What is USB 3.0 and what are the advantages?

USB 3.0 is the successor to USB 2.0, but what is USB and what are its advantages?

What is USB anyway?

USB means "Universal Serial Bus" and is a serial bus system for connecting the PC to external devices. Such data carriers can be connected to one another during operation and automatically recognized by the system. Devices with a USB interface include:

• external hard drives
• USB sticks
• MP3 player
• digital cameras
• smartphones

USB 3.0 is much faster than USB 2.0

The USB versions differ mainly in their speed. USB 3.0 achieves a transfer rate of up to 5 gigabits / s and is thus 10 times faster than USB 2.0.

USB 3.0 is backward compatible

The new connectors are downward compatible with the older 2.0 (480 Mbit / s), 1.1 (12 Mbit / s) and 1.0 (1.6 Mbit / s) devices. USB 3.0 transmissions are only possible if all three components (host, cable, end device) are USB 3.0 compatible. You should also note the following:

• If, for example, a USB 3.0 device is connected to a USB 2.0 socket, it is throttled to the corresponding USB speed
• USB 2.0 devices can be operated on USB 3.0 interfaces
• USB 3.0 cables cannot be used with USB 2.0 devices

This practical tip shows you how to accelerate your PC with a USB stick.