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Laptop Firewire refers to the 2 types of Apple branded data ports that have been designed especially for high-speed data transferal. Developed and released in 1995, Apple Inc. provided a connectivity solution for professional digital media equipment. Most devices include laptop Firewire connections, and have become the industry standard on external hard drives and devices requiring the transfer of large data volumes at a high speed.
Laptop Firewire 400 and Firewire 800 interfaces are immensely faster than both USB 1.1 and 2.0 connections. Firewire 400 devices transfer data at a rate of 50MB per second, an estimated 33 times faster than the USB 1.1 data transfer rate. USB 1.1 devices have a transfer rate of 1.5 MB per second, and USB 2.0 devices achieve a speed of up to 40 MB per second. Laptop Firewire 400 interfacing maintains at least 10 MB more per second than the standard USB 2.0 connection.
Laptops are limited on space, and may not be able to accommodate all the desired peripherals. Notebooks with either a PCMCIA/CardBus or ExpressCard slot, can add various ports, to provide extended connectivity for multiple connections. USB Cards come equipped with two 6-pin Firewire ports and a single USB 2.0 port on a small ExpressCard/34 stick. The USB Cards are compatible with Firewire 400 specifications, USB 1.1, USB 2.0, or SuperSpeed USB 3.0.
It is recommended that when acquiring additional laptop USB cards, the most efficient and cost effective action is to purchase the USB 3.0 connection, with up to 10x the speed of USB 2.0. USB 3.0 is backwards compatible, and can function flawlessly with all the existing devices. Super Speed notebook USB cards have two USB 3.0 ports, and a power adapter to use with devices that require additional power.
If you are unsure how to replace your laptop's Firewire or USB cards, you can find assistance from many laptop repair services. |