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Both USB-A and USB-C ports can support USB 2.0 to 3.2, which makes the whole thing a bit confusing since a USB port has both a connector type (USB-C vs. USB-A, or rounded vs. rectangular) and a USB specification which reveals how capable it is. Here’s the interesting part: USB-C connectors are bi-directional. This means that not only can you charge a peripheral device with USB-C cables, but you can also charge your host device using a peripheral when needed. Even though Thunderbolt offered better performance, it didn’t see a lot of traction because of its high price. DisplayPort --- as the name might suggest --- is specifically designed to transmit video signals between your computer and a display of some kind, like a monitor, TV, or projector. Typically, that requires both a DisplayPort port, and a DisplayPort cable, but USB-C changes that. The 20 Gbps speed is called USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, because it uses two 10 Gbps lanes to give you the 20 Gbps speed. Would it have been less confusing if they called it USB 3.2 Gen 3? Who knows?
pixelpusher220 said:At least for me this was helpful. Basically all that's important is the Gen 1/2 for the Type A, and only Gen2x2 for the zippy zippy. Chris Hoffman is the former Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. Chris has personally written over 2,000 articles that have been read more than one billion times---and that's just here at How-To Geek.Here's a guide to everything USB-C can do, and which of its features you should look for when buying your next USB-C device. Like Lightning and MagSafe, the USB-C connector has no up or down orientation. Line up the connector properly, and you never have to flip it over to plug it in; the "right way" is always up. The standard cables also have the same connector on both ends, so you don't have to figure out which end goes where. That has not been the case with all the USB cables we've been using for the past 20 years. Most of the time, you have different connectors at each end.
You don’t need to worry about USB 3 or USB type C rendering one of your devices with an older standard or type useless. You don’t need to worry about upgrading your USB Type-A or USB Type-B connectors anytime soon. For charging speeds we recorded the maximum wattage at which the cable could charge an Asus ROG Strix 15 gaming laptop over its USB-C port using USB-Power Delivery with an Aukey 100 watt USB-PD charger as the source while the laptop was under load.USB-PD today is limited to 100 watts (with a 240-watt spec on the way). Any USB-C to USB-C cable should handle 3 ampsat 20 volts, or 60 watts.All of the USB-C to USB-C cables fell into the standard 60-watt or 100-watt camps. But USB-C is different—and perhaps it's even as truly universal as its acronym (Universal Serial Bus) suggests. USB-C ports are now found on all manner of devices, from simple external hard drives to high-end laptops and, after a long holdout session, the Apple iPhone. While every USB-C port looks the same, not every one offers the same capabilities. USB-C may now be ubiquitous, but it doesn't serve the same functions everywhere. Not by a long shot.USB-C is the emerging standard for charging and transferring data. Right now, it's included in devices like laptops, phones, and tablets and --- given time --- it'll spread to pretty much everything that currently uses the older, larger USB connector. What Is USB Type-C? BTW, 10Gbps USB3 introduces a new channel encoding which is more efficient. So while the 5Gbps variant translates to at most ~450MB/s real data (after accounting for channel encoding and protocol overhead), with 10Gbps you get ~1100MB/s. Consequently, Gen1x2 is slower (2x450 = 900MB/s) than Gen2x1 (1100MB/s). But it might work over longer distances. In 2017, the organization rolled out a 20 Gbps speed for USB 3.x devices. In honor of the new speed, the version number changed for all speeds so the 5 Gbps speed became USB 3.2 Gen 1 and the 10 Gbps speed became USB 3.2 Gen 2 and the 20 Gbps speed became USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. Put simply, the more advanced versions of the USB protocol allow for faster data and power transfer. Most of us will never care enough to tell the difference between USB 3.0 and USB 3.2, but it's nice to know how it all works.
Chris was a PCWorld columnist for two years. He founded PCWorld's "World Beyond Windows" column, which covered the latest developments in open-source operating systems like Linux and Chrome OS. Beyond the column, he wrote about everything from Windows to tech travel tips.However, despite the USB-IF's desires, we still see most PC vendors listing their ports as USB 3.2 or USB 3.1, without necessarily telling you what to expect from them. The spec sheets may not even list a generation number, though if they don't, you should assume that it's Gen 1 (5 Gbps). If you're using a USB hub, you'll want at least a 5 Gbps connection, because all of the peripherals connected to that hub will be sharing that bandwidth. So, if you have a mouse, a keyboard and a webcam all plugged into the same hub, they will definitely need at least the 5 Gbps that USB 3.2 Gen 1 / USB 3.1 Gen 1 provides. In addition to his extensive writing experience, Chris has been interviewed as a technology expert on TV news and radio shows. He gave advice on dark web scans on Miami's NBC 6, discussed Windows XP's demise on WGN-TV's Midday News in Chicago, and shared his CES experiences on WJR-AM's Guy Gordon Show in Detroit.
USB 2.0 is USB 2.0, and anywhere you see it you can be sure that you'll have a maximum transfer speed of 480 megabits per second. USB-C includes support for DisplayPort Alt Mode, which allows USB-C cables to transmit video signals directly between your computer and display via the DisplayPort standard. That means your ultra-thin laptop doesn't need a chunky DisplayPort port, manufacturers can opt for a small USB-C port instead.
USB-C’s reversibility will put an end to the classic USB upside-down jokes, but that’s not all. You’ll also be able to plug either end of a USB-C cable into the computer to connect your peripherals, provided the device also has a USB-C port. To reduce confusion, the USB-IF also intends to do away with numbered USB versions in the future, instead encouraging device makers to refer to a port's top speed, as in "USB 20Gbps." We're in favor of that. In the end though, it’s what’s inside a cable that matters the most and the Apple USB-C cable has top-notch wiring materials that can deliver the most power to your laptop, phone, or tablet. Want to charge your laptop at 100 watts all day? That shouldn’t be a problem for the Apple USB-C Charge Cable.
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