However, a USB 3.0 drive will exhibit the same transfer rate as a USB 2.0 drive when connected to a USB 2.0 port. It is important to note that a USB 3.0 drive is also compatible with a USB 2.0 port. USB 3.0 ports are completely backward compatible this means that when a USB 2.0 drive (or earlier versions) is connected to a USB 3.0 port, the drive will work normally. This is twice as fast as USB 3.0 and twenty times as fast as a USB 2.0. A USB 3.1 has a data transfer rate of 10,000 mbps. More recently, a USB 3.1 has also been released. This means that a USB 3.0 is approximately 10 times faster than USB 2.0. USB 3.0 has a data transfer rate of 4,800 mbps. USB 2.0 has a data transfer rate of 480 megabits per second (mbps).

The more recent USB 3.1 port also differs visually in that the block inside the USB 3.1 port is red in color. USB 2.0 has a black or white “block” inside the USB port.Ĭonversely, USB 3.0 has a blue “block” inside the USB port. The USB ports for USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 also differ visually.

Color of usb 2 vs usb 3