Your desktop or laptop computer has a wide variety of and connection types, but what are they used for and how are they different? USB 2.0, USB 3.0, eSATA, Thunderbolt, Firewire, and Ethernet are some of the technologies built into many computers sold today. So what is the fastest connection type? What type of connection should be considered for an external hard drive? What about multiple 4K monitor support? In this article, we will talk about the different types of high-speed data ports and how they are used.
No matter what type of computer you have, you likely have one or more of the types of broadband connections discussed in this article. First let’s look at the different speeds for each type of connection. Please note that the rated speeds are not what you will get in real conditions. You will most likely be able to get between 70% and 80% of the maximum speeds listed.
Speed
USB 2.0 connection type has practically become the norm. You’ve probably used a USB 2.0 cable to a device or drive to your PC or at some point, and you probably have plenty of spare USB cables at home. Although USB 3.0 is here, many PC peripherals and other devices are still manufactured with USB 2.0 connectivity.
Many devices still do not use USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt. Because? Because USB 2.0 is fast enough to handle smaller tasks, and many devices simply don’t need super fast speed like mice and keyboards. Ok, what is the exact speed of USB 2.0?
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USB 2.0 is rated at 480 Mbps. That’s about 60 megabytes per second.. For quick reference, 1000 Mbps is equivalent to 1 Gbps, which is considered gigabit.
EITHER USB 3.0 connection type is the next step for USB (as of 2.0). USB 3.0 transfer speeds are approximately 10 times faster than previous USB 2.0 speeds. So what does this mean?
USB 3.0 is rated at 5 Gbps. That’s about 640 megabytes per second.
In 2013, USB 3.1 was also released and is rated up to 10Gb/s. That’s about 1280 megabytes per second or 1.2 GB per second. That means USB 3.1 is as fast as a single channel first-generation Thunderbolt.
It should also be noted that the new USB Type-C connection will support USB 3.1 for a maximum data transfer speed of 10 Gbps.
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e-SATA stands for external SATA. SATA, of course, is a type of connection used to connect an internal hard drive to a computer. So, inside your desktop or laptop is the hard drive, which in most cases connects to the motherboard via a SATA interface.
With eSATA, an external hard drive can use the same type of connection and technology to connect to the computer. The hard drive inside a computer is faster than a standard external hard drive (USB 2.0), so what kind of speed does eSATA produce?
eSATA is rated at 3 Gbps and 6 Gbps.
Flash of lightning Cables are the last type of connection on this list. Originally called “Light Peak”, Thunderbolt was the first technology developed by Intel. For Thunderbolt’s consumer debut, Apple Inc. added the high-speed interface to nearly every device in its Mac lineup, making it one of the first companies to use the technology. Thunderbolt is capable of more than other connection types, but more on that later. What types of speeds does Thunderbolt produce?
Thunderbolt is rated at 10 Gbps per channel (x2). Thunderbolt 2 increases this value to 20 Gbps on a single channel. Thunderbolt 3 doubles bandwidth again to 40 Gbps.
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fire wire, or IEEE 1394, is another type of connection that has been popular for some time but has disappeared in recent years. The popularity of USB 2 and USB 3 devices slowed the adoption of Firewire, causing the connection to slowly decline. This happened even though Firewire 400 and 800 are faster than previous USB technologies (not including 3.0).
Firewire is rated at 3 Gbps (400) and 6 Gbps (800).
ethernet It’s a type of connection that’s primarily used for networking, so it’s not designed to be super fast. However, Ethernet cables can also be used to transfer data from the computer.
Ethernet is rated at 100 Mbps.
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Summary
To summarize the data above, the connection types would produce the following results, from fastest to slowest.
1. Lightning (up to 40 Gbps)
2. USB 3.1 (10 Gbit/s), then USB 3.0 (5 Gbit/s)
3.eSATA (6Gb/s)
4.Firewire (6Gbps)
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5. Gigabit Ethernet (1 Gbps)
6.USB 2.0 (480Mbps)
7.Ethernet (100Mbps)
However, this analysis is not entirely accurate. As mentioned above, in real-world situations, many of these top speeds are rarely achieved. Here is a table that summarizes the specifications for many connection types besides the ones I mentioned.
When purchasing an external device or a new computer, the main thing to consider is the connection type version. For example, if you buy a new Retina MacBook Pro laptop, you’ll notice that it has a USB 3.0 port and a Thunderbolt 2 port.
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If you wait a bit, Apple will likely include the new Thunderbolt 3 connections in its latest MacBooks, meaning you can do a lot more with these ports than ever before. For example, with Thunderbolt 2, you can connect up to one 4K 60Hz monitor or two 4K 30Hz monitors to your computer. With Thunderbolt 3, you can connect up to three 4K 60Hz displays or one 5K 60Hz display.
Ethernet is extremely slow and can be used to and move folders, but its main purpose is the local network.
In my opinion, Thunderbolt and USB 3.1 (Type C) will eventually become standard on most computers. They offer the fastest speed with additional features like bi-directional power and multi-monitor support. Furthermore, both technologies have already been adopted by many major PC manufacturers. If you have any questions, feel free to comment. Appreciate!
If you want to know other articles similar to USB 2.0 speed vs. USB 3.0 vs. eSATA vs. Lightning vs. Firewire vs. ethernet you can visit the category.
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