-way power and multi-monitor support. In addition, both technologies have already been adopted by many major PC manufactures. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. Enjoy!
