←USB Naming & Specification Guide

Confused by changing USB names? Wondering what Thunderbolt is compatible with? Enter any specification code to instantly learn its history, max transfer speeds, and ideal devices.

Enter a specification (e.g., 3.0, Gen 2, TB4...):

Test File Size (GB):

Current Official Standard Name

USB 480Mbps

Marketing Aliases

HighSpeedCopy

Historical & Compatible Aliases

USB 2.0High Speed

Supported Connector Types:

Type-A / Type-C / Micro-B

Typical Devices & Use Cases:

Keyboards, mice, printers, smart plugs, entry-level microphones

Theoretical Max Bandwidth480 Mbps

Physical Encoding (8b/10b)-20%

Max Effective Speed (After Loss)48 MB/s

Estimated time to transfer 10GB208.3 sec

Current Official Standard Name

USB 5Gbps

Marketing Aliases

SuperSpeedCopy

Historical & Compatible Aliases

USB 3.2 Gen 1USB 3.1 Gen 1USB 3.0USB 5Gbps

Supported Connector Types:

Type-A / Type-C / Micro-B

Typical Devices & Use Cases:

Standard flash drives, external HDDs, 1080p webcams, basic USB hubs

Theoretical Max Bandwidth5 Gbps

Physical Encoding (8b/10b)-20%

Max Effective Speed (After Loss)500 MB/s

Estimated time to transfer 10GB20 sec

Current Official Standard Name

USB 10Gbps

Marketing Aliases

SuperSpeed+Copy

Historical & Compatible Aliases

USB 3.2 Gen 2USB 3.1 Gen 2SuperSpeed 10Gbps

Supported Connector Types:

Type-A / Type-C

Typical Devices & Use Cases:

SATA SSD enclosures, high-end phone data transfer, 4K capture cards

Theoretical Max Bandwidth10 Gbps

Physical Encoding (128b/132b)-3%

Max Effective Speed (After Loss)1211.3 MB/s

Estimated time to transfer 10GB8.3 sec

Current Official Standard Name

USB 20Gbps

Marketing Aliases

SuperSpeed+ (2x2)Copy

Historical & Compatible Aliases

USB 3.2 Gen 2x2SuperSpeed 20Gbps

Supported Connector Types:

Type-C (Only)

Typical Devices & Use Cases:

Ultra-fast NVMe SSD enclosures (requires motherboard native support)

Theoretical Max Bandwidth20 Gbps

Physical Encoding (128b/132b)-3%

Max Effective Speed (After Loss)2422.5 MB/s

Estimated time to transfer 10GB4.1 sec

Current Official Standard Name

USB4 40Gbps

Marketing Aliases

USB4 Version 1.0Copy

Historical & Compatible Aliases

USB4USB4 Gen 3x2

Supported Connector Types:

Type-C (Only)

Typical Devices & Use Cases:

High-end docking stations, external GPUs (eGPU), high-bandwidth NVMe arrays

Theoretical Max Bandwidth40 Gbps

Physical Encoding (128b/132b)-3%

Max Effective Speed (After Loss)4845 MB/s

Estimated time to transfer 10GB2.1 sec

Current Official Standard Name

USB 80Gbps

Marketing Aliases

USB4 Version 2.0Copy

Historical & Compatible Aliases

USB4 v2USB4 Gen 4Bandwidth Boost (120Gbps)

Supported Connector Types:

Type-C Only

Typical Devices & Use Cases:

Next-gen Thunderbolt 5 / USB4 v2 Docks, 8K Displays, Ultra-high-speed external NVMe arrays

Theoretical Max Bandwidth80 Gbps

Physical Encoding (PAM-3 (11b/7t))-3%

Max Effective Speed (After Loss)9700 MB/s

Estimated time to transfer 10GB1 sec

Current Official Standard Name

Thunderbolt 3 / 4

Marketing Aliases

Intel Thunderbolt 4Copy

Historical & Compatible Aliases

TB3TB4PCIe 網路橋接模式

Supported Connector Types:

Type-C (Only, requires chip cable)

Typical Devices & Use Cases:

Pro editing docks, external graphics enclosures (eGPU), dual 4K display output, daisy-chain setups

Theoretical Max Bandwidth40 Gbps

Physical Encoding (128b/130b [TB3] / 128b/132b [TB4])-3%

Max Effective Speed (After Loss)4850 MB/s

Estimated time to transfer 10GB2.1 sec

Current Official Standard Name

Thunderbolt 5

Marketing Aliases

Intel Thunderbolt 5Copy

Historical & Compatible Aliases

TB5Bandwidth Boost (120Gbps)

Supported Connector Types:

Type-C (Only, requires active cables)

Typical Devices & Use Cases:

Triple 4K/Dual 8K displays, extreme AI compute external GPUs, flagship creator RAID arrays

Theoretical Max Bandwidth80 Gbps

Physical Encoding (PAM-3)-3%

Max Effective Speed (After Loss)9700 MB/s

Estimated time to transfer 10GB1 sec

Why did USB 3.0 turn into USB 3.2 Gen 1?

You can thank the USB-IF's rebrand strategy. Every time a new spec is released, they rename the old specs along with it. The original USB 3.0 was forcibly renamed to USB 3.1 Gen 1 when 3.1 came out, and then became USB 3.2 Gen 1 with 3.2. Today, the official guidelines insist you call it USB 5Gbps. That's why your 'latest' USB 3.2 flash drive still runs at 10-year-old USB 3.0 speeds—underneath, it's the exact same technology!

What's the difference between Thunderbolt and USB4?

Both prominently use the Type-C physical connector. Thunderbolt 3/4 is Intel's hardware standard requiring PCIe tunneling, dual 4K display output, minimum power delivery, dedicated controller chips, and active cables. While USB4 was built upon the open-source TB3 protocol and reaches 40Gbps, high-end features (like PCIe tunneling for eGPUs) are optional on lower-tier USB4 hardware. Check specification sheets carefully when buying!

Overpaying for Cables! Why looks can be deceiving

Many believe that if it has a Type-C plug, it will deliver blazingly fast speeds. In reality, Type-C is just a physical shape. The cable that came bundled with your smartphone has a 90% chance of only having internal wiring for USB 2.0 (480Mbps) data lines! To reach speeds over 10Gbps or support 100W/240W fast charging, the cable must feature an internal E-Marker chip that communicates capabilities to connected host devices. This is why high-spec Type-C and Thunderbolt cables are far more expensive.