What Is the USB 2 Speed?

USB 2.0 is several times faster than USB 1.1.

USB 2.0, or USB Hi-Speed, is an upgrade to the original USB protocol, which could not offer adequate speeds for modern hardware. If you use high definition USB devices or portable hard-drives, USB 2.0 can speed up your data transfers.

Speed Limits

USB 2.0 can theoretically achieve data transfer rates of 480 megabits per second (mbps), or 60 megabytes per second (MBps), according to the USB Association. In reality, USB 2.0 cannot achieve more than 320 mbps or 40 MBps, according to Everything USB.

Considerations

In most situations, USB 2.0 can only achieve its practical transfer rate of 320 mbps in perfect conditions---where nothing else uses the USB bus and only during bulk data transfers.

Fun Fact

The specifications of USB 2.0 were concluded in 2001, but the engineers of USB Hi-Speed wanted to scale down transfer rates to 240 mbps per second as late as October 1999.

References

• Everything USB: USB 2.0, Hi Speed USB FAQ
• USB Association: Hi-Speed FAQ