We all have long been accustomed to USB and USB 2.0 connections. Not so long ago a new version was introduced: port USB 3.0 and currently it's widely supported by laptops, workstations and all kinds of devices requiring fast data throughput. So, what are the most attractive features in USB 3.0 standard from a user perspective?The advantages of USB 3.0 compared with the previous model abound. It should be noted that the standard is much easier to use than its predecessor. But, first things first.
1. USB 3.0 data transfer is much faster than USB 2.0. For example, instead of 480 Mbytes, currently the data rate is almost 5 Gb per second (actually, it is 4.8). That is, the rate increased by about ten times. In practical applications this speed increase is very noticeable, files simply "fly" from a source to destination.
2. Despite the fact that the third standard is a significantly modified version, it is fully compatible with both the second USB, and the first. In other words, the "third" can be connected to the legacy ports without any problems. Of course, the speed of the connection would be limited by the slowest device / connector.
3. With USB 3 protocol data is finally flowing simultaneously in both directions. In other words one can read some files off of an external drive while recording a webcam video onto it. USB networking would greatly gain from it as well.
4. USB 3.0 can provide considerable energy savings. Previously USB 2.0 worked without interruptions throughout the whole time while connected to a computer, USB 3.0 behaves quite differently. A connection via USB 3.0 enters a so-called "saving mode" if there is no communication with the computer. However, it works only if the motherboard has the support for this feature.
5. A USB 3 connector has eight electrical contacts, whereas in previous versions there were only four. Additional four wires are usually used when the device is in the high-speed mode (called SuperSpeed). New contacts are located separately from the main four.
6. When operating in high-speed mode, the USB 3.0 controller uses a completely new protocol scheme. The controller can optionally receive data using the entire data bandwidth. That is, it provides an opportunity to transmit information "point-to-point" where the endpoints are two computers instead of one, as usual.
