If you’ve recently purchased an external hard drive, it’s possible that it comes with a USB 3.0 interface.

 

While it will still work with your old desktop, thanks to USB 3.0 being backward-compatible, what you will lose out on is the primary benefit that this form of new technology offers.

 

So, how do you solve this problem, in order to access your data faster?

 

And no, you don’t have to get a new machine but instead upgrade the one that you have. For this, your computer needs to have PCI or a PCI Express expansion slot. Also, you will need to spend about $20-$30 in order to upgrade your computer as well.

 

Simply out, you will be upgrading your PC with a USB 3.0 PCI card which will give you access to four ports that will as fast as you can imagine, even if they are at the back of your PC.

 

Better still, this upgrade is easy to perform on your  own even if you haven’t poked around in a computer. All you have to do is place a card in a slot, connect a power cord and install a few drivers.

 

It’s as simple as that! However, there are few things that you need to take into consideration too. Firstly, you have to pick a PCI card that matches the kind of slot your PC has while checking its power requirements. Remember that older computers require you to connect Molex plugs while others require SATA plugs too.

 

As for buying a card that suits your computer, you can start by looking at Newegg for the cards that they offer but not buying before you read the ratings posted by other users. Once you purchase the card and install it, make sure you backup your data too.