Monday, March 3, 2014

Difference Between USB 2 and USB 3 Cable

USB Cable


USB Cable
For USB computer cable connections, there are 2 formats that are in popular use: USB 2.0 and the newer USB 3.0

How to tell USB 2.0 and 3.0 cables apart: USB 3.0 cables have a blue tip, and sometimes you can find a SS "Super Speed" label on it. See image below:
USB Cables

Since USB was intended to be the one computer cable connection to replace them all, it's no surprise that the possible uses for a USB port are quite mind-blowing. For this computer cable guide, we have listed its more common uses below:
Connect one end to: USB device

    Storage devices: USB flash drive, external hard drive, external optical drive
    Input devices: USB keyboard (wired and wireless), USB mouse (wired and wireless), webcam, scanner, gamepad
    Output devices: printer, all-in-one office machine, USB speaker
    Wireless adapters: network (Wi-Fi) adapter, bluetooth adapter, 3G adapter
    Data (and charging) cable for mobile devices such as mobile phone, tablet, MP3 player

Connect other end to: USB ports on computer (see image below)

How to tell USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports apart: USB 2.0 ports have black tips while USB 3.0 ports come with blue tips. See image below:
USB Ports


USB 3.0 is backwards-compatible... meaning that you can connect a USB 2.0 device to a USB 3.0 port and vice versa (but the USB 3.0 devices hooked up to a USB 2.0 port will perform at lowered rates).
 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Most USB cables have two types of connectors, one on each end. A type A connector is on the end that plugs into your computer. These are wide and flat, with a plastic piece inside that prevents the user from plugging them in upside down. Most users are familiar with the type A USB ports on their computers, as virtually every peripheral device on the market these days uses them. For instance, printers, scanners, and digital cameras all connect to computers via a USB cable. USB drives, which are small, mobile data storage devices, usually have type A connectors on one end, which plug directly into the USB ports on a computer.
I’m pretty tough on my cables and I would bet that these cables would take a beating and keep on working.

This is only a really light look at all the great USB products at CES 2017. I was personally amazed with the scale of USB product promotion but it makes sense, USB products are multi-billions of dollar business and everyone wants a slice of the pie.