USB 3.0 on the horizon for 2009

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Set to increase USB speeds tenfold, from 480Mbps to roughly 4.8Gbps, USB 3.0 will take the most common interface in computing to a new generation.

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Read more.

It will be interesting to see the full details of this when it is properly released.

The whole optical thing is pretty cool :)

ARGH!!! I swear this always happens to me. I understand that the computer industry is constantly changing and that you are never going to have cutting edge kit for more than a few weeks but the first time I built a PC was right before USB2 and my first complete build from scratch in 8 years is going to be the middle of 2008, right before USB3.

:S

hope they make the cable more flexible by then... also how are the devices going to draw power.... also how expensive are they going to be.

Wouldn't be surprised if this turns out to be false, or at teh very least a hybrid type where you can completely dispense with the optical component.

Well it is apparently backwards compatible, so the cables will still have all electrical pins connected. So there is your power right there.

By the sounds of it, the new USB3 controllers will say make use of the optical fibres if they are present, and if not, then it is USB2 all the way. Likewise, older controllers won't care about the new cables.

I can't imagine they would be more flexible. They will still need the electrical shielding to be USB2 compliant. although USB3 only cables might be able to have just the electrical pins and the optical portions, this would (potentially) be more flexible. But you couldn't use it with a USB1/2 host or device.

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Originally Posted by McClane

ARGH!!! I swear this always happens to me. I understand that the computer industry is constantly changing and that you are never going to have cutting edge kit for more than a few weeks but the first time I built a PC was right before USB2 and my first complete build from scratch in 8 years is going to be the middle of 2008, right before USB3.

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Am sure your computer will be ok, possibly add on cards available into your pcie slot to utilise the bandwidth required.

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Originally Posted by McClane

ARGH!!! I swear this always happens to me. I understand that the computer industry is constantly changing and that you are never going to have cutting edge kit for more than a few weeks but the first time I built a PC was right before USB2 and my first complete build from scratch in 8 years is going to be the middle of 2008, right before USB3.

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meh, there is always PCI/PCI-E cards

looks good, may have to hold out on buying a new laptop a little longer than i was hoping to take advantage of this, although there is always express cards

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Originally Posted by Funkstar

Well it is apparently backwards compatible, so the cables will still have all electrical pins connected. So there is your power right there.

By the sounds of it, the new USB3 controllers will say make use of the optical fibres if they are present, and if not, then it is USB2 all the way. Likewise, older controllers won't care about the new cables.

I can't imagine they would be more flexible. They will still need the electrical shielding to be USB2 compliant. although USB3 only cables might be able to have just the electrical pins and the optical portions, this would (potentially) be more flexible. But you couldn't use it with a USB1/2 host or device.

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I ment the fiber optic cables. SPDIF optical cables aren't that flexible.

Why would we need such fast USB connections when e-sata and fast firewire already cover most of this ground? (not that faster is ever a bad thing just that it costs, especially in the ealry days)

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Originally Posted by errata

Why would we need such fast USB connections when e-sata and fast firewire already cover most of this ground? (not that faster is ever a bad thing just that it costs, especially in the ealry days)

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because nothing uses either of those?

edit: ok, hardly anything

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Originally Posted by errata

Why would we need such fast USB connections when e-sata and fast firewire already cover most of this ground? (not that faster is ever a bad thing just that it costs, especially in the ealry days)

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"That is, a move from 64k to 640k felt like something that would last a great deal of time." -Bill Gates

its all going to be a pain in the arse for companies that make external hard drives and such...but yeah its going to be fast :)

I'm constantly amazed at the rapid progression in PC components we're lucky bits get faster and cheaper in what other industry does that happen at the same rate?

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Originally Posted by errata

Why would we need such fast USB connections when e-sata and fast firewire already cover most of this ground? (not that faster is ever a bad thing just that it costs, especially in the ealry days)

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Well e-sata can only handle storage, so thats quite limited. And not many devices use Firewire (unfortunitely), so it isn't very convenient.

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Originally Posted by UltraMagnus

because nothing uses either of those?

edit: ok, hardly anything

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i prefer usb over esata anyway.

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Originally Posted by moogle

i prefer usb over esata anyway.

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then your preferring a slower (but more widely available) technology which returns back to my first point.