USB 3.1 review: 10 Gbps USB with the ASUS Z97-A

Memory (DDR4/DDR5) and Storage (SSD/NVMe) 368 Page 3 of 6 Published by

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The Hardware

So you have seen the USB connector and specs, but what about connectivity ? Well no current motherboard is USB 3.1 compatible, neither is there one single storage solution available on the market that supports it. But over time this will happen. Within the next few weeks you will see the first announcements and launches for motherboards and separate USB 3.1 add-in cards..
 

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ASUS for example is releasing the ASUS Z97-A/USB 3.1 - this new revision motherboard has a 2-port USB 3.1 controller that originates from a third party chip, in this case the ASMedia ASM1142.


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The ASMedia ASM1142 connects to the chipset by using two PCIe Gen 2.0 lanes which gives it a bi-directional throughput of 2 GB/sec. It's less of what USB 3.1 is capable of, but plenty fast by today's standards. The USB 3.1 type-A motherboard connectors will be colored in a somewhat green lime color to indicate 3.1 whereas USB 3.0 uses the blue coloring and USB 2.0 black. 
 

 

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To be able to test USB 3.1 you are going to need a really speedy device, ASUS shipped alonng their own enclosure ... let's rip 'r open ! Next page please.

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