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USB ports

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mro
mro Posts: 813 Forumite
Tenth Anniversary 500 Posts Combo Breaker
Just looking at spec on laptops, saw this:

2 USB 2.0 ports.
1 USB 3.0 port.
1 USB 3.1 port.
1 USB Type-C port.


What is the difference between these ports, what are different types used for and how do you know which is which ?
«13

Comments

  • TadleyBaggie
    TadleyBaggie Posts: 6,623 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Strangely, Wikipedia says: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB
  • AndyPix
    AndyPix Posts: 4,847 Forumite
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    USB 2.0 are what you would call "normal" usb ports
    USB 3.x are the same shape connector but tend to be blue inside, these ports are much faster


    USB C is the new shape of plug, that can be inserted either way around, like the iphone "firewire" or whatever its called
  • John_Gray
    John_Gray Posts: 5,843 Forumite
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    Higher numbers are usually better!
    2 ports are better than 1.
    USB 3.1 is better than USB 3.0 is better than USB 2.0.
    USB Type C is a smaller socket than the other USB types.

    All you need to know is that - using Wikipedia or any other form of research is just cheating!
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    John_Gray wrote: »

    All you need to know is that - using Wikipedia or any other form of research is just cheating!

    Except nobody has answered the question about how to tell which is which - particularly an issue for standard size USB 2 and 3 sockets, where the only visible difference seems to be what colour they are inside - I think I'm right in saying that USB3 sockets have blue internals (I had a brief look through the Wiki article and I didn't see that information there).
  • droopsnoot
    droopsnoot Posts: 1,868 Forumite
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    agrinnall wrote: »
    Except nobody has answered the question about how to tell which is which


    Except for AndyPix, who mentioned the blue internals


    AndyPix wrote: »
    ...
    USB 3.x are the same shape connector but tend to be blue inside, these ports are much faster


    and the different shape
    AndyPix wrote: »
    USB C is the new shape of plug, that can be inserted either way around
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    droopsnoot wrote: »
    Except for AndyPix, who mentioned the blue internals






    and the different shape

    So he did, I missed that, although my post was in response to John Gray's statement that he'd said all you need to know, when that wasn't really the case.
  • Undervalued
    Undervalued Posts: 9,558 Forumite
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    edited 10 August 2017 at 5:17PM
    AndyPix wrote: »


    USB C is the new shape of plug, that can be inserted either way around, like the iphone "firewire" or whatever its called

    Lightning or Thunderbolt. Firewire was much earlier and the plugs would only go one way round. It was popular back in the USB 1 days as it was much faster. However it was only very slightly faster than USB 2 so started to fall our of use.
  • AndyPix
    AndyPix Posts: 4,847 Forumite
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    ^^ Thats the puppy !! , Thanks
  • John_Gray
    John_Gray Posts: 5,843 Forumite
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    agrinnall wrote: »
    So he did, I missed that, although my post was in response to John Gray's statement that he'd said all you need to know, when that wasn't really the case.
    Seems like I managed to sneak by a bit of sarcasm!
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    John_Gray wrote: »
    Seems like I managed to sneak by a bit of sarcasm!

    Apparently so, and very successfully because I'm still not seeing it even though you have pointed it out!
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