No. The USB3 system uses more wires and contacts in the connector, and hence in the mobo header, to provide the extra power and higher data transfer speed of that system. The design of the cables and connectors is clever, so that you can plug either USB2 or USB3 cables into either type of socket, and the various components will figure out what is involved and make it work. BUT the only way you actually get USB3 performance is if the mobo header supports it, the front panel socket is of the correct type, the cable from mobo header to front panel is the correct type, the user device (e.g., a portable HDD) is designed as USB3 type, and the connecting cable from it to the front panel socket is of the USB3 type. Unless it's ALL USB3, you get USB2 speeds.