The Computer Tech

USB 3 Card - Buy Or Wait?
By Jack Arthur

A USB 3.0 card is a passport to superspeed connectivity. After years of promising so much USB 3.0 has finally arrived in retail. The first devices to roll out have been the external hard drives and the improvements in data transfer times are impressive. On the near horizon are USB 3.0 flash drives, full 3D gaming through USB 3.0 and high definition video hook ups.

The question is- is it worth taking the plunge with this new technology now or should you wait until it is shipped as standard in the average computer?

To answer this question it is worth checking out what USB 3.0 offers, how easy it is to install on your present computer and what we are talking in terms of prices.

What USB 3.0 offers

The quick answer is that it offers all the ease of connecting devices that USB 2.0 offers but data delivery is a lot faster. This allows for new applications as well as boosting established ones.

This is achieved by having two extra wires in the USB 3.0 cable and full duplex data transfer- in other words data can flow in both directions at the same time. In theory, USB 3.0 is ten times faster than USB 2.0. In practice, with the devices on the market at the moment, it is three times faster. That is enough to make it faster than SATA 300 (for data backup) and a lot faster than Firewire 800.

USB 3.0 can also supply power to external devices (unlike rivals like Firewire) with a distinct improvement in performance over USB 2.0. Not only does a USB 3.0 cable deliver more current for power hungry devices the USB 3.0 software offers better management of devices- sending them into sleep mode when they are not active, for example. This prolongs battery life on portables and cuts the need for external power sources for other devices. A single USB 3.0 port can also control up to 127 devices at any one time.

Adapt your current Computer to use USB 3.0

There are two types of USB 3.0 adaptor cards card that can be bought right now to add USB 3.0 ports to a computer.

There are PCIe cards for desktops and ExpressCards for laptops or notebooks.

PCIe Cards

To install a PCIe card you will need to open up your computer and push the card into place. This operation scares some people but if you check out the procedure for installing a PCIe card (you could try a search of You Tube), you will see that it is pretty painless. Most USB 3.0 PCIe adapter cards have two USB ports and all will work equally well with USB 3.0 and USB 2.0.

ExpressCards

Installing an ExpressCard is even easier. Just slip the card into the ExpressCard slot and you are ready to go. Usually, the card will be recognized instantly and you can go ahead and use the pair of USB 3.0 ports without rebooting.

USB 3.0 Adapter Card prices

The cards are selling online for between $30 and $50. Makers names to look out for are Buffalo, Sharkoon and Vantec.

So will you Buy or will you Wait?

Three reasons to get USB 3.0 ports right now

If you are buying an external hard drive and want the extra speed, a USB 3.0 card is a good investment. For professionals using CAD or manipulating large video and graphics files the extra speed and power can really transform productivity. For the majority of people, it means a more enjoyable experience with fewer frustrating waits during tasks like backing up important data.
You will be ready for the superspeed USB 3.0 flash drives that are soon to ship and for all the other goodies that have already debuted at recent computer expos like 3D Gaming and HD video via USB.
You can dump annoying external power cables and transformers for extra hard drives etc.

When will USB 3.0 ship as standard on ordinary Computers?

This depends on Intel and AMD and how quickly they develop chips that incorporate USB 3.0 as standard. Most analysts reckon it will take at least two years before moderately priced and lower end PCs get USB 3.0. HP recently released its first laptop with a USB 3.0 option- the HP Envy but this is very much at the top end of the range.

About the Author:
Jack Arthur is a professional writer with interests in technology, computing and internet games. If you want more information about USB 3.0 devices, this site is regularly updated: USB PC. There is more on USB 3.0 PCI cards here: USB 3 Ports.