USB 3.0

"SuperSpeed" redirects here. For other uses, see Super Speed.

USB 3.0
Deprecated SuperSpeed USB logo
Type USB
Production history
Designed November 2008; 16 years ago (2008-11)
Manufacturer USB 3.0 Promoter Group (Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, ST-Ericsson, and Texas Instruments)[1]
Superseded USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Superseded by USB 3.1, USB 3.2, USB4 (July 2013, September 2017, August 2019)
General specifications
Length Standard-A plug: 12 mm
Standard-B plug: 12 mm
Type-C (USB-C) plug: 6.65 mm
Width Standard-A plug: 12 mm
Standard-B plug: 8 mm
Micro-A & Micro-B plugs: 12.2 mm
Type-C (USB-C) plug: 8.25 mm
Height Standard-A plug: 4.5 mm
Standard-B plug: 10.44 mm
Micro-A & Micro-B plugs: 1.8 mm
Type-C (USB-C) plug: 2.40 mm
Daisy chain No
Audio signal No
Video signal No
Pins 9 (Type A & B) / 24 (Type-C)
Connector (SS) USB 3.0 Standard-A,
(SS) USB 3.0 Standard-B,
(SS) USB 3.0 Micro-A,
(SS) USB 3.0 Micro-B,
(SS) USB 3.0 Micro-AB,
USB-C (USB Type-C)
Electrical
Max. voltage 5V
Max. current 900 mA
1.5 A (BC 1.1/1.2, USB 3.2 single-lane)
3 A (USB 3.2 multi-lane Type-C)
Data
Data signal Yes
Bitrate 5 Gbit/s (500 MB/s, USB 3.0)
10 Gbit/s (1.212 GB/s, USB 3.1 Gen 2)
20 Gbit/s (2.422 GB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2)
A deprecated[2] SuperSpeed USB 5 Gbit/s packaging logo

Universal Serial Bus 3.0 (USB 3.0), marketed as SuperSpeed USB, is the third major version of the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard for interfacing computers and electronic devices. It was released in November 2008. The USB 3.0 specification defined a new architecture and protocol, named SuperSpeed, which included a new lane for providing full-duplex data transfers that physically required five additional wires and pins, while also adding a new signal coding scheme (8b/10b symbols, 5 Gbps; also known later as Gen 1), and preserving the USB 2.0 architecture and protocols and therefore keeping the original four pins and wires for the USB 2.0 backward-compatibility, resulting in nine wires in total and nine or ten pins at connector interfaces (ID-pin is not wired). The new transfer rate, marketed as SuperSpeed USB (SS), can transfer signals at up to 5 Gbit/s with raw data rate of 500 MB/s after encoding overhead, which is about 10 times faster than High-Speed (maximum for USB 2.0 standard). USB 3.0 Type-A and B connectors are usually blue, to distinguish them from USB 2.0 connectors, as recommended by the specification,[3] and by the initials SS.[4]

USB 3.1, released in July 2013, is the successor specification that fully replaces the USB 3.0 specification. USB 3.1 preserves the existing SuperSpeed USB architecture and protocol with its operation mode (8b/10b symbols, 5 Gbps), giving it the label USB 3.1 Gen 1.[5][6] USB 3.1 introduced an Enhanced SuperSpeed System – while preserving and incorporating the SuperSpeed architecture and protocol (aka SuperSpeed USB) – with an additional SuperSpeedPlus architecture adding and providing a new coding schema (128b/132b symbols) and protocol named SuperSpeedPlus (aka SuperSpeedPlus USB, sometimes marketed as SuperSpeed+ or SS+) while defining a new transfer mode called USB 3.1 Gen 2[5] with a signal speed of 10 Gbit/s and a raw data rate of 1212 MB/s over existing Type-A, Type-B, and USB-C connections, more than twice the rate of USB 3.0 (aka Gen 1).[7][8] Backward-compatibility is still given by the parallel USB 2.0 implementation. USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A and Type-B connectors are usually teal-colored.

USB 3.2, released in September 2017, fully replaces the USB 3.1 specification. The USB 3.2 specification added a second lane to the Enhanced SuperSpeed System besides other enhancements, so that SuperSpeedPlus USB implements the Gen 2x1 (formerly known as USB 3.1 Gen 2), and the two new Gen 1x2 and Gen 2x2 operation modes while operating on two lanes. The SuperSpeed architecture and protocol (aka SuperSpeed USB) still implements the one-lane Gen 1x1 (formerly known as USB 3.1 Gen 1) operation mode. Therefore, two-lane operations, namely USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 (10 Gbit/s with raw data rate of 1 GB/s after encoding overhead) and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbit/s, 2.422 GB/s), are only possible with Full-Featured USB Type-C Fabrics (24 pins). As of 2023, USB 3.2 Gen 1x2 and Gen 2x2 are not implemented on many products yet; Intel, however, starts to include them in its LGA 1200 Rocket Lake chipsets (500 series) in January 2021 and AMD in its LGA 1718 AM5 chipsets in September 2022, but Apple never provided them. On the other hand, USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 Gbit/s) and Gen 2x1 (10 Gbit/s) implementations have become quite common. Again, backward-compatibility is given by the parallel USB 2.0 implementation.

  1. ^ "Intel Universal Serial Bus (USB) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". Intel.com. Intel Corporation. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference USB-IF Licensed Mark(s) Requirements was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Universal Serial Bus Revision 3.1 Specification". USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. pp. 5–20. Archived from the original (ZIP) on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  4. ^ McFedries, Paul (2013). "Connecting USB Devices". PCs for Grown-Ups: Getting the Most Out of Your Windows 8 Computer. Indianapolis: Que Publishing. ISBN 978-0-13-303501-8. Retrieved 18 February 2016 – via Internet Archive. Most PC manufacturers label each USB port using the logo for USB type ... the USB 2.0 logo is a trident, while the USB 3.0 logo is a similar trident with the letters 'SS' (which stands for SuperSpeed) attached.
  5. ^ a b "USB 3.1 Specification Language Usage Guidelines from USB-IF" (PDF). USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. 28 May 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  6. ^ "USB 3.1 Gen 1 & Gen 2 explained". MSI.com. Micro-Star International. 5 August 2015.
  7. ^ "USB 3.2 Specification". USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  8. ^ "Universal Serial Bus Revision 3.1 Specification". USB.org. USB Implementers Forum. Archived from the original (ZIP) on 21 November 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2014.