Difference between a 2.0 and a 3.0 usb port At the risk of sounding incredibly dumb, I need to know what the difference is between a 2.0 usb port and a 3.0 usb port. I THINK I have a 3.0 port on my computer but I am not sure. I also need a usb flash drive that is NOT compatible with Windows 8. Is the PNY - Turbo Plus 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive compatible with Windows 8?

Question

BigB · Accepted Answer

Speed is the difference. USB 3 devices are multiple times faster than USB 2 devices. USB 3 devices always have blue colored connections if you look straight on at them. USB 3 devices are backwards compatible with USB 2 ports, although at the slower USB 2 speeds (but will not work in the much older 1.1 ports). USB 2 devices will work in USB 3 ports, but again at the slower USB 2 speeds.Additionally, there is really no reason to have a USB drive that has limited compatibility with either hardware or software. They should all just work in any system and any Operating system.

Answered by BigB 11 years ago

Rich · Answer

The NOTICEABLE difference between a USB 2.0 and 3.0 is the port color. If they are blue inside the Flash drive then it is capable of USB 2.0 AND 3.0. This is also the same for your laptop/ computer, etc. If the port is gray or black the it is only able to use USB 1.1 and 2.0. USB 1.x is only good for a max of about 12Mbit/s, USB 2.0 is good for a max of about 35 MB/s or 280 Mbit/s. It was originally intended for up to 480 Mbit/s but there were bus constraints and it never reached its full potential. USB 3.0 came out in 2008 and it is reasonable to achieve around 3.2 Gbit/s (0.4 GB/s or 400 MB/s. I hope this helps you. I am not sure why you would not want a flash drive not compatible with Windows, but I think just about all of them are if they are formatted to Windows FAT32 or NTFS standards. You may have to reformat the flash drive n an Apple computer then Windows may not recognize it. I hope this info helps....

Answered by Rich 11 years ago

Tom2014K · Answer

The USB 3.0 standard allows for faster exchanging of data between the computer and falshdrive. If your computer is using the 2.0 standard, then the data will transfer at that slower rate.

BIGDADDY573 · Answer

Your 3.0 uses the 2.0 USB port. It is the product and wire/cable that makes it faster. They are compatible with pretty much all PCs(all Windows platforms) and MACs. I use a MAC and have saved music, movies, and videos on them and had friends that have PCs that were able to download them with no problems.

Answered by BIGDADDY573 11 years ago

stingray · Answer

A 3.0 usb port has a blue bar where the drive plugs into the computer vs black. 3.0 is faster than 2.0 but the flash drive and port both have to be 3.0. In some cases you need a 3.0 cable also or hub. This Flash drive is 2.0 compatible too. Not sure if it matters if you use a windows or android or mac operating system as long as its a usb port I think it will work fine as a storage devise. It does work with Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 as wells as any of the old windows systems like xp & vista.

Answered by stingray 11 years ago

CommunityAnswer · Answer

A 3.0 port can deliver up to ten time the transfer speed of a 2.0 port. The PNY 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive is compatible with most PC operating systems and MAC.

needshelp · Answer

I have this thumb drive, I use it with Windows 8 and it works fine.

USB 3.0 has faster data transfer and will charge devices like cell phones quicker than USB 2.0.

USB 3.0 devices are backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.0 devices.

Chris · Answer

I asked the geek squad person this same question. The response was: the 3.0 is about 10 times faster than the 2.0. The 2.0 is good for back up and files that don't need that quick an exchange, but the 3.0 is essential for anything else.
This one is compatible with Windows 8.

DaddyFrank · Answer

This drive will work on USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports. It runs much faster on 3.0 of course.

Jimmer2013 · Answer

Yes, no problems with it and I use windows 8.1

S96813 · Answer

The ports are the same - 3.0 ports are usually blue in color. USB 2.0 and 3.0 drives should work in either port, although a 3.0 drive will not perform as quickly as it could in a 2.0 port.

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