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The successor to USB 2.0 has reached the market and – on paper – the improvements lined up are massive. With USB 3.0, you can expect up to 10 times faster transfer rates, boosting of your old USB 2.0 devices and the possibility of more power-intensive products running directly via the USB port.
Buffalo is a worldwide maker of network and storage solutions for the home and office, with everything from wireless networks and storage devices to multimedia products. They have grown since 1975 to become one of the strongest players on the market.

This time around Buffalo has sent us two new products, allowing us to explore the new technology. Read on as we try them out and take a look at the technology behind it. There will also be a couple of recommendations regarding possible problems you might encounter before you invest in USB 3.0.



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The long-awaited successor to USB 2.0, namely USB 3.0, has raised the ceiling for transfer rates by 10, a ceiling that has long limited external hard drives from reaching their full potential. In addition there are a number of innovations that ensure the devices should use less power in standby, as well as get more power as required. As such, you will not need an extra power source when you connect a USB hub or the like.  However, larger devices like 3.5” external hard drives will still need an extra power source. USB 3.0 is also fully backwards-compatible with USB 2.0, so do not be afraid of upgrading.
We will be testing a number of things to see how large an improvement you get by upgrading to USB 3.0, as well as by how much your old USB 2.0 can be boosted if put in a USB 3.0 port.
The next section is for those who would like to learn a little more of the technology behind USB 3.0 – if this does not interest you, simply skip right past it.

The product was kindly lent to us by Buffalo.com