SuperSpeed USB ?
As technology innovation marches forward, new kinds of
devices, media formats, and large inexpensive storage are converging.
They require significantly more bus bandwidth to maintain the
interactive experience users have come to expect. In addition, user
applications demand a higher performance connection between the PC and
these increasingly sophisticated peripherals. USB 3.0 addresses this
need by adding an even higher transfer rate to match these new usage and
devices.
USB continues to be the answer to connectivity for PC,
Consumer Electronics, and Mobile architectures. It is a fast,
bidirectional, low-cost, dynamically attachable interface that is
consistent with the requirements of the PC platforms of today and
tomorrow.
SuperSpeed USB brings significant performance
enhancements to the ubiquitous USB standard, while remaining compatible
with the billions of USB enabled devices currently deployed in the
market. SuperSpeed USB will deliver 10x the data transfer rate of
Hi-Speed USB, as well as improved power efficiency.
- SuperSpeed USB has a 5 Gbps signaling rate offering 10x performance increase over Hi-Speed USB.
- SuperSpeed USB is a Sync-N-Go technology that minimizes user wait-time.
- SuperSpeed USB will provide Optimized Power Efficiency.No device polling and lower active and idle power requirements.
- SuperSpeed USB is backwards compatible with USB 2.0. Devices interoperate with USB 2.0 platforms. Hosts support USB 2.0 legacy devices.
USB 3.0
What is USB 3.0 ?
USB 3.0 is the next major revision of the ubiquitous Universal Serial Bus, created in 1996 by a consortium of companies led by Intel to dramatically simplify the connection between PC and peripherals. It is in fact the first major revamp (following Wireless USB) to stay current with modern demands for connectivity bandwidth. Fast forwarding to 2012, USB 2.0 has been firmly entrenched as the de-facto interface standard in the PC world for a decade. Yet there's still the need for more speed by ever greater bandwidth demand from devices, such as a SandForce flash drive, 7200-rpm hard drive or dual-head HD video adapter, again drive us to where a couple of hundred megabits per second is just not fast enough.
In 2007, Intel demonstrated SuperSpeed USB at the Intel Developer Forum. Version 1.0 of the USB 3.0 (confusing, isn't it?) specification was completed on November 17, 2008. As such, the USB Implementers Forum has taken over managing the specifications and publishes the relevant technical documents necessary to allow developers and hardware manufacturers to begin to develop products around the USB 3.0 protocol.
What is the difference between USB 2.0 and USB 3.0?When comparing 2.0 and 3.0 there are a few major differences. First the transfer rates: USB 2.0 offers transfer rates of 480 Mbps and USB 3.0 offers transfer rates of 4.8 Gbps - that's 10 times faster. Note that the transfer speeds also depend on the device in use in addition to the bus type and USB ports and cables.
USB 3.0 promises the following:
- Higher transfer rates (up to 4.8Gbps)
- Increased maximum bus power
- New power management features
- Full-duplex data transfers
- Support for new transfer types
- Backward USB 2.0 compatibility
- New connectors and cables
USB 3.0 VS Firewire 400,USB 2.0,eSATA
What are the differences between USB 2.0 cables and USB 3.0 cables?
USB 3.0 cables facilitate the faster transfer rates of 4.8Gbps as well as the additional power transfer of 900 mA by doubling the amount of wires within the cable from 4 in the 2.0 cables to 8 in the 3.0 cables. USB 2.0 cables transfer data at 480 Mbps and provide power up to 500 mA.USB 3.0 cables also have different connectors (typically blue on the inside) as can be seen in the image below alongside the 2.0 counterpart connectors. This means that any device that uses the different connectors cannot use the 2.0 equivalent cables. In addition while the 2.0 B connectors physically fit into the 3.0 B ports the different wiring configuration does not allow proper data transfer. The A connectors still work properly so any 2.0 device with a 2.0 cable can be used with 3.0 ports or hubs.
To sum up: - USB 3.0 devices require 3.0 cables
- USB 3.0 cables can be used with 2.0 devices and ports if the connector types fit (no B Male or B Micro connectors) but the transfer rate will fall back to 2.0
- USB 2.0 cables can be used with 3.0 ports but the transfer rate will fall back to 2.0
USB 3.0 Cables
USB 3.0 Products
