Sep 28 2013

Get the Most Out of USB 3.0 Flash Drives

This may seem obvious to technically minded people but given the similar look of standard USB ports you could forgive unsuspecting users for thinking that there is no difference between them all.

However, if you look closely you can quickly work out which devices you should connect to which USB ports.

Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Sandisk Extreme USB 3.0 Flash Drive

If you see in the receptacle of a USB device a blue colour then it will be a USB 3.0 (or SuperSpeed) device. These devices can operate up to a maximum of 5Gbps (that’s 625 megabytes per second before overheads) which is a massive step up from the maximum of 480Mbps (or 60 megabytes per second) of USB 2.0 devices. In order to achieve the best possible throughput with such a device you need to connect it to a USB 3.0 port however not every USB port on the latest computers will be a USB 3.0 port. Furthermore, some computers won’t have them at all.

So how do you identify a USB 3.0 port?

USB 3.0 ports on the Panasonic AX2 Ultrabook

USB 3.0 ports on the Panasonic AX2 Ultrabook

In a similar fashion with USB 3.0 devices, if you can see blue inside a USB port then it will be USB 3.0 capable. Otherwise, the USB port may have SS next to the USB logo adjacent to the port indicating that it is a SuperSpeed (AKA USB 3.0 port).

As long as the USB device and the USB port are both blue or indicate that they are SuperSpeed then you’ll get the best possible performance. USB devices without a blue USB receptacle should be connected to uncoloured USB ports so you can keep your USB 3.0 ports for USB 3.0 devices.

Boydo

My name is Boyd and I’m a Service Management Specialist with a knack for operational data gathering, transformation, analysis and reporting.

In 2012, I obtained my Masters of Science in Information Technology through the University of New South Wales @ The Australia Defence Force Academy (UNSW@ADFA).

I was also part of an online community known as the Panasonic Insider Crew in the capacity of “Insider Guru” for Panasonic Australia where I interacted with other tech enthusiasts and find out more about Panasonic's latest gadgets.

I love technology, gadgets, and the Internet and maintain a keen interest in these areas locally, nationally, and globally. I hope by sharing my views on these topics that people will receive an honest point of view from someone with a genuine interest in these topics.

I have also written and edited articles for Neowin - you can check out my articles over @ https://www.neowin.net/news/poster/boyd_chan

I hope you enjoy reading my blog!

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