USB has emerged as the mainstream interface of choice for data transfer from computing platforms to external storage devices. Thunderbolt is traditionally considered a high-end option. However, USB has accelerated over the last decade in terms of supported bandwidth – from a top speed of 5 Gbps in 2010, to an ecosystem moving to a device supporting 10 Gbps in 2015. Last year, we saw a retail availability of 20 Gbps with USB on both the host and device sides. Gen.૨ Support with Gen 2×2 Almost a year Below this line, how is the ecosystem taking shape in terms of future prospects? Are the Jane 2×2 devices currently available in the retail market alive until their billing? What can customers do to take advantage of the norm without breaking the bank? Western Digital recently launched the Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD V2 with USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 support. A review of SSD sets the perfect background for discussing the above aspects.
Introduction
The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) is working hard to bring new features to the world of USB – in the last five years or so, we’ve seen the emergence of the Type-C, and many updates to the USB standard itself. . USB4 has been making a lot of news lately (thanks to its implementation in Intel’s Tiger Lake, as well as the fact that Intel has given specifications for the Thunderbolt 3 USB4 on its high performance). However, this part relates to USB 2.2 Gen 2×2 with its most recent specification update before.
USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (or Superspeed USB 20 Gbps) – A Brief History
In mid-2017, USB-IFA announced USB 3.2 to bring 20 Gbps bandwidth support to the Type-C ecosystem. The Type-C supports two sets of high-speed differential pairs. With other sets to support alternative modes like DisplayPort, only one set uses the traditional 10 Gbps. USB Gen.૨ General 2×2 also allows this set to be used for data transmission (when optional modes are not required). This doubles the available data bandwidth to more than 20 Gbps. One year down, ASMedia showed PHY for 2×2 operation. In MWC 2019, USB-IF unveils a super branding strategy for various USB 3.2 flavors – Superspeed USB for USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps), Superspeed USB 10 Gbps for USB 3.2 Gen 2, and Super 3.2 for USB 3.2 Generation 2×2 USB 2×2. Gbps. This was followed by the announcement and demonstration of the ASMedia ASM3242 Gen 2×2 controller for the hosts and the ASMDA ASM2364 Gen 2×2 to PCIe (NVMe) Computers 2019 device controller. At the same show, Fitz also announced the single-chip USB 3.2 General. 2×2 / NAND flash controller, PS2251-17.
Premium motherboards with built-in USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 ports began to appear towards the end of 2019, with the introduction of the AMD TRX40 chipset, followed by the Intel Z490 board. All of these boards have enabled the feature using the ASM3242 controller. Vendors also launched a single PCI 3.0 x 4 expansion card to equip older PCs with USB 3.2 Gen 2X2 (Superspeed USB 20 Gbps) ports. On the front of client devices, preliminary demonstrations were made with PCI 3.0 x 4M2 NVM SSD equipped USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 enclosures. Some of these sieges have reached the retail market. Vendors such as Western Digital and Seagate have also introduced external SSDs in the last 12 months supporting the USB 3.2 General 2×2 standard.
Getting into the USB 3.2 General 2×2 ecosystem
USB Consumers who want to come to Gen.૨ can choose to build a PC with a TRX40 or Z490 board that supports 2×2 ecosystem, superspeed USB 20 Gbps. Creating a new PC is an option for just a few – to raise the standard of the interface, customers need to either take a port in an off-the-shelf PC, or, have PCI expansion cards that can fit into older systems. Gigabyte was one of the first tier-one vendors to advertise a card – Gigabyte GC-USB 2.2GN 2×2. However, this card is still available for retail purchase.
Abelcon PX-UB159 and Orico PE 20-1C
The following are some of the options currently available for adding USB 3..2 General 2×2 ports to systems that do not come with built-in:
Yotamaster C5 and Silverstone ECU06
All of this requires a spare PCIe 3.0 x4 expansion slot in the computer. An interesting thing to note is that Silverstone ECU06 and Abelcon PEX-UB159 do not require any external power. For the reason we did not take the trouble to analyze, the external power provided by the SATA power connector is required for Orico and Yottamaster cards. This may be relevant in systems that do not have a spare SATA power connector (as described in the next section). With the branding on the brackets being different, both the Yotamaster C5 and the Orico PE 20-1C seem to use the same PCB. In addition, the PE20-1C product tag is printed on the C5 PCB. This is sufficient evidence to determine whether the two were sourced from the same factory line using the same PCB design.
On the device side, an economical way to adopt USB Gen યુ Gen 2×2 is to purchase the right closed and compatible SSD:
To any of the above S.K. Combining with a high-end NVM SSD like the Hynix P31 (1TB / 135) or WD Black SN750 (1TB / $ 150, or 2TB / $ 310) results in a 20% faster superspeed USB 20 Gbps external SSD Should. / GB Note that the SSD specified here is typically the one that maintains a constant 1.5 Gbps + direct-to-TLC, writing without significant cost premiums.
The easiest way to get out is to buy an off-the-shelf external SSD. As mentioned here in the order of retail availability date, there are currently three options on the market:
- WD_BLACK P50 of Western Digital (500GB $ 134, 1TB @ $ 232, and 2TB $ 350)
- Seagate’s Firecuda Gaming SSD (500GB $ $ 200, 1TB $ 1 271, and 2TB @ $ 485
- Western Digital’s Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD V2 (2TB @ 380)
The Sandisk Extreme Pro portable SSD V2 line will also have a 1TB model, but it will not be available in retail until the end of this year.
Unless one goes towards the high-end of the capacity line with 2TB models, the cost-per-GB metric (above 20 GB per) is simply not competitive against the superspeed USB 10 Gbps external SSD that has occupied the market. The last few years. At the 2TB capacity stage, this type of excellent external SSD is available at less than 15 per GB, while the above three families can offer the best 0.175 per GB. As the adoption increases, the price should go down, but right now, there is no denying that there is a premium. Is its premium worth it? We review selected components from the list above in an attempt to find the answer.
Testing devices
Western Digital sampled the WD_Block P50 (1TB version) review unit earlier this year, but I put it at the bottom of my review queue for some reason. For starters, none of our directly connected storage testbed superspeed USB 20 Gbps-enabled. Another reason was that the WD_Black P50, despite its massive retail launch, appears more as a tech-demonstrated product, the ecosystem of superspeed USB 20 Gbps is still in its infancy. Last month, with the introduction of the Sandisk Extreme Pro portable SSD V2, the Western Digital USB 3.2 General 2×2 device hit the market. Review samples were also provided with the Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD V2, which was analyzed in detail last week.
With two common 2×2 devices on hand, we feel the standard is gaining market traction. To begin with the review, we reached out to some of the above expansion card manufacturers, and were the first to respond to the retail sample of the Yotamaster C5 expansion card.
The rest of the review details the steps taken to establish a proper testbed for evaluating USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 devices, followed by a discussion of the features and characteristics of the WD_Black P50 and Sandisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD V2. A look at performance numbers of different workloads – both artificial and real-world, as well as accelerated playback of access traces – is provided. As a matter of course, we also find compatibility in the worst case scenario for typical DS workloads, thermal performance and power consumption numbers. In the last section, we provide some conclusive comments while touching the estimates for the USB 2.2 General 2×2 (Superspeed USB 20 Gbps) standard.
