So you probably already know that USB 3.0 ports are faster than 2.0, but you’re not sure how to identify the USB ports on your computer. USB ports can be tricky because there are many versions (1.0 to 4.0) but the physical ports are all the same, and they’re backwards compatible.
If you have a USB 3.0 flash drive, and you want to copy some large files, for the fastest data transfer speed, you’ll want to insert it into a USB 3.0 port (it’s 10x faster than USB 2.0). In this article, I’ll cover some practical and easy ways to identify the USB ports on your computer.
How to Tell if a USB Port is 2.0 or 3.0?
In most cases, you can tell if a USB port is 2.0 or 3.0 by looking for a blue marking at the bottom of the port, if it’s blue, then it’s USB 3.0 or higher. In some cases, all the ports on a device are USB 3.0, but most machines use a combination of 2.0, 3.0, and even other variations like USB-C, on the same device. Black usually indicates USB 2.0 or lower and is more common on older machines. Bear in mind, on other devices, such as Macs, the USB ports won’t be colour-coded, but you can still easily identify them by using the steps I’ll mention below.
How to Identify USB Ports on Your Computer:
In most cases, the easiest way to identify USB ports on your computer is by looking for the colour-coded USB ports; blue is the most common for USB 3.0. Red is usually used to mark USB 3.1 ports, but those aren’t as common. If you’re using a Windows machine, the second easiest way is to open Device Manager.
On Windows:
If you can’t visually identify the ports on your computer, for example, they’re all black, you can try the steps below:
- Open Device Manager (either type it into the start search or right click on the Windows start menu).
- Expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers category.
- Look for something that mentions USB 3.0.
- You should see something like “USB Root Hub 3.0”.
If you don’t see any mention of USB 3.0, your device probably doesn’t support it.
On Mac:
Most modern Macs will use either USB-c or USB 3.0, but some older ones still use USB 2.0. Luckily, there’s an easy way to identify USB ports on Mac:
- Click on Apple menu
- Select “About This Mac”
- Click on “Support”
- Next, select “Specifications”
You should see a list of supported USB versions.
The Difference Between USB 2.0 and 3.0:
When looking at USB ports and devices, they all look the same, but they actually have quite different specifications under the hood. The main difference between USB 2.0 and 3.0 is data transfer speed, 2.0 can support a maximum of 480 Mbps while 3.0 can support 5 Gbit/s.
While you can plug a USB 3.0 compatible device into a USB 2.0 port, it will only be able to perform at the maximum that port supports. USB 2.0 ports are older and are dying out, but they still have their uses, for example, USB devices that don’t require much power can use a USB 2.0 port, such as a mouse, a keyboard, and other computer paraphernalia.
What About USB-C?
USB-C is the new standard for USB devices and it uses the USB 3.1 specifications, it’s most commonly found on Macs and smartphones. USB-C uses a different port than the normal USB devices and requires a new cable, but it can support a whole host of new features, including video and audio. You can purchase USB-C hubs that split the port into a wide range of other ports, such as; an SD card reader, multiple regular USB ports, HDMI, and many others.
How Do I Get the Fastest Speed Possible on USB Devices?
In industries that involve large files, such as video editing and whatnot, you’ll want to know how to get the fastest speed from your USB devices as possible. You probably already know that you need to match your USB device version to the port that supports it, but there are a couple of other things you can do to improve data transfer speed.
One that is often overlooked is the cable you use with your USB devices. Not every cable that came with your USB device supports the latest USB electronic standards. I would consider upgrading cables to make sure you’re getting the best performance.
In some cases, your USB drivers might be having issues, and doing a quick uninstall and reinstall could solve that problem. Windows 10 makes that easy and automatic. Speaking of drivers, you might need specific ones for your USB devices, so it wouldn’t hurt researching your device online to see if it requires any other drivers.
Overall, if you plug a USB 3.0 device into a USB 3.0 port, use a good quality cable, and have all the right drivers, you should be able to get fast data transfer speed. Do bear in mind the data transfer speed is not the same as write speed.
For example, a USB 3.0 port can support 5 Gbit/s a second, but when you transfer files, you probably won’t see that speed because the write speed will depend on both the max supported write speed of the device and the hard drive you’re copying the files to.
Conclusion:
When it comes to data transfer, knowing which USB port to use is important. I always recommend using the latest one possible, such as 3.0 or higher. Most computers have a combination of 2.0 and 3.0 ports, but some newer models use USB 3.1. For other devices, such as mice, keyboards, and whatnot, a USB 3.0 port might not be necessary. Overall, using the steps outlined in this article will make it easy for you to identify USB ports on your computer.
