usb compatability

[XWrench3]

ok, i know that usb drives are backwards compatible. but what i would like to know is if i use a usb 3.0 flash drive, to record data in a 2.0 socket. will it transfer at 3.0 speeds going into a newer 3.0 device. or will it remain at 2.0 speeds because that is how the data was recorded. my gut feeling is it will transfer at 3.0 speeds regardless of how it was recorded. but i dont know from experience yet.

 

[carnageX]

It's not about 'how the data was recorded'. It's just all about the hardware. Both the female and male ends need to be 3.0 to operate at 3.0 speeds. If one end is 2.0, it will go at 2.0 speeds.

So if you transfer a file on a PC with a 2.0 port to a 3.0 flash drive, it will transfer at 2.0 rates. If you then take the same 3.0 flash drive and plug it into a PC with 3.0 ports, it will transfer at 3.0 rates.

 

[XWrench3]

thanks, that is what i was thinking.

 

[carnageX]

No problem.

 

[setishock]

Besides the plugs being compatible, it really depends on your computer's USB hardware and drivers. If your computer only has 2.0 then no matter what drive you use, it's only going to go at USB 2.0 speeds.
The USB chips on the mother board have to be for 3.0 in order to go 3.0 speeds.

 

[PP Mguire]

A USB3 drive will almost always be faster on USB2 than other USB2 flash drives too, because the chipset in the USB3 drive itself is more robust and faster. So these usually will saturate the USB2 bus in reads and writes (about 40MB/s ish) whereas most USB2 drives will read around 25-30 but almost always write between 4-10MB/s.

 

[Spud1200]

Am I correct in thinking after reading this thread that USB 3 is backwards compatible with previous USB 2. I thought for some reason they weren't. It was an actual different design for the physical socket it self USB 3.

 

[carnageX]

Yes it's backwards compatible.

 

[PP Mguire]

Am I correct in thinking after reading this thread that USB 3 is backwards compatible with previous USB 2. I thought for some reason they weren't. It was an actual different design for the physical socket it self USB 3.

Only USB 3 Type C isn't backwards compatible.