Just how important is USB 2.0??

[bfletcher24]

I am going to get a new kt333 mobo, but I am stuck on the issue of USB 2.0

I want this board to last me 2 years minimum, but a couple of the ones I am looking at don't have USB 2.0 built in. The Epox 8k5a2 does, but the Shuttle AK35 doesn't. I am more into stability over overclocking abilities, and both of those boards are supposedly very stable.

What peripherals are going USB 2.0? I would think that it wouldn't be a rapid change from 1.1 to 2.0 because so many people still have boards with USB 1.1

Any thoughts?

 

[DrVos]

If you dont have an immediate use for USB 2.0, dont even sweat getting a motherboard that supports it. The only uses I can think of are the growing number of external drives and pc cams that require the extra bandwidth that usb 2.0 provides. If none of that interests you at the moment, dont worry about. If you do end up ub2.0 support, you can always buy a usb 2.0 card for around 20 bucks.

 

[Deeko]

I have USB 2.0. It is sweet. Some of my devices that I didn't expect to run differently actually do transfer much much faster. (digi cam, minidisc).

 

[MrDudeMan]

it is a HUGE difference


USB 1.1 is...hmm..what is it, 48? or maybe 4.8? mb/sec.

USB 2.0 is 480 mb/sec!

not sure if that is exactly right, but it is something rediculous like that

 

[SocrPlyr]

speed wise of course there is a huge difference between the two (on paper 40X, 12Mbps vs. 480Mbps)
it would definately be a plus to have one onboard to support the periferals, that there seem to be more and more of...
however it is not a must as long as you have a free PCI slot... add-in cards are cheap and if you ever need a couple of ports just plop one in...
so i would say it isn't a must, but it ranks high on the features that i would like to have...

Josh

 

[majewski9]

Well first off nothing will actually run faster unless it is USB 2.0 so there shouldnt be a gain unless the device was made for USB 2.0. Honestly I think the main thing USB 2.0 has done was jacked up the price on USB cables. I bought one for my printer and the USB 2.0 cable was more than twice the price of a USB 1.1.

Firewire is still superior even if its mamaximum transfer is 80 megabits less. Firewire hard drives perform better than USB 2.0 and so does many other devices.

I think USB 2.0 is a nice thing to have and should be a factor in anyones next motherboard purchase. Then again you can buy a USB 2.0 PCI controller card for less than 20$!
How important is USB 2.0? well I dont think ill ever use it so I dont think it is very important for me.

 

[dszd0g]

If you want to be able to use any USB devices where speed is really important (external data storage mainly) then make sure to get USB 2.0.
More an more new devices are supporting USB 2.0. Most devices where the speed matters are already USB 2.0 (or firewire), and a year from now they all will be.

 

[mithrandir2001]

I wouldn't let USB 2.0 make-or-break your decision. You can always buy a PCI USB 2.0 card in the future. I have my Ultra100 hard drives connected to an Ultra100 PCI card, no matter that my motherboard only supports ATA33.

 

[merlocka]

How important is USB 2.0? well I dont think ill ever use it so I dont think it is very important for me.

of course you'll use it. you won't have a choice in a few years if you want a scanner or printer or digital camera or etc...

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
it is a HUGE difference


USB 1.1 is...hmm..what is it, 48? or maybe 4.8? mb/sec.

USB 2.0 is 480 mb/sec!

not sure if that is exactly right, but it is something rediculous like that

the claimed speed is usb 1.1 does 11 mbits/sec, and usb 2 does 480 mbits/sec, though in reality neither comes close to those speeds.

 

[boran]

Originally posted by: majewski9
Well first off nothing will actually run faster unless it is USB 2.0 so there shouldnt be a gain unless the device was made for USB 2.0. Honestly I think the main thing USB 2.0 has done was jacked up the price on USB cables. I bought one for my printer and the USB 2.0 cable was more than twice the price of a USB 1.1.

Firewire is still superior even if its mamaximum transfer is 80 megabits less. Firewire hard drives perform better than USB 2.0 and so does many other devices.

I think USB 2.0 is a nice thing to have and should be a factor in anyones next motherboard purchase. Then again you can buy a USB 2.0 PCI controller card for less than 20$!
How important is USB 2.0? well I dont think ill ever use it so I dont think it is very important for me.

well my sony netMD transfers noticably faster on USB 2.0 than on a usb 1.1 connection despite that it's only usb 1.1, I think it has to do with usb 1.1 not reaching its peak of 12 mbps, and that usb 2.0 does reach the 12 mbps (or a bit lower I can imagine the receiving part of the connection (the MD) also lowers the speed)

 

[SocrPlyr]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: MrDudeMan
it is a HUGE difference


USB 1.1 is...hmm..what is it, 48? or maybe 4.8? mb/sec.

USB 2.0 is 480 mb/sec!

not sure if that is exactly right, but it is something rediculous like that

the claimed speed is usb 1.1 does 11 mbits/sec, and usb 2 does 480 mbits/sec, though in reality neither comes close to those speeds.

good thing we have you here b/c i have already mentioned that the max for usb 1.1 is 12 Mbps... while you seem to have corrected him to a wrong number...

Josh

 

[zephyrprime]

Plenty of online sites have shown the usb 2.0 is WAY WAY better for any sort of external hard drive or external CDR. Of course, usb 2.0 is useless for mice & keyboards and such. It's somewhat useful for digital cameras. So the choice is up to you.

 

[tsnyder]

there's no question that usb 2.0 is much better than 1.1... BUT you don't have to have it on the board you buy. When you need it, then buy a usb 2.0 expansion card for $20. I have usb 2.0.... and not one single device that's utilizing it.

 

[newbiepcuser]

I have bunch of USB 2.0 ports, and few firewire ports also. I havne't use them yet, but I'm glad I know its there for future use.

 

[aka1nas]

Keep in mind that it can be somewhat usefull if you are using several usb 1.1 devices still, as it keeps them from saturating the bus(this really only applies to USB 1.1 devices like digital cameras or MP3 players, etc). Each device won't transfer faster that USB 1.1 speed, butyou should get them all running at their max speed.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Honestly I think the main thing USB 2.0 has done was jacked up the price on USB cables. I bought one for my printer and the USB 2.0 cable was more than twice the price of a USB 1.1.

I thought USB 1.1 and 2.0 cables were the same thing?