What Makes USB 3.0 Different — and What Are Its Benefits?

What Makes USB 3.0 Different - and What Are Its Benefits?
Most people are familiar with what a Universal Serial Bus (USB) cable is and know that it’s used as a standard for interfacing computers and electronics devices. However, not everyone realizes that there are actually three different versions of the USB. The newest is the USB 3.0, which was renamed USB 3.1 Gen 1 in 2015. It’s the third such USB connector, and it comes with some major advantages over previous USB devices.

One of the many improvements that USB 3.0 brings is the new SuperSpeed (SS) transfer mode. This setting allows data to be transferred at up to 5 gigabits (Gbits) per second, or 625 megabytes (MB) per second, which is about ten times faster than the USB 2.0 standard. (USB 2.0, it’s worth noting, was 40 times faster than the original USB 1.0, which only offered transfer rates of 12 megabits per second when working at full-speed.)

There are a couple of factors that can help you identify a USB 3.0 cable from its earlier counterparts. The first such feature is the typical blue color-coding on the receptacles and plugs. The other is the ‘SS’ logo that can be found on USB 3.0 devices.The USB 3.1, later named USB 3.1 Gen 2, was first released in July of 2013. The transfer mode SuperSpeed on this model can transfer data at a rate of up to 10 Gbit/s (or 1.25 GB/s, twice the rate of USB 3.0). That’s so fast, in theory, it could compete with the first version of the Thunderbolt interface.

One of the best things about the USB 3.0 is its versatility. Not only can it work with existing 5Gbps USB 3.0 hubs and devices but with USB 2.0 ones as well. In 2012, the majority of new computers were expected to be produced with the new USB 3.0 ports standard. The capabilities of this useful cable have come a long way over the years, and by the look of it, they’ll be around to offer these high-speed transfers for some time.

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