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What is USB 3.0 ?
Posted on 29th Nov 2014 @ 7:24 PM
What is USB 3.0?
USB 3.0 is the next major revision to the Universal Serial Bus (USB). It offers the same ease-of-use and plug and play capabilities as previous generations of USB technologies but with a 10X performance increase and better power management. For users of USB 3.0, the goal of connecting devices to PCs or notebooks is still the same as the USB 2.0 specification.
How Fast is USB 3.0?
The performance increase is achieved through the USB 3.0 technology, which allows multiple streams of data transfer and boosts its peak signaling bandwidth to 5Gbp/s compared to 480Mbp/s on USB 2.0. Although the specifications are 5Gbps, transfer speeds vary based on the controller and NAND Flash configuration. Currently USB 3.0 drives can be found with various architecture and channels.
Will a USB 3.0 drive work on my device with USB 2.0 ports?
USB 3.0 devices are compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 ports and connectors but will only run at the host device performance. USB 3.0 devices will, however, help to maximize the throughput of USB 2.0 ports.
Why do you need that much speed?
USB 3.0 helps you save more time and USB 3.01 drive transfers files faster than USB 2.0 drives. Depending on the number of channels the transfer speeds and the type of files you transfer, USB 3.0 can save you a lot of time compared to standard USB 2.0 drives.
Will a USB 3.0 drive work on my device with USB 2.0 ports?
USB 3.0 devices are compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 ports and connectors but will only run at the host device performance. USB 3.0 devices will, however, help to maximize the throughput of USB 2.0 ports.
Why do I need a USB 3.0 drive when I use only USB 2.0 ports?
Due to the broad deployment of USB 2.0 devices in the market, USB 3.0 devices had to be backwards compatible. Even when you use USB 3.0 drives on your USB 2.0 host devices, you’ll save time.
- When used with a USB 3.0 host device.
- Subject to change without notice. Based on Internal Data. Speeds will vary. Drives were formatted with NTFS 300 3.95MB .JPG pictures (4,152,269 bytes). 1080P (.MKV) Movie – 12.3 GB (13,310,103,552 bytes)
| Storage Capacity |
Photos** | Video Recording*** | Storage Usage | ||||||||||||
| 6MP | 8MP | 10MP | 12MP | 18MP | 24MP | 9 Mbps (min.) | 12 Mbps (min.) | 24 Mbps (min.) | 48 Mbps (min.) | HD .MKV Movies |
Music .MP3 |
Compressed .MP4 Movies |
PC Games | Backups | |
| 2GB* | 1,000 | 750 | 600 | 500 | 333 | 250 | 27 | 20 | 10 | 5 | X | 519 | 1 | X | X |
| 4GB* | 2,000 | 1,500 | 1,200 | 1,000 | 667 | 500 | 53 | 40 | 20 | 10 | X | 1,038 | 3 | X | X |
| 8GB* | 4,000 | 3,000 | 2,400 | 2,000 | 1,333 | 1,000 | 107 | 80 | 40 | 20 | X | 2,076 | 7 | X | X |
| 16GB* | 8,000 | 6,000 | 4,800 | 4,000 | 2,667 | 2,000 | 213 | 160 | 80 | 40 | 1 | 4,151 | 14 | X | X |
| 32GB* | 16,000 | 12,000 | 9,600 | 8,000 | 5,333 | 4,000 | 427 | 320 | 160 | 80 | 2 | 8,302 | 28 | 1 | 1 |
| 64GB* | 32,000 | 24,000 | 19,200 | 16,000 | 10,667 | 8,000 | 853 | 640 | 320 | 160 | 5 | 16,605 | 56 | 3 | 2 |
| 128GB* | 64,000 | 48,000 | 38,400 | 32,000 | 21,333 | 16,000 | 1,707 | 1,280 | 640 | 320 | 10 | 33,209 | 112 | 6 | 4 |
| 256GB* | 128,000 | 96,000 | 76,800 | 64,000 | 42,667 | 32,000 | 3,413 | 2,560 | 1,280 | 640 | 21 | 66,418 | 224 | 12 | 9 |
| 512GB* | 256,000 | 192,000 | 153,600 | 128,000 | 85,334 | 64,000 | 6,826 | 5,120 | 2,560 | 1,280 | 42 | 132,836 | 448 | 24 | 18 |
| 1TB* | 512,000 | 384,000 | 307,200 | 256,000 | 170,668 | 12,800 | 13,652 | 10,240 | 5,120 | 2,560 | 84 | 265,672 | 896 | 48 | 36 |
1 Megabyte (MB) = 1,000,000 bytes; 1 Gigabyte (GB) = 1,000,000,000 bytes; 1TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes
(Mbps = Megabits per second, GB = Gigabytes, .MKV = Matroska Media Container, .MP4 = MPEG-4 Media container)
† Based on internal testing. Results may vary. Chart subject to change without notice
* Some of the listed capacity on a Flash storage device is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage. As such, the actual available capacity for data storage is less than what is listed on the product. For more information go to Kingston's Flash Memory Guide.
** Approximate number of JPEG (compressed file) pictures. JPEG file sizes vary based upon camera model and internal file size and compression settings, as well as user-selected resolution and compression mode settings. In addition, JPEG compression will result in different file sizes based upon picture complexity. Some host devices may not support all of the Flash storage capacities listed. Consult your device's owner's manual for supported capacities. Product specifications subject to change without notice.
*** Actual recording time will vary based upon camera model, selected resolution, compression settings and the content being recorded. Some host devices may not support all of the Flash storage capacities listed. Consult your device's owner's manual for supported capacities.