USB 3.0 Is Coming Soon

USB 3.0 devices can move data to and from PCs faster and provide more power when compatible with USB 2.0 devices.

Have you spent too much time waiting to move large chunks of data  between a computer and an external hard drive?

The third generation of the Universal Serial Bus (USB 3.0), SuperSpeed specification promises a theoretical top speed of 5Gbit/sec. versus USB 2.0′s 480Mbit/sec.

USB 3.0

As the latest evolution of the ubiquitous USB family, USB 3.0 has the power to transform the way we use our computers by increasing the theoretical peak speed of devices 10 fold to 4.8 Gb/s.

The key to blending old and new is NEC’s μPD720200 controller chip. It has the circuitry for USB 2.0 and 3.0 transfers inside and can use either, depending on what’s plugged in.

The first round of USB 3.0 cards and devices works with Windows Vista and Windows 7; Apple hasn’t decided whether to support the new standard. The basic software for USB 3.0 has been in the Linux kernel since last fall, and the needed drivers are slowly coming out.

What’s new in USB 3.0?

USB 3.0 brings actual physical differences to the connectors. The flat USB Type A plug (that goes into the computer) looks the same, but inside is an extra set of connectors; the edge of the plug is colored blue to indicate that it’s USB 3.0.

The first thing you’ll notice about USB 3.0 is that the plug actually looks different — it has an extra set of connectors, so it looks a bit like a USB plug that’s been crimped a little ways down one end. There’s also a new Micro Type B plug that has all its connectors laid out horizontally.

USB 2.0 is like a single-lane country road that needs to handle the morning-commute traffic in and out of L.A. There are jams and slowdowns when too much data is going back and forth. With nine wires available, USB 3.0 has an additional two lanes of traffic in each direction to smooth the flow between the computer and the device.