Guru3D Rig of the Month - February 2021
ASUS GeForce RTX 3060 STRIX Gaming OC review
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Gaming review
MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming X TRIO review
PALIT GeForce RTX 3060 DUAL OC review
ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3060 AMP WHITE review
Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact chassis review
Sabrent Rocket 4 PLUS 2TB NVMe SSD review
MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT GAMING X TRIO review
Guru3D Q1 Winter 20/21 PC Buyer Guide
USB 3.2 specification Announced Goes 2 GB/s
The USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced another USB-C specification: USB 3.2. It will support “multi-lane operation”. Put simply: it’s faster than regular USB 3.0, allowing up to two lanes of 5Gbps or two lanes of 10Gbps operation.
The USB 3.0 Promoter Group today announced the pending release of the USB 3.2 specification, an incremental update that defines multi-lane operation for new USB 3.2 hosts and devices. USB Developer Days 2017 will include detailed technical training covering USB 3.2, fast charging advancements in USB Power Delivery, and other exciting topics.
While USB hosts and devices were originally designed as single-lane solutions, USB Type-C cables were designed to support multi-lane operation to ensure a path for scalable performance. New USB 3.2 hosts and devices can now be designed as multi-lane solutions, allowing for up to two lanes of 5 Gbps or two lanes of 10 Gbps operation. This enables platform developers to continue advancing USB products to fit their customers' needs by effectively doubling the performance across existing cables. For example, a USB 3.2 host connected to a USB 3.2 storage device will now be capable of realizing over 2 GB/s data transfer performance over an existing USB Type-C cable that is certified for SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps.
"When we introduced USB Type-C to the market, we intended to assure that USB Type-C cables and connectors certified for SuperSpeed USB or SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps would, as produced, support higher performance USB as newer generations of USB 3.0 were developed," said Brad Saunders, USB 3.0 Promoter Group Chairman. "The USB 3.2 update delivers the next level of performance."
"With increased performance and seamless compatibility, the new USB 3.2 specification brings even more speed and bandwidth benefits to new USB 3.2 devices, while remaining compatible with USB 3.0 and earlier devices," said Roanne Sones, General Manager, Strategy and Ecosystem for Windows and Devices, Microsoft. "We're excited to work with our partners in the USB 3.0 Promoter Group to help showcase these benefits to users around the world."
Key characteristics of the USB 3.2 solution include:
- Two-lane operation using existing USB Type-C cables
- Continued use of existing SuperSpeed USB physical layer data rates and encoding techniques
- Minor update to hub specification to address increased performance and assure seamless transitions between single and two-lane operation
For users to obtain the full benefit of this performance increase, a new USB 3.2 host must be used with a new USB 3.2 device and the appropriate certified USB Type-C cable. This update is part of the USB performance roadmap and is specifically targeted to developers at this time. Branding and marketing guidelines will be established after the final specification is published. The USB 3.2 specification is now in a final draft review phase with a planned formal release in time for the USB Developer Days North America event in September 2017.
wavetrex
Senior Member
Posts: 1363
Joined: 2008-07-16
Senior Member
Posts: 1363
Joined: 2008-07-16
#5455715 Posted on: 07/26/2017 01:04 PM
Such speeds are only needed by stuff which involves data storage or communication
- Mobile computers (phone/tablet/etc.)
- USB sticks
- External HDD/SSD enclosures
- Flash Card readers
- Wireless/Network adapters for USB
(And it just happense that those are migrating to newer standards first)
I don't really see anything else that would require these huge bandwidths. Why would you need 2 GB/s for a mouse, keyboard or even printers/scanners (which are limited by their mechanical parts, can't "work faster"). Even USB 2.0 is TOO MUCH for them.
Such speeds are only needed by stuff which involves data storage or communication
- Mobile computers (phone/tablet/etc.)
- USB sticks
- External HDD/SSD enclosures
- Flash Card readers
- Wireless/Network adapters for USB
(And it just happense that those are migrating to newer standards first)
I don't really see anything else that would require these huge bandwidths. Why would you need 2 GB/s for a mouse, keyboard or even printers/scanners (which are limited by their mechanical parts, can't "work faster"). Even USB 2.0 is TOO MUCH for them.
XP-200
Senior Member
Posts: 5540
Joined: 2003-04-05
Senior Member
Posts: 5540
Joined: 2003-04-05
#5455723 Posted on: 07/26/2017 01:18 PM
^^VR could use that extra bandwidth, would be great if it mean't the number of USB ports required at present could be consolidated into say just the one.
^^VR could use that extra bandwidth, would be great if it mean't the number of USB ports required at present could be consolidated into say just the one.
schmidtbag
Senior Member
Posts: 5634
Joined: 2012-11-10
Senior Member
Posts: 5634
Joined: 2012-11-10
#5455776 Posted on: 07/26/2017 03:37 PM
Much like PCIe, USB seems to be evolving faster than anyone is demanding. There's hardly anything out there that take advantage of USB 3.1 (gen2). I don't really understand why the specs keep getting pushed, because all this does is alienate lower-end devices that may not be able to keep up (like ARM devices, for example). It's nice that they're all backward compatible, but I would MUCH rather them focus on efficiency.
In another perspective, the more complicated you make USB hosts, the fewer host controllers you get. For example, I would take 4x USB 3.0 host controllers over 2x USB 3.1 hosts hubbed into 4 ports any day. But if USB keeps getting more complicated, chipsets are going to involve fewer host controllers, which means worse latency and potential bandwidth issues.
VR inputs don't need more bandwidth; USB 3.0 is definitely enough. What VR needs is better latency.
Much like PCIe, USB seems to be evolving faster than anyone is demanding. There's hardly anything out there that take advantage of USB 3.1 (gen2). I don't really understand why the specs keep getting pushed, because all this does is alienate lower-end devices that may not be able to keep up (like ARM devices, for example). It's nice that they're all backward compatible, but I would MUCH rather them focus on efficiency.
In another perspective, the more complicated you make USB hosts, the fewer host controllers you get. For example, I would take 4x USB 3.0 host controllers over 2x USB 3.1 hosts hubbed into 4 ports any day. But if USB keeps getting more complicated, chipsets are going to involve fewer host controllers, which means worse latency and potential bandwidth issues.
^^VR could use that extra bandwidth, would be great if it mean't the number of USB ports required at present could be consolidated into say just the one.
VR inputs don't need more bandwidth; USB 3.0 is definitely enough. What VR needs is better latency.
XP-200
Senior Member
Posts: 5540
Joined: 2003-04-05
Senior Member
Posts: 5540
Joined: 2003-04-05
#5455804 Posted on: 07/26/2017 05:02 PM
^^I mean more cutting down on the USB ports required, would love to see this all done in one port, i am at three sensors on 3.0 with the rift at present for 360 tracking.
^^I mean more cutting down on the USB ports required, would love to see this all done in one port, i am at three sensors on 3.0 with the rift at present for 360 tracking.
Click here to post a comment for this news story on the message forum.
Senior Member
Posts: 1397
Joined: 2013-06-04
Wile this sounds great, all my devices are 2.0 and most gadgets still come with the old boring 2.0 port. Only high spec phones have adopted the better tech, everything else we have to look carefully to buy the right stuff.