do i have USB 3.0?

pc spanking new; give it another 2-5 months in distribution. would i naturally have 3.0?

looked at system devices various "USB entries", but i'm not seeing anything resembling 2.0 or 3.0 under properties anywhere. likewise, the one port that is in use doesn't display one way or another for the particular device plugged in. in fact, the BOX doesn't even say -- is it a given that something's 2.0 by default?

otoh, i'm suddenly seeing 3.0 on flash drives. it says they're "backwards" compatible, but are they FORWARD compatible? that is, a 3.0 drive will work in a 2.0 PC (i guess), but will a 2.0 drive keep working if the PCs are now shifting to 3.0?!

i'm so confused!!!!

:cry

PS: if they are more-or-less compatible why buy one over the other? speed?

oddly enuf the PRICES seem to be 100% identical between the matching 2.0 and 3.0 drives. which i wouldn't have expected if 3.0 represents something new/better/faster.

 

"Backwards Compatible" means the device will work in all types of USB ports. In other words, a USB 3.0 flash drive will also work in/with USB 2.0, 1.1 and 1.0 ports.

The main issue is speed: When different versions of USB devices and ports are mixed, the drive will operate at the speed of the slowest link. For example, a USB 3.0 drive hooked to a USB 3.0 port gives you USB 3.0 speed; a 3.0 drive plugged into a 2.0 port operates at 2.0 speed.

As for your new PC, most entry to mid-level machines still ship with USB 2.0. The easiest way to tell is most USB 3.0 ports are blue (not black).

Unless you are doing huge file transfers on a regular basis, I wouldn't worry about upgrading your PC to USB 3.0. If you decide you want to, there are USB 3.0 expansion cards (desktops) and USB 3.0 slot cards (notebooks) available.

Hope this answers your question.

 

yes, i know that. but will a USB 2.0 flash drive would in/with a USB 3.0 port? in other words, should i be jumping at 3.0 drives from now on b/c any 2.0 drives will soon become obsolete?

i guess my ports are black. the case is black, and there's just a HOLE there. i would say the ports are SILVER, actually, seeing as it's just contacts etc once u get past the case. definitely no "blue", tho.

isn't there some place in device manager, etc., where this is reflected?

 

A 3.0 drive will work in a 2.0 port, but at the 2.0 speed.

If 3.0 and 2.0 drives are the same price, I'd buy a 3.0 for the additional speed if or when you have a PC with USB 3.0 ports. For now, it'll work fine on a USB 2.0 port.

I checked CONTROL PANEL>SYSTEM>DEVICE MANAGER in Windows 7; it does not appear that the types (2.0 or 3.0) of USB on-board connectors are noted.

Again, this is something you shouldn't lose any sleep over. Unless you absolutely need a faster transfer speed for massive size files, connecting either a 3.0 or 2.0 drive to your existing USB 2.0 ports will work just fine.

 

yes, you've said that 2ce now (as have I)! the question is: will a 2.0 drive work in a 3.0 port?!

tx for the rest of the info.

 

3.0 and 2.0 are compatible with each other. You'll just be as slow as the slowest link of your system. It doesn't matter if it's the computer or the peripheral that's 3.0 or 2.0, they will work with each other.

In short. YES