Over time, we have moved from computers that could barely open images and view videos to PCs capable of handling various tasks, playing realistic games at hundreds of FPS, or generating AI-generated images in seconds. Everything is advancing, and this also includes internet connectivity and USB ports. Although we have been stuck with USB 3.0 for several years, we finally see the much-awaited update. Microsoft has taken the first step and started testing USB4 2.0 compatibility with Windows 11, the new standard that will allow us to reach up to 80 Gbps.
In the late 1990s, USB technology gained the interest of the general population. USB 1.1, which provided a transfer speed of 1.5MB/s, was fast for that time but is completely unacceptable today. Universal Serial Bus (USB) quickly progressed with USB 2.0, which significantly increased transfer speeds to theoretical 60MB/s, practically reaching around 35MB/s. Things sped up even more with the arrival of USB 3.0.
USB4 2.0 is compatible with Windows 11 and reaches speeds of up to 80 Gbps. USB 3.0 had a transfer rate of up to 600MB/s, and since then, we have received USB 3.1 and USB 3.2 updates. Although the latest of these reached 20 Gbps (2.5 GB/s), it was not a significant generational leap as seen with USB 1, 2, and 3. We have been enduring USB 3.0 since 2008, and it was time to see a new version. USB4 2.0 was announced in 2022, showing how it was possible to double the speed of USB4 1.0/Thunderbolt 4.
This new version reaches 80 Gbps, four times faster than USB 3.2 Gen 2×2. Microsoft has now begun taking steps for the implementation of USB4 2.0, announcing compatibility with Windows 11. After waiting almost a year and a half, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and this standard will soon become a reality.
Initially, USB4 2.0 will arrive on laptops equipped with Intel Core 14 HX CPUs, such as the Razer Blade 18. If you’re looking for devices compatible with USB4 2.0, you might be disappointed as only a few devices support USB4 1.0, and the 80 Gbps USB4 2.0 version is very recent. Microsoft has announced that it will initially launch in laptops using Intel Core 14 HX, such as the new Razer Blade 18. One of the advantages of USB4 2.0 is its backward compatibility with the first version.
This compatibility allows for the use of passive 40 Gbps USB-C cables and active USB-C 2.0 cables that will reach the aforementioned 80 Gbps. Now that Microsoft has confirmed USB4 2.0 compatibility with Windows 11, we only need to see if brands will launch accessories using this interface. We would see much faster pendrives, and the same could be said for external SSDs connected through USB adapters taking advantage of this significant increase in speed.
Windows 11 will be compatible with USB4 2.0 at 80 Gbps but only for Intel Core 14 HX CPUs for now.
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