USB 2.0 or USB 3.0? There are differences, despite the fact that some dependents ignore them

A few days ago we bought a television at home. An event in many homes to receive a new "television", since for a long time this device has been considered the center of life in the home. The purchase process has become a ritual despite the passing of the years, given the high price of this type of device, something that also forces us to carry out a prior research task.

The reason? Except for honorable circumstances, the attention on the part of the employees when serving us and explaining the characteristics does not go beyond some data, screen, resolution and others, which seem pre-set at the factory by the company on duty.

In this case we had a disappointing experience on the line. And among all the explanations that they did not give us or that they carried out in an erroneous way, one of the ones that surprised me the most was the one that referred to the use of USB 3.0 connections in response to my inquisitive question.

The question is clear. Do you have or don't you have USB 3.0? And the clear answer... It has USB, which is the same. You will be able to record and watch a video from a hard drive no matter if it is 3.0 or 2.0. You can be calm. And of course, I was shocked and stunned, so much so that I picked up my phone and began to investigate the possible models in contention for purchase.

And it is that dependent gentleman, the differences believe it or not, "there are, there are", like the witches. So let's see where the differences lie and what advantage one has over the other.

Main differences between USB 2.0 and USB 3.0

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is a type of Plug & Play that does not require any type of controller or special action to be able to use it. It is a type of connection thanks to which we can use keyboards, mice, printers, cameras, memories...

Throughout its existence we have gone through versions of USB that have been classified by numbers. USB 1.0, USB 2.0 (one of the most used) and the most recent, USB 3.0 (the latest versions, USB 3.1 and USB 3.2 offer only slight variations of USB 3.0).

USB 2.0 allows data transfer at about 480 MB/s, obtaining a good read-write speed that, however, can become a bottleneck when dealing with large amounts of data. Let's imagine a 15 GB video at those 480 MB/s. Instead, USB 3.0 offers up to 4.8 Gigabits, that is, it is 10 times faster than USB 2.0, so the same file would take just 10 or 15 seconds to copy instead of a minute in USB 2.0. USB 2.0 can therefore cause problems with high definition data transfers and this is where the new USB 3.0 technology comes into play.

Unlike USB 2.0, USB 3.0 is ten times faster so that if we use it to copy content we will experience a significant reduction in the time required. For this, it is essential, of course, that both the receiving and sending devices are compatible with this type of connectivity.

In addition, with USB 3.0 the amount of power that a device can draw increases dramatically. In this sense, we are making a leap from the 500 mA of USB 2.0 to the 900 mA of USB 3.0, an improvement that will allow the connection of USB peripherals without requiring a specific power outlet.

It can be said that the differences between USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 are redefined in 3 sections:

Therefore, it is clear, despite the lack of knowledge that may occur in a good number of people, that the differences are evident and become apparent as soon as we begin to use this type of connection, resulting, if we can opt for it, a much more interesting option.

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