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:


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 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).