What is a USB?
As a brief introduction, it is important to clarify the concept of USB (Universal Serial Bus). This is the name given to an interface that is activated when a device is connected.
The computer can work without major problems with the connected device, so it doesn't need to install drivers for it. This case can be highlighted in devices such as keyboards, mice, pen drives and memories.
USB 2.0
Like everything related to the world of computers, each of the components that are part of a computer can evolve in a more than favorable way. In this sense, technology USB 2.0 offers a data transfer speed of at least 60MB per second.
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- This technology Universal Serial Bus it is present in the vast majority of computers today.
- Allows continuous connection of devices such as memories, cameras, printers, mobile phones, among others.
- However, multimedia content has not been immune from constant evolution and the high quality of these files has been a hindrance in this type of technology.
Super USB 3.0
Given the high definition of the contents multimedia, it was decided to evolve the capacity of the USB ports. In this sense, if USB 2.0 ports were called Hi-Speed USB, 3.0 was presented as Super-Speed USB.
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They are right? All! Although they are aesthetically identical, the transfer speed is far superior to version 2.0, transferring high-definition files at a blazing speed of 4,8GB per second.
- A disadvantage of this version of the ports is that it is not available for many computers.
- The higher the speed, the higher the consumption. The USB 3.0 port consumes about 900mA, which is 400mA more than version 2.0 (500mA)
Inverted use
Can I use a USB 2.0 device in a USB 3.0 port and vice versa? Surely you have done it before and you haven't even noticed it. In both cases, you can use USB devices in any port, regardless of the technology used.
Imposition of limits
If it is true that there is one backward compatibility between devices and ports, this does not mean that they can work with the speed that characterizes them. In this sense:
- By plugging a USB 2.0 device into a port that uses 3.0 technology, you won't be able to enjoy the port's speed, remaining at its standard speed of 60MB per second.
- The same thing happens in reverse. By connecting a device USB 3.0 to a port with 3.0 technology, the file transfer speed capabilities of the device will be significantly reduced.
Cases of incompatibility
As noted above, USB 2.0 port technology is found in the vast majority of computers around the world.
- Many of these computers still have i old operating systems Windows, such as XP version, it may be possible to use only USB 2.0 devices.
- For versions after Windows XP, there is greater responsiveness in terms of connecting devices and ports of different versions.
- Some users have reported problems when testing the backward compatibility of devices and ports in Windows 8, creating the need to download and install programs that may solve these problems.
- One of the more stable versions of Windows in terms of backward compatibility of devices and ports of different technologies, it is Windows 10, but of course you must always keep the speed limit in mind.
