USB 3.1 yay? or nay?

[PC_]

what do you think of USB 3.1?

Would you add it to your PC or not?

 

[Blain]

Yes

 

[VirtualLarry]

Considering that USB3.1 (10MBit/sec) is faster than a single PCI-E lane, I would go for a motherboard with USB3.1 integrated, like one of the newer Z170 boards from Gigabyte.

Edit: Sorry people. I meant 10Gbit/sec.

 

[oynaz]

Considering that USB3.1 (10MBit/sec) is faster than a single PCI-E lane, I would go for a motherboard with USB3.1 integrated, like one of the newer Z170 boards from Gigabyte.

10Mbit/sec ?

 

[Essence_of_War]

10Mbit/sec ?

(up to) 10 Gbps. Easy typo.

 

[Murloc]

I almost never move big files over USB, so I'll get USB3 and 3.1 when it comes naturally with an upgrade.

For most people, I don't think it's worth upgrading on purpose.

 

[oynaz]

For most people, I don't think it's worth upgrading on purpose.

Ah, ye olde Accidental Upgrade.

"Dude, did you get a new mobo?"
"Dammit, not again. The fuckers just keep slipping into my case."

;-)

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Frankly, I'd wait until Intel's Alpine Ridge becomes common on mainboards, or USB 3.1 gets integrated in the PCH. There isn't that much that can take full advantage of USB 3.1 yet, and the Alpine Ridge controller looks pretty interesting.

 

[zir_blazer]

Its not USB 3.1 what you want, its USB Type-C. USB 3.1 is merely twice the bandwidth of USB 3.0, USB Type-C is the new connector.
If you're not rushing to buy now, I would wait for Skylake Motherboards with integrated Alpine Ridge controller so you can use either USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 3.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Aren't there two types of USB 3.1 out?

 

[Dahak]

Aren't there two types of USB 3.1 out?

Well, sorta, but its all in the naming

USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gb/sec, or old standard usb 3.0 speeds)
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (10Gb/sec speed, the new usb 3.1 speeds)

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Well, sorta, but its all in the naming

USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5Gb/sec, or old standard usb 3.0 speeds)
USB 3.1 Gen 1 (10Gb/sec speed, the new usb 3.1 speeds)

Is that a typo cause that looks like it would be hard to tell them apart ...

 

[MrTeal]

Given the choice between the MSI X99S (3.0) and X99A (3.1) for an extra $50, I just went with USB3.0

USB-C might have been more interesting, but I still don't have any devices or plan on any in the near future. If somewhere down the road I do need a type-C 3.1 port before I upgrade the platform, I'd toss in a $20 PCIe card at that point.

tl;dr, unless you have a USB3.1 device right now, don't bother upgrading just for that.

 

[maddogchen]

I bought a motherboard in 2010 and i picked one with two USB 3.0 ports. At the time there were no USB 3.0 devices. But 3 years later there was many external hard drives with 3.0 and I am so glad I bought that motherboard. I'm still using it to this day. if you want it, get it.

 

[StrangerGuy]

I bought a motherboard in 2010 and i picked one with two USB 3.0 ports. At the time there were no USB 3.0 devices. But 3 years later there was many external hard drives with 3.0 and I am so glad I bought that motherboard. I'm still using it to this day. if you want it, get it.

The thing is in 2010 USB2.0 was already a bandwidth bottleneck even with bog standard external HDDs. Now there is virtually nothing in the consumer space that saturates USB 3.0 outside of niche hardware.

I expect this USB3.1 upgrade cycle to be much, much slower.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Now there is virtually nothing in the consumer space that saturates USB 3.0 outside of niche hardware.

A simple external SSD is quite capable of that. The most I've ever been able to get out of a USB3 connection (with UASP) is ~430MB/s. This was on a drive that happily does 560MB/s on native SATA3.

 

[jaydee]

A simple external SSD is quite capable of that. The most I've ever been able to get out of a USB3 connection (with UASP) is ~430MB/s. This was on a drive that happily does 560MB/s on native SATA3.

I would say an external SSD is pretty niche hardware...

 

[PC_]

Its not USB 3.1 what you want, its USB Type-C. USB 3.1 is merely twice the bandwidth of USB 3.0, USB Type-C is the new connector.
If you're not rushing to buy now, I would wait for Skylake Motherboards with integrated Alpine Ridge controller so you can use either USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 3.

Type C is just a new connector that can be used for any USB device.

Nokia N1 has Type C, but its only usb 2.0