USB revolution
It should be noted in advance that the choice of device was not very lucky to take full advantage of the capabilities of USB 3.0, as the huge transfer rate would have required a SATA3 (or at least a newer SATA2) hard drive, but we did not find one in the 2,5-inch version. Because of this, we were forced to install a “traditional” hard drive. The weakness of the results seen in the measurements is therefore due to this, not the weakness of the technology. However, it is worth noting that despite the slow hard drive, there is a difference between USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 measurements, of course in favor of USB 3.0.
Measurements with the expansion card (USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0)
Measurements with ExpressCard (USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0)
Summary
The main purpose of our article was to show that the number of hardware supporting the USB 3.0 standard is expanding quite slowly. In the first round, external interfaces and cards will arrive, followed by hard drive enclosures, and probably by the end of the year we will be able to meet other first peripherals such as webcams. The order is not random, as it will be the latter devices that benefit the least from high bandwidth.
The question is whether it is worth buying the solutions on the market now. For our part, we cannot answer with a clear yes. On the one hand, expansion cards are sure to be good later on, but on the other hand, dumping of peripherals that can be connected to them is still waiting. The situation is further complicated by the runoff of the dollar. The domestic currency is not at its peak, and the dollar is also hitting peaks against the euro, at least in recent years. And this is not good for domestic hardware prices. The question is what to expect by the end of the summer. Many fear a further weakening of the euro, which is not good news for those looking to buy computer equipment. If so, you may not want to delay procuring the USB 3.0 stuff already available.
Based on experience so far, we can safely say that the spread of USB 3.0 should not be an issue. The bit rate has increased so much compared to the previous version that it has become apparent since then that we can forget essentially all other standards, including FireWire interfaces. This isn't a big deal either, since USB is basically a good thing, and we like all external devices to use the same kind of port. It's that simple!
The tools in this article are a Kelly-Tech Ltd. provided for the test. Thanks for!
