USB 3.1 HDD bottleneck?

[asian_tempation]

I know 3.1 is 10Gbps and Sata 3 is 6Gbps so is there a point to spending $15 extra dollars compared to USB 3.0 if Sata 3 will bottleneck it?

 

[drtweak]

IF it is a HDD they barely break SATA I (1.5Gbps) speed still. Only reason why SATA 3 was really made was for SSD's, so no if you are running a HDD you will not see any difference. If a hard drive could read and write at 200MBps that would be 1.6Gbps and most don't break past 125MBps

 

[asian_tempation]

IF it is a HDD they barely break SATA I (1.5Gbps) speed still. Only reason why SATA 3 was really made was for SSD's, so no if you are running a HDD you will not see any difference. If a hard drive could read and write at 200MBps that would be 1.6Gbps and most don't break past 125MBps

So will a usb 3.0 perform the same as usb 3.1 for an external hdd?

 

[ArtPog]

First of all - and this is important for anyone considering purchasing a USB 3.1 device...

The new designations for USB devices (as promulgated by the USB Implementers Forum) are...
USB 3.1 Gen 1 and USB 3.1 Gen 2

USB 3.1 Gen 1 speed is 5 Gbps - NOTE IT IS THE IDENTICAL SPEED FOR WHAT WE HAVE ORDINARILY TERMED USB 3.0
Supposedly manufacturers are encouraged to use the designation "SuperSpeed USB" for these 5 Gbps devices.

USB 3.1 Gen 2 speed is 10 Gbps
Supposedly manufacturers are encouraged to use the designation "SuperSpeed USB 10 Gbps" for these devices.

So when you see a USB device (flash drive, etc.) advertised as "USB 3.1" it's a virtual certainty that device is what we formerly called a USB 3.0 flash drive. Only when it's designated as a USB 3.1 Gen 2 device can you ensure it's what we would ordinarily call a USB 3.1 device. So prospective purchasers of these devices should be aware of this terminology so that they will not purchase a "USB 3.1" device thinking they're purchasing the new "super-duper" USB 3.1 speed champion that presumably blows away USB 3.0. They may well be purchasing a USB 3.0 device. Capiche?

We have been using a USB 3.1 Gen 2 docking station & a USB 3.1 Gen 2 enclosure over the past few months. We estimate a speed gain of roughly 10% - 20% (depending upon data) with these devices as compared with USB 3.0 (USB 3.1 Gen 1) devices. Naturally your system must support USB 3.1 Gen 2 capability.

 

[drtweak]

Artpog made a good point. Forgot about the gen1 and gen2. but either way if you are using a HDD you will not see a difference. If you were using a SATA SSD then YES you would see a performance increase on the Gen2.

 

[ArtPog]

Artpog made a good point. Forgot about the gen1 and gen2. but either way if you are using a HDD you will not see a difference. If you were using a SATA SSD then YES you would see a performance increase on the Gen2.

Actually, based on our experience there IS a speed increase (albeit somewhat slight) when transferring (copying/moving/modifying) data using a USB 3.1 Gen 2 external HDD as compared with (what I'll label) USB 3.0 (USB 3.1 Gen 1) external HDD. Probably on the order of 10% to 20 % as I previously mentioned.

Of course utilizing an SSD as the USB 3.1 Gen 2 device will invariably result in speedier operation but that's virtually always true when comparing an SSD with a HDD even when the SSD is connected as a USB 3.0 device.