Many say USB 3.0 is much faster than 2.0. Is USB 3.0 really that much faster? And even if it's not, is it fast enough to justify the slight premium? Experts have already tested it. Here's what they discovered:
~4 times faster
USB 3.0 is capable of transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps (gigabits per second); that's a little over 10 times faster than USB 2.0's 480Mbps (1,000Mbps equals 1Gbps). In practice, it won't always be this much faster —For a 10Gb file to transfer, USB 3.0 connection took 6 minutes, 31 seconds, and the USB 2.0 connection took 22 minutes, 14 seconds.
Simultaneous process
In addition to the speed gains, USB 3.0 is a step forward in other ways. USB 3.0 allows simultaneous reading and writing between two connected devices. That wasn't possible on most older USB 2.0.
Hesitation Process
All this talk of speed is moot if you don't have a computer that supports this new technology, and very few do at this point. The first devices that were certified for USB 3.0 were introduced just over a year ago, and they're only just now arriving in stores. That holds for computers just as it does for hard drives and other peripherals.
Thus, if you're in the market for an external hard drive for your laptop, both the hard drive and the laptop have to support USB 3.0 in order for you to take advantage of the speed it offers, which means they both have to be very new. And not even all new computers and hard drives support USB 3.0, so make sure you take a close look at the specifications for the hardware you plan to buy.
Working with 2.0
USB 3.0 devices also work with 2.0 partners, but only at 2.0 speed. If you buy that 3.0 hard drive but still have a 2.0 laptop, you'll be able to use it; you'll just pay more money for performance advantages you can't yet enjoy. The same rule applies if you have a 2.0 hard drive and a 3.0 laptop. Your connection is only as fast as the slowest component, whatever that may be.
~4 times faster
USB 3.0 is capable of transfer speeds of up to 5Gbps (gigabits per second); that's a little over 10 times faster than USB 2.0's 480Mbps (1,000Mbps equals 1Gbps). In practice, it won't always be this much faster —For a 10Gb file to transfer, USB 3.0 connection took 6 minutes, 31 seconds, and the USB 2.0 connection took 22 minutes, 14 seconds.
Simultaneous process
In addition to the speed gains, USB 3.0 is a step forward in other ways. USB 3.0 allows simultaneous reading and writing between two connected devices. That wasn't possible on most older USB 2.0.
Hesitation Process
All this talk of speed is moot if you don't have a computer that supports this new technology, and very few do at this point. The first devices that were certified for USB 3.0 were introduced just over a year ago, and they're only just now arriving in stores. That holds for computers just as it does for hard drives and other peripherals.
Thus, if you're in the market for an external hard drive for your laptop, both the hard drive and the laptop have to support USB 3.0 in order for you to take advantage of the speed it offers, which means they both have to be very new. And not even all new computers and hard drives support USB 3.0, so make sure you take a close look at the specifications for the hardware you plan to buy.
Working with 2.0
USB 3.0 devices also work with 2.0 partners, but only at 2.0 speed. If you buy that 3.0 hard drive but still have a 2.0 laptop, you'll be able to use it; you'll just pay more money for performance advantages you can't yet enjoy. The same rule applies if you have a 2.0 hard drive and a 3.0 laptop. Your connection is only as fast as the slowest component, whatever that may be.
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