What is USB 3.1 Gen 1 anyway?

[modeonoff]

Hello, if a Windows laptop has 1 or 2 USB 3.1 Gen 1 port, what does that mean? Is USB 3.1 Gen 1 the kind of port that is compatible with most usb devices (e.g. memory thumb stick, storage, etc) that we have been using for many years before laptops with dongle era started taking place?

 

[ikaz]

Here you go

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/usb-31-usb-type-c-refresher,29933.html

 

[crawford.fergus]

Usb is backwards compatible.
Usb 3.1 gen 1 is perfectly reasonable for most usb needs.
Usb 3.1 gen 2 is better and thunderbolt 3 is the best.

 

[Barty1884]

USB 3.0 is now called USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gb/s) and what was originally launched as "USB 3.1" is now called USB 3.1 Gen2 (10Gb/s).

Both, when stated exactly as you have, are the same USB physical connector we've been used to for 20 or so years now.


Any listed needed to be denoted as "type-c" to identify the "new" connector.
Further clarification is needed as to whether any given device supports TB3 via Type-C.

 

[modeonoff]

Thanks. Why some manufacturers such as Lenovo mentions "always on" in USB 3.1 Gen1? What is the actual meaning? There are ports that are not always on?!

 

[Barty1884]

Yes....

Most/some boards/devices will have a single port (typically, although can be more) that are "always on"...... for device charging, even when the system is off.