1. How does USB 3.0 achieve the extra performance?

USB 3.0 achieves the much higher performance by way of a number of technical cha
nges. Perhaps the most obvious change is an additional physical bus that is adde
d in parallel with the existing USB 2.0 bus. This means that where USB 2.0 previ
ously had 4 wires (power, ground, and a pair for differential data), USB 3.0 add
s 4 more for two pairs of differential signals (receive and transmit) for a comb
ined total of 8 connections in the connectors and cabling. These extra two pairs
were necessary to support the SuperSpeed USB target bandwidth requirements, bec
ause the two wire differential signals of USB 2.0 were not enough.
Furthermore, the signaling method, while still host-directed, is now asynchronou
s instead of polling. USB 3.0 utilizes a bi-directional data interface rather th
an USB 2.0's half-duplex arrangement, where data can only flow in one direction
at a time. Without getting into any more technical mumbo jumbo, this all combine
s to give a ten-fold increase in theoretical bandwidth, and a welcome improvemen
t noticeable by anyone when SuperSpeed USB products hit the market.
2. Isn't USB 2.0 fast enough?
Well, yes and no. USB 2.0 for many applications provides sufficient bandwidth fo
r a variety of devices and hubs to be connected to one host computer. However, w
ith today's ever increasing demands placed on data transfers with high-definitio
n video content, terrabyte storage devices, high megapixel count digital cameras
, and multi-gigabyte mobile phones and portable media players, 480Mbps is not re
ally fast anymore. Furthermore, no USB 2.0 connection could ever come close to t
he 480Mbps theoretical maximum throughput, making data transfer at around 320 Mb
ps - the actual real-world maximum. Similarly, USB 3.0 connections will never ac
hieve 4.8Gbps, but even 50% of that in practice is almost a 10x improvement over
USB 2.0.
3. What other improvements does USB 3.0 provide?
The enhancements to SuperSpeed USB are not just for higher data rates, but for i
mproving the interaction between device and host computer. While the core archit
ectural elements are inherited from before, several changes were made to support
the dual bus arrangement, and several more are notable for how users can experi
ence the improvement that USB 3.0 makes over USB 2.0:
• More power when needed
o 50% more power is provided for unconfigured or suspended devices (150 mA
up from 100 mA), and 80% more power is available for configured devices (900 mA
up from 500 mA). This means that more power-hungry devices could be bus powered
, and battery powered devices that previously charged using bus power could pote
ntially charge more quickly.
o A new Powered-B receptable is defined with two extra contacts that enabl
e a devices to provide up to 1000 mA to another device, such as a Wireless USB a
dapter. This eliminates the need for a power supply to accompany the wireless ad
apter...coming just a bit closer to the ideal system of a wireless link without
wires (not even for power). In regular wired USB connections to a host or hub, t
hese 2 extra contacts are not used.
• Less power when it's not needed
Power efficiency was a key objective in the move to USB 3.0. Some examples of mo
re efficient use of power are:
o Link level power management, which means either the host computer or the
device can initiate a power savings state when idle
o The ability for links to enter progressively lower power management stat
es when the link partners are idle
o Continuous device polling is eliminated
o Broadcast packet transmission through hubs is eliminated
o Device and individual function level suspend capabilities allow devices
to remove power from all, or portions of their circuitry not in use
• Streaming for bulk transfers is supported for faster performance
• Isochronous transfers allows devices to enter low power link states between serv
ice intervals
• Devices can communicate new information such as their latency tolerance to the h
ost, which allows better power performance
To paint an accurate picture, not everything in USB 3.0 is a clear improvement.
Cable length, for one, is expected to have a significant limitation when used in
applications demanding the highest possible throughput. Although maximum cable
length is not specified in the USB 3.0 specification, the electrical properties
of the cable and signal quality limitations may limit the practical length to ar
ound 3 metres when multi-gigabit transfer rates are desired. This length, of cou
rse, can be extended through the use of hubs or signal extenders.
Additionally, some SuperSpeed USB hardware, such as hubs, may always be more exp
ensive than their USB 2.0 counterparts. This is because by definition, a SuperSp
eed hub contains 2 hubs: one that enumerates as a SuperSpeed hub, and a second o
ne that enumerates as a regular high-speed hub. Until the USB hub silicon become
s an integrated SuperSpeed USB + Hi-Speed USB part, there may always be a signif
icant price difference.
Some unofficial discussion has surfaced on the web with respect to fiber-optic c
abling for longer cable length with USB 3.0. The specification makes no mention
of optical cabling, so we conclude that this will be defined in a future spec re
vision, or left to 3rd party companies to implement cable extension solutions fo
r SuperSpeed USB.
4. Will my existing peripherals still work? How will they co-exist?
The good news is that USB 3.0 has been carefully planned from the start to peace
fully co-exist with USB 2.0. First of all, while USB 3.0 specifies new physical
connections and thus new cables to take advantage of the higher speed capability
of the new protocol, the connector itself remains the same rectangular shape wi
th the four USB 2.0 contacts in the exact same location as before. Five new conn
ections to carry receive and transitted data independently are present on USB 3.
0 cables and only come into contact when mated with a proper SuperSpeed USB conn
ection.
5. Where are those SuperSpeed USB 3.0 products?
USB 3.0 silicon such as USB host controllers, peripheral chipsets and hubs compl
iant with the SuperSpeed bus have arrived in the latter half of 2009. Since then
, a handful of external hard drives, flash drives, storage docks, Blu-ray optica
l drives, high-end notebooks, and host adapters in both PCI Express and ExpressC
ard have begun appearing on retail shelves. Other companies have shown their pla
ns to roll outsolid-state drives and RAID. DisplayLink also revealed plans to sh
ip USB 3.0-compliant USB videosilicons by Q4 2010.
It is important to note that NEC (now Renesas Electronics) and Fresco Logic are
the only fabs to produce xHCI USB 3.0 host silicons as of this writing (October
2010). Until Intel, nVidia and AMD start bundling USB 3.0 as part of their mothe
rboard chipset, companies interested in equipping USB 3.0 on their systems will
have to source from said fabs for the chipsets.
Here's a list of commercially available SuperSpeed USB products:
Samsung Station STORYExternal Desktop USB 3.0 Hard Drives
• Buffalo HD-HUX3 DriveStation
3.5" based, available in 1TB, 1.5TB & 2TB.
• ioSafe SoloPRO USB 3.0
Rugged hard drive that can survive fire and water submersion.
• Iomega eGo Desktop 3.0
3.5 inch-based portable drive with native USB 3.0 interface.
• Samsung STORY Station 3.0
Stylish SuperSpeed USB 3.0 3.5" drive in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB.
• Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk
Desktop 3.5"-based 7200-rpm drive with optional USB 3.0 adapter.
• Western Digital My Book 3.0 Hard Drive
First commercially available USB 3.0 storage.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlexExternal Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drives

• Data Locker DL3
256-bit AES XTS encrypted drive with keypad lock.
• Freecom Mobile Drive Mg
7mm single-platter drive in magnesium chassis.
• ioSafe Rugged Portable
Durable USB 3.0 mobile drive that is both waterproof & crush resistant.
• LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Hard Drive
2.5" drive in a shockproof, waterproof enclosure.
• LaCie Starck USB 3.0 Mobile Hard Drive
2.5" drive in all aluminum chassis. Designed by none other than Philips Starck.
• Iomega eGo Portable 3.0
2.5 inch-based USB 3.0 drive with 256-bit AES HW encryption.
• Samsung S2 Portable USB 3.0
2.5 inch-based portable drive with native USB 3.0 interface.
• Seagate BlackArmor PS 110 USB 3.0
Portable 2.5"-based USB 3.0 drive, 1-port ExpressCard adapter bundled.
• Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra Portable
Portable 2.5"-based 5400-rpm drive with USB 3.0 adapter.

SIIG USB 3.0 Drive DockUSB 3.0 Drive Docks & Adapters
• Addonics USB 3.0 to eSATAp Adapter
A dongle connects to any eSATAp external storage.
• Century CROS25U3 USB 3.0 Dock
Bus-powered drive dock, made for SSDs & 2.5 HDDs. Available only in Asia.
• Century CROSU3H USB 3.0 Dock
3.5" / 2.5" drive dock with integrated USB 3.0 hub. Available only in Asia.
• Sharkoon QuickPort USB 3.0 Drive Station
Drive dock for either 2.5" or 3.5" SATA drives.
• Sharkoon QuickPort USB 3.0 Drive Station
Bus-powered drive dock for only 2.5" SATA hard drives or SSDs.
• SIIG USB 3.0 Hard Drive Dock
A HDD dock with built-in fan that accepts both 2.5" & 3.5"
• SIIG USB 3.0 to eSATA Adapter
A dongle connects to any eSATA external drives up to 2TB.
• Thermaltake BlacX 5G USB 3.0 Hard Drive Dock
A simple dock that accepts both 3.5" and 2.5" drives.
• Thermaltake MAX 5G USB 3.0 Drive Case
3.5" USB 3.0 drive enclosure with dual 80mm LED fans.

USB 3.0 RAIDs

LaCie 2big USB 3.0 RAID
• Buffalo DriveStation Quad
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 RAID supporting 0/1/5/10 and JBOD.
• Century CRNS35U3 USB 3.0 RAID
Dual-bay enclosure with RAID-0, RAID-1 and JBOD mode.
• Drobo S
Drobo 5-bay RAID drive with USB 3.0, FireWire 800 and eSATA.
• inXtron Orbit USB 3.0 RAID
2.5" based RAID-1 enclosure.
• LaCie 2Big USB 3.0 RAID
Symwave USB 3.0-based dual-bay RAID solution.
• RAIDSonic Icy Box USB 3.0 RAID
SuperSpeed USB two-slot enclosure with RAID-0, RAID-1 and JBOD function.

Kingston DataTraveler UltimateUSB 3.0 Flash Drives

• A-Data Nobility N005
Available in 16GB, 32GB & 64GB with lifetime warranty.
• A-Data S102
Budget USB 3.0 flash drive. Available in 8GB to 32GB with lifetime warranty.
• Kingston Data Traveler Ultimate 3.0
Entry-level USB 3.0 flash drive with 80MB/s read, 60MB/s write.
• Nexcopy USB 3.0 Duplicator
First USB 3.0 duplicator for flash drives & hard drives.
• Patriot Supersonic USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Available in capacity from 32GB to 64GB. Top speed: 100MB/s.
• PQI Cool Drive U368 USB 3.0 Flash Drive
Available in capacity from 8GB to 128GB. Top speed: 105MB/s.
• Super Talent USB 3.0 Express
SuperSpeed USB flash drives for budget conscious.
• Super Talent Express RAM Cache
First flash drive with DRAM caching system to boost small block random speed.
• Super Talent SuperCrypt
First USB 3.0 flash drive with 256-bit XTS encryption.

Kingston HyperX Max SSDUSB 3.0 Solid-state Drives

• Astro Drive A101 Compact USB 3.0 SSD
Capacity ranging from 32GB to 128GB, tops at 180MB/s.
• Buffalo SHD-PEHU3 USB 3.0 SSD
Available in 64GB and 128GB. Top speed: 240MB/s. Only shipping in Japan.
• Iomega External USB 3.0 SSD
Up to 256GB. Speed tops at 250MB/s. Comes with v.Clone virtual PC software.
• Kingston HyperX Max 3.0
Powered by SDNow V+ with capacity from 64GB to 256GB. Top speed at 195MB/s.
• LaCie FastKey
From 30GB to 120GB. Speed at 260MB/s. With DRAM cache & 256-bit AES HW encryptio
n.
• OCZ Enyo Slim USB 3.0 SSD
Available in 64GB, 128GB & 256GB. Speed tops at 200MB/s.
• PQI S533-E USB 3.0 SSD
Available in either 80GB or 160GB formidable X25-M 2.5" SSD.
• Super Talent RAIDDrive
First USB 3.0 flash drive in a self-contained RAID0 configuration; reaches 320MB
/s.

Optical Media Drives

• Buffalo BR-X1216U3 Blu-ray Burner
Only shipping in Japan.

Multimedia devices
• BlackMagic Intensity Shuttle
First USB 3.0 HDMI video capture.

Networking
• J5Create Wormhole Station
USB 3.0 auto-switching KVM with 4.8Gbps direct connect network.

Asus U3S6 USB 3.0 CardUSB 3.0 adapter cards & hubs
• Century USB 3.0 ExpressCard
1-port USB 3.0 adapter fits flush in an ExpressCard slot.
• Asus U3S6 USB 3.0 / SATA 6Gbps Card
PCI Express 2.0 x4, two USB 3.0 ports, two SATA 6Gbps ports.
• Buffalo 4-port USB 3.0 hub
A pedestrian design; based on VIA USB 3.0 hub silicon.
• Cooler Master Storm Strike Force Cooler
A high-end notebook cooler with 4-port USB 3.0 hub.
• Gigabyte Ultra Durable USB 3.0 Card
PCI Express 2.0 x1, two USB 3.0 ports, 2700mA current to each port.
• LaCie Hub4 USB 3.0 Hub
Stylish 4-port USB 3.0 hub.
• PhotoFast 1-port USB 3.0 ExpressCard
Flush mounted USB 3.0 port on an ExpressCard.
• SIIG USB 3.0 Bay Hub / Card Upgrade Kit
USB 3.0 upgrade card with 4-port bay hub bundle.
• SIIG 4-port USB 3.0 Hub
The first SuperSpeed USB hub, powered by VIA 800 controller chip.
• StarTech USB 3.0 ExpressCard
ExpressCard 1.0, add two USB 3.0 ports on a notebook.
And this is a list of SuperSpeed USB products confirmed in development. They are
either planned or concepts.
USB 3.0 Products Reportedly in the Works
• 22.5" Displaylink-powered USB 3.0 Monitor
• Icron / Intersil 20m USB 3.0 Extension Cable
• USB 3.0 Movie Kiosk
• Point Grey USB 3.0 HD Camera
6. What is the future for USB 2.0?
For at least the next five years, we do not see the market for USB 2.0 devices o
f all types to dwindle. High-bandwidth devices, such as video cameras or storage
devices will likely be the first to migrate to SuperSpeed USB, but cost conside
rations, which in this industry are mainly driven by demand and volume, will res
trict USB 3.0 implementation to higher-end products.
By 2010, computer motherboards should start to come equipped with USB 3.0 ports
supplementing USB 2.0 ports. USB 3.0 adapter cards will likely play a large role
in driving the installed base of USB 3.0 ports up, but as SuperSpeed-enabled po
rts become standard on new PCs, device manufacturers will be further motivated t
o migrate to the new standard.
In time, USB 2.0 may be phased out as was USB 1.1, but for now and the foreseeab
le future, USB 2.0 isn't going anywhere.
7. What operating systems support USB 3.0?
At the SuperSpeed Developers Conference in November 2008, Microsoft announced th
at Windows 7 would have USB 3.0 support, perhaps not on its immediate release, b
ut in a subsequent Service Pack or update. It is not out of the question to thin
k that following a successful release of USB 3.0 support in Windows 7, SuperSpee
d support would trickle down to Vista. Microsoft has confirmed this by stating t
hat most of their partners share the opinion that Vista should also support USB
3.0.
SuperSpeed support for Windows XP is unknown at this point. Given that XP is a s
even year old operating system, the likelihood of this happening is remote, as M
icrosoft in our opinion, will have to focus on the biggest bang for the buck app
lications.
With the open-source community behind it, Linux will most definitely support USB
3.0 once the xHCI specification is made public. Currently available under non-d
isclosure agreement in version 0.95 (a draft specification), organizations are f
orbidden to ship code because it might reveal or imply what is in the specificat
ion. Once that hurdle is out of the way, the Linux USB stack would have to be up
dated to add support for USB 3.0 details such as bus speed, power management, an
d a slew of other significant changes detailed in the USB 3.0 specification.
As is customary, Apple remains silent on the issue of SuperSpeed USB support in
MacOS X. Our opinion is that if USB 3.0 realizes the promise of plug and play si
mplicity like USB 2.0 with dramatically increased speeds, the market for SuperSp
eed devices will take off, and Apple will follow the trend. Whether or not this
signals a threat to Firewire is not known, but you can be sure that Apple will n
eed to support SuperSpeed if the rest of the industry adopts this interface stan
dard.
Given the iterative nature of any software release, USB 3.0 O/S support will com
e in stages and phases, where initial support may be buggy, slow, or lacking in
some features. Over time, these bugs will be ironed out, but expect some growing
pains as systems migrate and the development teams struggle to catch up to the
high expectations of the computing community at large. We will get there, but it
will take time. Anyone remember how buggy and unstable USB support was in the M
acOS in all versions of OS 8 and OS 9 before OS X 10.2 arrived?
8. What new applications does USB 3.0 enable?
In a nutshell, any high-bandwidth device that works with USB 2.0 will become bet
ter if updated with USB 3.0 support. At the moment, devices that tax the through
put of USB 2.0 include:
• External hard drives - capable of more than twice the throughput available from
USB 2.0, not to mention bus-powered portable drives that require non-compliant Y
-cables to get the current they require for reliable operation
• High resolution webcams, video surveillance cameras
• Video display solutions, such as DisplayLink USB video technology
• Digital video cameras and digital still cameras with USB interface
• Multi-channel audio interfaces
• External media such as Blu-Ray drives
High end flash drives can also push USB 2.0 pretty hard, and oftentimes if multi
ple devices are connected via hub, throughput will suffer.
USB 3.0 opens up the laneways and provides more headroom for devices to deliver
a better overall user experience. Where USB video was barely tolerable previousl
y (both from a maximum resolution, latency, and video compression perspective),
it's easy to imagine that with 5-10 times the bandwidth available, USB video sol
utions should work that much better. Single-link DVI requires almost 2Gbps throu
ghput. Where 480Mbps was limiting, 5Gbps is more than promising.
With its promised 4.8Gbps speed, the standard will find its way into some produc
ts that previously weren't USB territory, like external RAID storage systems. (T
hough, there are already plenty of USB-only RAID solutions (e.g. LaCie HDD Max,
WD My Book Mirror despite being limited by the interface.)
9. How does USB 3.0 compare to competing interfaces (i.e. eSATA, FireWire 3200,
ExpressCard 2.0)?
Firewire has long been the "forgotten" other mass market, high-speed interface s
tandard. Previously available in Firewire 400 or 800 flavors, it has gradually f
allen in popularity as USB 2.0 has surged. Apple, the inventor of the original I
EEE 1394 "Firewire" standard, has repeatedly sent mixed messages with the ditchi
ng of Firewire first from iPods, and more recently from the mainstream MacBook l
aptops (except for the lowest-end MacBook, oddly enough).
In late 2007, the 1394 Trade Association announced Firewire 3200, called "S3200"
, that builds upon the existing Firewire 800 standard that was released in 2002.
Utilizing the very same connectors and cabling that is required for Firewire 80
0, S3200 is basically a drop-in replacement once the internal system components
are updated in devices. To date, S3200 has not gained much traction, even in tra
ditional Firewire markets such as digital video.
Firewire's main claim to fame is that it is a highly efficient peer-to-peer, ful
l-duplex, non-polling data communications protocol with very low overhead. Firew
ire delivers much higher actual throughput than USB 2.0, and can achieve much cl
oser to its theoretical 800Mbps data rate than USB. Where Firewire 800 can deliv
er sustained data transfers of around 90MB/s, USB 2.0 hovers more around 40MB/s.
It remains to be seen what impact S3200 will have on the computing landscape.
eSATA, or External SATA, was brought to market in 2004 as a consumer interface t
argetted directly at an external storage market crowded with USB 2.0 and Firewir
e solutions. It successfully address the issue of the interface bottleneck, and
allowed fast hard drives to fully realize their performance potential when locat
ed external to a server or PC. eSATA supports a data rate of 3.2Gbps, which is m
ore than enough for the fastest hard drives, which can transfer about 120MB/s, e
asily better than USB 2.0 and significantly better than Firewire 800.
eSATA is not without drawbacks, however. Cable length is limited to a mere 2m, i
t cannot supply power to devices connected on the eSATA bus, and the connectors
are neither small nor terribly suitable for consumer devices where aesthetics ar
e important. Over the last several years, eSATA has steadily eroded both USB and
Firewire market share in the data storage space, although its applications are
limited, and really not well-suited to the portable device market.
ExpressCard 2.0 was released practically the same day as the USB 3.0 specificati
on (November 2008) and promises to significantly enhance the ExpressCard standar
d for the increased speed requirements of today's mobile technologies. Closely t
ied to both the PCI Express and USB 3.0 specifications, ExpressCard 2.0 supports
a variety of applications involving high throughput data transfer and streaming
. Maintaining backwards compatibility with the original ExpressCard specificatio
n, the hot-pluggable interface standard for I/O expansion in smaller form-factor
systems will by definition co-exist with the world of USB 3.0 devices.