USB 3.0

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We all know that we are on USB 2.0, which is fast and can also be used with USB 1.1. And just as 2.0 replaced 1.1, we are soon going to see the beginning of USB 3.0. Despite the unimaginative name, it will be a real revolution. Will USB be backwards compatible with 2.0 or 1.1? Will it be faster? Is there anything else that USB 3.0 will bring to us? How will USB 3.0 work? There are lots of questions we need answered about USB 3.0, and I am here to give you the details.

Everyone has heard of USB. It could be one of the best known parts of the computer. USB was invented for a few different reasons. The major reason was to make a connection that would be supported by all kinds of peripherals to the computer. It’s a small connection that offers good speed and also supports power to devices.

Speed

For some devices, USB 2.0 is plenty. Heck, some even work fine with USB 1.1. Devices like USB keyboards and mice use very little bandwidth and really won’t benefit from USB 3.0. One of the fastest growing devices that utilizes the USB connection is the external hard drive. People are realizing the importance of backing up their data to a source outside the computer. USB thumb drives are too small and DVD burners are too slow. The market for external hard drives has skyrocketed because of this.

Currently there are a few different ways external hard drives connect to the PC. A new standard, called eSATA, is becoming more popular every day, and USB 2.0 can’t keep up. USB 3.0 hopes to stop eSATA in its tracks. While USB 2.0 has a higher theoretical speed of 480 MB/s compared to eSATA at 300 MB/s, it often lags by comparison in real world speeds. The major downside of eSATA is that it can’t power a device like USB or Firewire can. Some people prefer not to have to carry around an external power brick in order to operate a portable hard drive. eSATA is still a new technology that hasn’t been adopted by many motherboard manufacturers yet. Even so, some cases support an eSATA cable from the motherboard to the case for external use.

Next: Speed continued >>
 

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