USB 3.0 is a major update to the Universal Serial Bus standard that enables much faster data transfer speeds when connecting external devices such as hard drives. USB 3.0 (also known as USB 3.1 Gen 1) offers transfer rates up to 5 Gbit/s, which is over 10 times faster than USB 2.0.
External hard drives that connect via USB 3.0 make it much quicker to transfer large files like high resolution photos, videos, and backups of your computer. The greatly improved speeds of USB 3.0 make it an ideal interface for external storage.
Introduction
USB 3.0 is a major update to the Universal Serial Bus standard that enables much faster data transfer speeds when connecting external devices such as hard drives. USB 3.0 (also known as USB 3.1 Gen 1) offers transfer rates up to 5 Gbit/s, which is over 10 times faster than USB 2.0.
External hard drives that connect via USB 3.0 make it much quicker to transfer large files like high resolution photos, videos, and backups of your computer. The greatly improved speeds of USB 3.0 make it an ideal interface for external storage.
Benefits of Using USB 3.0
One of the key benefits of USB 3.0 is much faster data transfer speeds compared to older USB standards. As the USBMakers article explains, USB 3.0 offers transfer rates up to 5 Gbit/s, which is over 10 times faster than USB 2.0. This significant speed boost makes USB 3.0 well-suited for external hard drives and other high bandwidth devices.
Another major advantage of USB 3.0 is backwards compatibility with USB 2.0. As the Reddit discussion points out, USB 3.0 ports and cables work seamlessly with USB 2.0 devices. So you can still use older USB devices without issue. Overall, the faster transfer rates and backwards compatibility make USB 3.0 a worthwhile upgrade for external hard drives and other peripherals.
USB 3.0 Transfer Speeds
One of the main benefits of USB 3.0 is the increased transfer speed compared to previous USB 2.0. According to Verbatim, the theoretical transfer speed of USB 3.0 is up to 5 Gbit/s (625 MB/s), versus 480 Mbit/s (60 MB/s) for USB 2.0. This makes USB 3.0 theoretically up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 for data transfer.
In real world usage, Akitio states that USB 3.0 provides transfer speeds up to 5Gbps (625MB/s), while USB 2.0 maxes out at 480Mbps (60MB/s). So in practice, the speed increase is typically around 10 times faster.
This significant performance boost makes USB 3.0 well suited for external storage drives, where transfer speed is often a key factor.
Power Considerations
USB 3.0 devices can draw more power compared to USB 2.0 devices. The USB 3.0 specification allows up to 900mA at 5V, equal to 4.5W (Cadence, 2022). In comparison, USB 2.0 only provides 500mA at 5V or 2.5W. This extra available power allows USB 3.0 to support larger external hard drives without separate power adapters.
However, very large external USB 3.0 hard drives may still need additional power, especially if used with laptops or small form factor PCs. If your external USB 3.0 hard drive comes with a separate power adapter, be sure to connect it for maximum performance. The higher power demands of USB 3.0 means bus-powered drives may not receive sufficient power to operate fully through the USB port alone.
Compatibility
USB 3.0 has strong backward compatibility and works with most modern personal computers and operating systems. This means you can connect USB 3.0 external hard drives to older USB 2.0 ports and devices without any issues. According to CMD Ltd, “USB 3.0 [is] designed to work with older USB versions including USB 2.0 and USB 1.1. You can plug a USB 2.0 device into a USB 3.0 port and it will work perfectly” (source).
While the transfer speeds will be limited to USB 2.0 levels if you connect a USB 3.0 drive to a USB 2.0 port, the drive will still function properly. This backward compatibility makes it easy to use USB 3.0 drives across computers and devices without compatibility concerns. As Integral Memory notes, their “USB 3.0 Flash Drives and card readers are backwards compatible with USB 2.0 ports. The USB 3.0 Flash Drive or card reader will work at the speed of the USB port it is plugged into” (source).
Cabling and Connectors
USB 3.0 uses different connectors compared to USB 2.0. The most common USB 3.0 connectors are Type A and Type B.
Type A connectors are flat and rectangular in shape and are commonly found on host devices like computers, laptops, and game consoles. Type B connectors are more square shaped and are typically used on peripheral devices like printers, scanners and external hard drives (C2G, n.d.).
One limitation of USB 3.0 is cable length. The USB 3.0 specification allows for cables up to 3 meters (9.8 feet) without requiring additional repeater hardware. Longer cables or active extenders can be used to go beyond this limit, but may start to impact performance and reliability (Cable Matters, n.d.).
External Drive Formats
External hard drives come in several different formats. Some of the most common are:
HDD (Hard Disk Drive)
HDDs are the traditional spinning hard drive that has been used for decades. They have moving parts like read/write heads and platters which makes them more prone to failure compared to SSDs. However, HDDs are much cheaper per gigabyte of storage. External HDDs come in sizes from 500GB to 10TB.
SSD (Solid State Drive)
SSDs have no moving parts and store data in flash memory chips. They are faster, more reliable, and less prone to damage from drops than HDDs. However, they are more expensive per gigabyte. External SSDs tend to range from 250GB to 2TB.
RAID Arrays
Some external drives use multiple HDDs or SSDs in a RAID configuration for increased speed, capacity, or redundancy. RAID 0 stripes data across disks for speed. RAID 1 mirrors disks for redundancy. And RAID 5 uses parity to protect data and provide more capacity than RAID 1.
Popular external RAID drives include the LaCie 2big RAID and OWC ThunderBay 4 Mini.
Real-World Performance
When it comes to real-world performance, USB 3.0 delivers a significant speed boost over USB 2.0 for external hard drives. Benchmarks of file transfer speeds show USB 3.0 is capable of read and write speeds of over 100MB/s, while USB 2.0 maxes out at around 35MB/s.
For example, in Tom’s Hardware testing, they found a USB 3.0 external hard drive was able to achieve sustained read/write speeds of 107.3MB/s and 105.8MB/s respectively. In comparison, a USB 2.0 drive managed read/write speeds of 33.5MB/s and 29.7MB/s [1].
The substantially faster transfer rates of USB 3.0 make a noticeable difference when transferring large files like videos, RAW photos, or game installs. What might take 5+ minutes over USB 2.0 may only take 60 seconds with USB 3.0. This speed advantage allows external hard drives to operate nearly as fast as internal drives.
Cost Considerations
USB 3.0 external hard drives typically cost more than USB 2.0 drives with similar storage capacities. This is because USB 3.0 uses a newer, faster interface technology that requires more advanced and expensive components. According to research on major retailer sites like Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy, USB 3.0 drives can cost $10-50 more than similar USB 2.0 models.
For example, a 2TB USB 3.0 portable drive may retail for $75 while a 2TB USB 2.0 drive costs $65. The faster transfer speeds and better performance of USB 3.0 drives merits the extra cost for many consumers. As USB 3.0 becomes more common and manufacturing costs decrease, the price difference between USB 2.0 and 3.0 drives should narrow over time.
Conclusion
In summary, USB 3.0 offers significant benefits for external hard drives. Key advantages include much faster transfer speeds compared to USB 2.0, improved power efficiency, and broader compatibility with new external hard drive enclosures.
The speed increases of USB 3.0 are most noticeable when transferring large files like videos, photos, and backups. Real-world tests show USB 3.0 can reach speeds over 200MB/s, while USB 2.0 maxes out below 60MB/s.
Newer external hard drives are increasingly being designed for USB 3.0. This provides better performance, and assures compatibility with the latest computers and devices. USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 ports, so legacy use is not a concern.
For those seeking fast external storage, USB 3.0 provides a worthwhile upgrade. The interface is standard on new computers and affordable adapters add USB 3.0 ports to older systems. With ten times the speed of its predecessor, USB 3.0 marks a major advance for external storage.