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3.0 - big deal or no?

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  • 17-07-2012 3:12pm
    #1
    NewsMeQuick
    Closed Accounts Posts: 643 ✭✭✭


    Am I right in saying you need 3 things for 3.0 speed:

    - a USB 3.0 device
    - a USB 3.0 port on computer
    - a USB 3.0 capable cable

    The thing is, I don't see a lot of 3.0 devices but the tech. was launched a few years ago, no? Even the number of new laptops with it are a little limited from all the shops I seen. Some have one 3.0 port, why not all the ports or laptops? Is it a good plan to get a computer with 3.0 on your next purchase or don't bother?


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    #2
    U_Fig
    Registered Users Posts: 893 ✭✭✭U_Fig


    like all new technologies it'll take a while to become standard...yes USB 3.0 has been around for a while I've yet to see any device that has come close to matching the read/write speed that it's supposedly capable of.. Up to the z68 Intel chipset USB 3.0 was only available from a 3rd party controller but now that Intel have started with h77 and z77 to have the controller on the chipset itself I think that it will start being used a lot more and become the standard.

    you will still need a compatible device and cable and port but you'll see that becoming more and more widespread and usb 2.0 will become less and less just like usb 1.0, to future proof you can get one but unless you are going to have an SSD i don't see you getting a massive speed boost from it


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    #3
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    If you are copying data to an external hard-drive (for backups etc) then USB 3.0 can make a very large difference.

    With USB 2.0 the bottleneck is always the USB 2.0 interface. 30MB/s (except in the case of slow thumbdrives)

    With USB 3.0, the bottleneck will be either the read speed of your internal drive, or the write speed of the external. Or vice versa if the data is going the other way. But anyway it should be comfortably several times faster than 30MB/s with half-decent HDDs.

    Of course this kind of speed has always been available with eSATA but that was fairly uncommon on laptops because it was so single-minded.


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    #4
    NewsMeQuick
    Closed Accounts Posts: 643 ✭✭✭NewsMeQuick


    Yeah my priority was backups. I'm trying to think ahead. In the next year or two how many backups will I make - many I'm sure. On top of that, I completely agree - bit by bit 2.0 will go. I don't want just 2.0 USBs when that happens.

    As a minor point, I've been testing using my Android phone to store all my music. The copying of music takes much longer than my iPod. I like the idea of converging a phone and media player but don't want to pay for a 32/64GB iPhone Expensive. I wonder will we see much 3.0 come to smartphones? They seem to be adopting new tech. so fast now.

    First and foremost, with 500-750GB hard drives in mind, maybe I will push for 3.0 after all.


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    #5
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 81,754 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    You don't need to be a history major to know that technology first adopts the faster medium before it introduces the faster device. 802.11ac routers are already on the market for example, but it will be months or longer before a new ac capable device makes it to the market also. That said, the rate at which consumers adopt newer technology also affects how quickly it gets supported. And when you're looking to buy a laptop to last you 3-7 years (depending on the spec and usage) it can really pay in the long run to have that 3.0 port. That, and it's now pretty standard to see them on all but the lower tier of PC laptops now. The adoption rate of USB 3.0 in external hard drives is already incredibly high, to where most externals ship with a 3.0 cable now.

    Phones will eventually switch but for now everyone seems kinda happy that most phones support in general the accepted standard Micro USB. 2 exceptions to this that seem widespread are Samsung Galaxy and iPhone.


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