What is the fastest data transfer method?

Question

1. By Internet: ftp or website, fastest network connection possible.
2. By USB port: either an external HD or flash drive or other method through the USB.
3. By LAN: From one computer to another, hooked together by router.
4. By Hardrive: Fastest hardrive available, hooked up through the motherboard's IDE or SATA connector.

Or, if there's another transfer method, feel free to suggest it.

This question was asked by da_hal here: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080804232008AAp2yr9&r=w&show_comments=true&pa=FZB6NWHjDG3N56z6v_2wXVrU6SkeygSefnxNaNcYLQkYIW8v49HQow--&paid=add_comment#openions

Sadly.. every single person answered in incorrectly... so i have duplicated it here for you to get the correct answer as it was closed and I was unable to answer.

Answer 1

hi matt,



In the original question, i wanted to know the fastest overall, and the one i found is infiniband: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infiniband



Theoretically, it can go as high as 96 Gb/s, or 20 GB/s, although the math is questionable. on a single infiniband running at X1, it's 2 Gb/s, slower than the eSata.

Answer 2

answer 1 FTP is the standard that internet uses, File transfer protocol, Lan is normally 100Mbps, ethernet or Wifi, all the others are either bottlenecks or help depend on housekeeping the ideal transfer is over fibre optics at speed of light, but that has limitations as well, to signal being repeated, but today it is the fastest, unles thhrough a vacuum, no resistance in wires etc.

Answer 3

Probably by Cat5 ethernet cable. with the USB/hard drives you'd have to copy the data twice. My dad had a USB cable that connected two computers via the USB ports and that worked pretty well. It cost like $5.

Answer 4

If you're listing fastest speed to slowest speed in all your examples,you're wrong that you have firewire 400 listed faster than USB2.It's 480 compared to 400.