Do I want USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1 Gen 2, um, 3.2 Gen 2x1 - argh this is all so confusing!
What happened to blue and not blue?
Yeah... sadly blue and not blue never happened, but worry not friends, I got you covered!
This is DIYin5!
Welcome everyone to DIYin5, the show that turns complex tech discussions into easily digestible bytes in 5 minutes or less.
I’m Trisha Hershberger and in this episode, we’ll go over the variety of USB types
out there and demystify the naming process so that you know exactly what you are getting
and whether or not it fits your specific needs.
If you find the information in today’s video useful, please like this video, hit that bell
and subscribe to this channel so you don’t miss out on any future tech tips.
USB or Universal Serial Bus is an industry standard that determines specifications for
cables and connectors used for short-distance digital communications, connections and power supply.
The USB Implementers Forum is who is in charge of naming and maintaining these standards
since USB 3.0 came on the scene in 2008.
So for anyone out there who thinks the USB naming conventions are a bit confusing they are the ones to yell at.
Let’s start at the beginning.
USB 1.0 was released in January 1996, although not widely adopted until the release of USB 1.1 in 1998.
Two years later, USB 2.0 was released, bringing with it not only higher bandwidth but also
specifications for mini connectors, microUSB connectors and battery charging.
USB 3.0 was released in 2008 and it was a vast improvement over 2.0’s transfer speeds of 480 Mbit/s.
3.0 introduced a SuperSpeed transfer mode, shown with a distinct logo and blue inserts in ports.
Ah, these were the good old days when you could clearly see the difference between different USB options.
But alas, this simplicity doesn’t last long.
USB 3.0 eventually became known as USB 3.1 Gen 1 - yup, they are the same thing.
Then USB 3.1 Gen 2 came out, bringing speeds double what we had in Gen 1 - 10Gbit/s as opposed to 5Gbit/s respectively.
Originally, the naming conventions Superspeed USB for Gen 1 and Superspeed USB+ for Gen 2 were pushed, but never really caught on,
and some manufacturers even added the speeds 5Gbps or 10Gbps to their specs to help make it more clear.
But most of the industry stuck with USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.1 Gen 2.
Then, in 2017, we got USB 3.2 and saw the gradual move from USB-A to USB-C connectors.
USB-C supports higher transfer speeds and faster charging, and as such is becoming the new standard.
Because of this, we see USB 3.2 in four different variations.
USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 - offering the same speeds as USB 3.1 Gen 1, and therefore the same as USB 3.0.
USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 offering 10Gbit/s transfer speed in USB-C form factor only.
USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 - 10Gbit/s speeds in the standard USB-A form factor
(whispers) just like USB 3.1 Gen 2.
And USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 - 20Gbit/s transfer speeds – USB-C only. Confused yet? Let’s keep going!
Thunderbolt is the brand name for Intel and Apple hardware connecting peripherals to a computer,
and while the first two generations used a mini display port connector, the latest version Thunderbolt 3 uses a USB-C connector.
It is precisely this combination of USB-C Thunderbolt technology which will take us into USB4.
USB4 promises increased bandwidth, 40Gbit/s transfer speeds, Thunderbolt compatibility,
USB-C connections and, with any luck, intense minimizing of USB user confusion.
The good news is almost all of this tech is backwards compatible and again,
hopefully will be more streamlined as we move into the era of USB 4.
Do you have any specific USB-related questions not answered in this video?
If so, please go ahead and leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best to answer them.
Alright, thank you everyone, so much, for watching and see you soon with more DIY in 5.