USB 3.0 Devices & Applications

Updated in November 2011

What new applications does USB 3.0 enable?
In a nutshell, any high-bandwidth device that works with USB 2.0 will become better if updated with USB 3.0 support. At the moment, devices that tax the throughput of USB 2.0 include:

External hard drives - capable of more than twice the throughput available from USB 2.0, not to mention bus-powered portable drives that require non-compliant Y-cables to get the current they require for reliable operation
Full HD video capture solutions
High resolution webcams, surveillance cameras
Video display solutions - e.g. DisplayLink USB video technology
Camcorders
Digital still cameras
Multi-channel audio interfaces
External optical media - i.e. Blu-Ray drives

High end flash drives can also push USB 2.0 pretty hard, and oftentimes if multiple devices are connected via hub, throughput will suffer.

USB 3.0 opens up the laneways and provides more headroom for devices to deliver a better overall user experience. Where USB video was barely tolerable previously (both from a maximum resolution, latency, and video compression perspective), it's easy to imagine that with 5-10 times the bandwidth available, USB video solutions should work that much better. Single-link DVI requires almost 2Gbps throughput. Where 480Mbps was limiting, 5Gbps is more than promising. With its promised 4.8Gbps speed, the standard will find its way into some products that previously weren't USB territory, like external RAID storage systems.

Where are those SuperSpeed USB 3.0 products?
USB 3.0 silicon such as USB host controllers, peripheral chipsets and hubs compliant with the SuperSpeed bus have arrived in the latter half of 2009. Since then, a handful of portable hard drives, flash drives, drive docks, Blu-ray optical drives, hubs and upgrade cards have begun appearing on retail shelves. DisplayLink also revealed plans to ship USB 3.0-compliant USB video silicons by Q4 2010.

Here's a list of commercially available SuperSpeed USB products:

Samsung Station STORY

External Desktop USB 3.0 Hard Drives

ioSafe SoloPRO USB 3.0
Rugged hard drive that can survive fire and water submersion.
LaCie Porsche Design Desktop Drive
3.5 inch-based drive designed by none other than Porsche.
Samsung STORY Station 3.0
Stylish SuperSpeed USB 3.0 3.5" drive in 1TB, 1.5TB and 2TB.
Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Desk
Desktop 3.5"-based 7200-rpm drive with optional USB 3.0 adapter.
Western Digital My Book 3.0 Hard Drive
First commercially available USB 3.0 storage.

Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex

Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drives

Data Locker DL3
256-bit AES XTS encrypted drive with keypad lock.
ioSafe Rugged Portable
Durable drive that is both waterproof & crush resistant.
LaCie Rikiki USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive
2.5" drive in a stylish aluminum enclosure.
LaCie Rugged Mini USB 3.0 Hard Drive
2.5" drive in a shockproof, waterproof enclosure.
Iomega eGo Portable 3.0
2.5 inch-based USB 3.0 drive with 256-bit AES HW encryption.
Samsung S2 Portable USB 3.0
2.5 inch-based portable drive with native USB 3.0 interface.
Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex Ultra Portable
Portable 2.5"-based 5400-rpm drive with USB 3.0 adapter.
Seagate GoFlex Slim
First 7mm single-platter drive in USB 3.0 chassis.
Western Digital My Passport Essential SE
5200-rpm portable USB 3.0 drive.

SIIG USB 3.0 Drive Dock

USB 3.0 Drive Docks & Adapters

NewerTech eSATA to USB 3.0 Adapter
A dongle connects to any eSATA external storage.
SIIG USB 3.0 Hard Drive Dock
A HDD dock with built-in fan that accepts both 2.5" & 3.5"
Thermaltake BlacX 5G USB 3.0 Hard Drive Dock
A simple dock that accepts both 3.5" and 2.5" drives.
Thermaltake MAX 5G USB 3.0 Drive Case
3.5" USB 3.0 drive enclosure with dual 80mm LED fans.

Kingston DataTraveler Ultimate

USB 3.0 Flash Drives & Readers

Corsair Flash Voyager GT 3.0
Mid-range flash drive with 120MB/s read, 65MB/s write.
Kingston Data Traveler Ultimate 3.0
Entry-level flash drive with 80MB/s read, 60MB/s write.
Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Card Reader
First USB 3.0 reader to support both UDMA CF & SDXC.
Nexcopy USB 3.0 Duplicator
First USB 3.0 duplicator for flash drives & hard drives.
PQI Intelligent U819V
Smallest USB 3.0 flash drive, yet.
Super Talent USB 3.0 Express
SuperSpeed USB flash drives for budget conscious.
Super Talent Express RAM Cache
First flash drive with DRAM caching system to boost small block random speed.
Super Talent SuperCrypt
First USB 3.0 flash drive with 256-bit XTS encryption.

Kingston HyperX Max SSD

USB 3.0 Solid-state Drives

Kingston HyperX Max 3.0
Powered by SDNow V+ with capacity from 64GB to 256GB. Top speed at 195MB/s.
LaCie FastKey
From 30GB to 120GB. Speed at 260MB/s. With DRAM cache & 256-bit AES HW encryption.
Super Talent RAIDDrive
First USB 3.0 flash drive in a self-contained RAID0 configuration; reaches 320MB/s.
Super Talent USB 3.0 Express RC8
First SandForce-powered USB 3.0 SSD. Top speed: 265MB/s
Verbatim USB 3.0 SSD
Capacity ranging from 32GB to 128GB, tops at 190MB/s.

USB 3.0 RAIDs

LaCie 2big USB 3.0 RAID

inXtron Orbit USB 3.0 RAID
2.5" based RAID-1 enclosure.
LaCie 2Big USB 3.0 RAID
Symwave USB 3.0-based dual-bay RAID solution.

Optical Media Drives

Asus BW-12D1S-U
One of the first 12x USB 3.0 Blu-ray writers.
Buffalo BR3D-12U3
Buffalo BRXL-6U2
World's first Blu-ray XL burner

Multimedia devices

BlackMagic Intensity Shuttle
First USB 3.0 HDMI video capture.
J5Create USB 3.0 Video Card
First USB 3.0 display adapter capable of delivering resolution beyond HD.

Networking

J5Create Wormhole Station
USB 3.0 auto-switching KVM with 4.8Gbps direct connect network.

Asus U3S6 USB 3.0 Card

USB 3.0 adapter cards & hubs

Century USB 3.0 ExpressCard
1-port USB 3.0 adapter fits flush in an ExpressCard slot.
Asus U3S6 USB 3.0 / SATA 6Gbps Card
PCI Express 2.0 x4, two USB 3.0 ports, two SATA 6Gbps ports.
Cooler Master Storm Strike Force Cooler
A high-end notebook cooler with 4-port USB 3.0 hub.
LaCie Hub4 USB 3.0 Hub
Stylish 4-port USB 3.0 hub.
SIIG USB 3.0 Bay Hub / Card Upgrade Kit
USB 3.0 upgrade card with 4-port bay hub bundle.
SIIG 4-port USB 3.0 Hub
The first SuperSpeed USB hub, powered by VIA 800 controller chip.
Targus USB 3.0 Laptop Dock
First USB 3.0 video docking station capable of outputting dual HD monitors.