It can be a real headache, but we are here to help and let you know all that there is to know about USB 3 connectors.

We also provide a useful comparison guide to help you understand the differences between different types of USB cables, which will hopefully help you next time you need to go rummaging to find a specific type.

What Is USB 3.0?

USB 3.0 is the second-latest version of the Universal Serial Bus standard, or USB. The first USB was released many years ago in 2008. Still today, most new devices, computers, and technical gadgets support this standard.

Data Transfer Speeds

The USB 3.0 is often referred to as the SuperSpeed USB due to its superior performance to previous designs. It can transmit data at a maximum speed of 5 Gigabytes per second, or 5,120 Megabytes per second.

On average, it is believed that people would be transmitting up to 3,200 Megabytes per second.

Previous USB standards transmitted data considerably slower, with the USB 2.0 standard transferring data at 480 Megabytes per second, on a good day, and the USB 1.1 standard at its optimal performance could transfer data at a maximum of 12 Megabytes per second.

WIthin the USB 3.0 standard, there are three different designs, which transfer data at different speeds.

When they were initially released they were simply referred to as the 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2 but they have since been renamed officially as the USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 3.2 Gen 2, and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.

The 3.2, or USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, is the latest version of this family but it has now been replaced by the USB4 as the latest USB Standard. The USB 3.2 had a theoretical speed of 20 Gigabytes per second or 20,480 Megabytes per second.

This was an update from the USB 3.1 which transferred data at 10 Gigabytes per second or 10,240 Megabytes per second. In a world where everyone wants access to everything within moments, these speeds will continue to get even faster.

Hardware

Older USB cables, adapters, and devices work with all USB standard cables, the difference between these cables only lies in the speed at which they transfer data. Their hardware and fittings continue to remain the same.

In the picture above you can see the USB 3.0 Type A and Type B cables. These are explained below:

There are also micro versions of the above cables, they are often used for smartphones and portable devices. While the mini cables look similar, they are not compatible, similar to their regular-sized counterparts.

Cable lengths can vary with the maximum being 10 feet. The length of a cable will not impact the transfer speed, as mentioned earlier it will be the type of USB standard that you use that will influence the speed that the data transfers.

How To Identify USB 3.0 Cables

USB 3.0 specification recommends that a blue-colored cable or coating is used to distinguish these cables from previous USB standard cables.

While not all manufacturers adhere to these specifications, they may have nods of blue somewhere within the cable design, for example, the plug.

Final Thoughts

Since the first USB Standard was used on Windows 8, USB cables have developed greatly in how they can transfer data. As technology continues to evolve we can expect more USB standards to continue to be produced to adhere to the need for instant data in the world today.

In this article, we’ll be explaining what an external hard drive is and hopefully, you’ll go away with the information you need to be able to explain it to other people!

What Is A Hard Drive?

So to start off, let’s get into what a standard hard drive is.

A hard drive is a part of a computer that sorts the operating system (or OS for short), data files (such as documents), any applications found on the computer, pictures, and music. Basically, anything file that exists on the computer.

Hard drives can hold a great deal of information and your computer isn’t going to function without one. Most hard drives are quite cheap as well, so if you need to replace one, you don’t have to spend too much money replacing them.

There are drawbacks to a hard drive though. The biggest drawback is if they suddenly stop working and you haven’t backed up any of the data from your computer, you’ll potentially lose that data forever.

If the hard drive can be fixed, or data recovered, some of it may be saved. But it is always better to backup just in case.

Another drawback hard drives have is that they can be quite slow, especially when you’re opening very large files or applications, and particularly compared to SSDs (solid state drives).

What Is An External Hard Drive?

An external hard drive is pretty much exactly the same as a normal hard drive, but it isn’t connected inside a computer.

External hard drives usually come as a separate unit, can be quite small, and can hold a large quantity of data. They are usually attached to the computer via USB and can be disconnected and reconnected whenever the user sees fit.

External hard drives are great for extra storage or for keeping any important files on. If your internal computer hard drive ever fails or corrupts, anything that is stored on your external hard drive will be safe.

Because of that, if you have a lot of files that you consider to be important, it’s in your best interest to invest in an external hard drive. They are the best backup devices for a computer and you can save you a lot of time and hassle if anything ever happens to your computer.

But just like an internal hard drive, external hard drives do have their drawbacks.

Both normal hard drives and external hard drives can get hot and overheat, and this can sometimes cause issues to both your computer and your hard drives. Plus, because hard drives function mechanically, they are more prone to fault than SSDs.

Additionally, because external hard drives aren't part of your computer, and can be detached and moved, you can lose them if you aren’t careful. It's always best to keep your external hard drive in a safe, secure place when it’s not in use.

Conclusion

External hard drives are a good investment should you need a backup solution to be kept separate from your computer.

But remember, you need to look after an external hard drive and keep it safe and secure too.

Hard drives use magnetic storage to save and retrieve data that relies on rotating platters, surrounded by magnetic material which differs depending based on what hard drive you own.

Magnetic heads are used to read data from the platter surface. And they also write data onto the platters, so that you can retrieve and save information from your hard drive.

From this description alone you probably have a fairly good idea of what a hard drive looks like. But there are different types of hard drive: including external hard drives, and internal hard drives. And while both perform the same basic data storage function, they both look slightly different externally.

Internal Hard Drives

Usually, if you want to see what an internal hard drive looks like, all you’d have to do is open your PC and it’ll be at the front and perhaps top of your pc tower. These internal drives have been in PCs for decades

Hard drives are also present in some laptops, now predominantly as media storage drives, and these are a smaller style. But we'd advise not opening your laptop to have a look - unless it is out of warranty and you're comfortable doing so.

Most internal hard drives look similar regardless of size, enclosed in screwed-shut metal casing, with screw-holes available along the sides to allow them to be secured in a system.

External Hard Drives

What do external hard drives look like? Well, slightly different from internal hard drives, external drives go on the outside of a PC case, and therefore look much cleaner and aesthetically pleasing.

They still do the same job on the inside of the hard drive, but the drive itself is encased in an outer material for ease of use and function. Of course, some external drives allow easy access to the hard drive itself, for easy replacement and upgrading.

They’re useful if you require extra hard drive space separate from your computer, and can be quite cost-effective for the amount of storage space you’ll be getting.

Inside Of A Hard Drive

So now we know what the outside of a hard drive looks like, what does the inside of one look like?

It almost looks like an old record player, with a platter that spins around the axis just like we described before.

Instead of the needle spinning around the record though, the read/write head hovers slightly above the physical surface of the disk, which is all the height it needs to function. Contact with the platter would scratch it, damaging the drive.

Size

The two most common measurements for hard drives are 2.5-inch, which are extremely common for laptops, and 3.5-inch which is seen much more often on desktop computers.

These sizes are standardized so repair or replacement is much easier if anything goes wrong with your drives. External hard drives use these two sizes too.

Final Words

What does a hard drive look like? Well, now you know, and you can find them at vendors like Amazon or elsewhere to have a harder look.

Types of Drives