The article, USB: Port Types and Speeds Compared – Choosing the right USB cable for your computer and peripherals by Tripp Lite by Eaton, provides informative information about USB standards and connectors.
| Standard | Name | Logo | Year | Connector | Speed | Cable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB 1.1 | Full Speed USB | 1998 | A B | 12 Mbps | 3 m | |
| USB 2.0 | Hi-Speed USB |  | 2000 | A (Micro, Mini) B (Micro, Mini) C | 480 Mbps | 5 m |
| USB 3.2 Gen 1 |
USB 3.0
USB 3.1 Gen 1 SuperSpeed |  |
2008 (USB 3.0)
2013 (USB 3.1) | A B (Micro) C | 5 Gbps | 3 m |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 |
USB 3.1
USB 3.1 Gen 2 SuperSpeed+ SuperSpeed 10Gbps |  | 2013 (USB 3.1) | A B (Micro) C | 10 Gbps | 3 m |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 |
USB 3.2
SuperSpeed 20Gbps |  | 2017 (USB 3.2) | C | 20 Gbps | 3 m |
| USB 4 |
USB4 Gen 2×2
USB4 20Gbps |  | 2019 | C | 20 Gbps | 0.8 m |
| USB 4 |
USB4 Gen 3×2
USB4 40Gbps |  | 2019 | C | 40 Gbps | 0.8 m |
A USB Type-C connector has twelve pins. Four pairs of pins, aka “lanes,” are used to transmit (TX) and receive (RX) data, as highlighted in the following diagram by Eaton.
Both USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) and USB 3.1 (10 Gbps) can use the Type-C connector but only one TX lane and one RX lane, depending on the orientation of the connector. USB 3.2 takes advantage of all four lanes to achieve a 20 Gbps data rate.
USB Connectors
USB-C Connector Pin Layout
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10Gb) Speed Test: 531 MB out of 10 Gb (1000MB or so)
- UGREEN M.2 SSD Case with NVMe and USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gb) connectors
- Transcend M.2 SSD 1TB with NVMe PCIe Gen4 X4 (8 GB)
- USB 3.2 Gen 2X2 (20Gb) Expansion Card on PCIe Gen 3 X4 (4 GB) – ASM3242 Chip
PCIe Gen 3 X16 Speed Test: 1.68 GB out of 4 GB
- Transcend M.2 SSD 1TB with NVMe PCIe Gen4 X4 (8 GB)
- M.2 SSD with NVMe (max: 4 lanes) Expansion Card on PCIe Gen 3 X16 (16 GB)
