OWC - Other World Computing

Direct attached storage (DAS) devices are designed to create easily expandable and secure data storage devices. They usually feature multiple drives, and unlike standard portable or desktop external drives, they feature RAID protection options and hot-swap capabilities for reducing down time should drive failure occur. They are designed to address the needs of professional home users or small business so they usually feature larger total capacities.

These DAS devices connect to a single computer via Thunderbolt, however if shared access is required you should consider a Network Attached Storage (NAS) solution.

Docking stations extend the functionality of laptops, adding more USB ports for peripherals and display ports for external monitors. Some docking stations also add a RJ45 LAN port, useful if your thin and light laptop doesn't have a port of its own.

A network card is designed to connect a laptop, PC, workstation or server to a network, enabling communication with other internal users via network switches or access points; and the outside world via a router.

These external devices are designed for an external USB port of a system, feature RJ45 ports and will provide wired connectivity based on Ethernet at speeds up to 1Gb/s.

FireWire and Thunderbolt are standards for connecting multimedia and external storage devices to PCs, laptops and Apple devices. Originating in 1986 and 2011 respectively, both standards have evolved into various revisions, adding support for progressively higher transfer rates.

Make sure to check which versions of FireWire or Thunderbolt your devices support so you can choose a compatible cable.

These adaptors enable you to install SSDs in different ways, for example enabling you mount M.2 drives in a PCIe slot.

SSDs (Solid State Drives) are the fastest type of data storage device, cutting game and application load times while boosting overall system responsiveness versus HDDs (Hard Disk Drives). SSDs are more resilient and consume less power than HDDs, making them an ideal choice for laptops.

External SSDs are ideal for adding more storage capacity to desktop PCs and laptops or transferring data between systems. These external SSDs connect to systems in a variety of ways, including mutiple versions of USB and Thunderbolt, so make sure to choose one that is compatible with your system(s).

You can check the compatibility of these SSDs with your system in your component documentation or our buyers guide.