Battle of the data titans: USB 3.0 vs. FireWire 3200
If you didn’t know, both interfaces USB and FireWire are preparing to release new iterations of their interfaces; Firewire will go “3200″ and USB will move from 2.0 to 3.0. That begs a few questions: what’s so special about the new interfaces and which one is better?
So, its fairly common knowledge that the majority of computer users are much more acquainted with USB than they are FireWire. Somewhere along technology adoption train, someone decided the world needed USB more than FireWire.
And here we are. However, its very important that the masses know the distinction between USB and FireWire, and why USB might not be the only good method for data transfer.
What is USB all about? USB, or Universal Serial Bus, is in everything, and you’ll never be short of a data transfer interface. The current USB 2.0 claims to transfer data at 480 Mbps. Those are the perks.
On the flip side, there’s FireWire. Many common computer users might never see a FireWire cable; professionals and Mac owners tend to be more familiar with the technology. Right now, there are two versions of FireWire in use; FireWire 400 and 800. If you’re catching on to the number scheme by now, you might guess that FireWire 400 transfers at 400 Mbps and 800 transfers at 800 Mbps.
Where’s the difference, aside from speed? FireWire delivers about 97% of the performance it claims, where USB tends to deliver substantially less…maybe half of what it promises. This is mainly because FireWire operates largely on its own, using very little processor power. It runs on a peer 2 peer setup rather than the master to slave setup of USB.
USB speeds depend largely on the hardware and software configurations of the computer transferring the information. The end result is substantially lower speeds than promised on the part of USB than those promised by FireWire.
FireWire also is capable of transferring more data simply because the cables can handle a larger data load. Not to mention FireWire cables can reach up to 100 meter lengths, where USB cables are drastically smaller, according to ArsTechnica.
You might wonder, if that is the case, why isn’t everyone using FireWire? It is really only because it isn’t widely adopted. As of now, most computers aside from Macs don’t have FireWire incorporated.
Looking to the future, The IEEE 1394 Trade Association recently announced the next iteration of FireWire, called S3200, is supposed to debut sometime next year. USB 3.0 is also supposed to surface sometime next year.
Here’s the twist: USB 3.0 promises a data transfer rate of 4.8 Gbps, where FireWire 3200 promises to deliver 3.2 Gbps. Though one might hope that USB has worked out the discretionary issues with promised speed compared to delivered speed, no assurances have been made; FireWire 3200, on the flip side, promises to deliver 97% of the total advertised rate.
Additionally, it is worth noting that FireWire 3200 will be based off of the hardware technology currently used by FireWire 800, so users currently equipped with that technology won’t have to change a thing to utilize FireWire 3200; USB 3.0 adopters will need to switch hardware.
Which one is right for you? If you need the full promised data transfer rate, you’re probably better off siding with FireWire in this battle; if you aren’t a data junkie, stick with USB.
Related Posts:
December 18th, 2007
I’m with you on this one. I’ll use firewire over USB whenever possible. It’s no mystery why USB is prevalent. The interface was an Intel backed standard, while firewire was a Motorola darling. It’s not that firewire ports aren’t on a large number of computers. I have 2 on this Dell laptop and most quality PC models have it. The main issue is the lack of devices with firewire interfaces. I’ve never seen it on anything but camcorders and a few hard drives. Meanwhile, most phones, PDAs, printers, and cameras are all USB. Unfortunately, it looks like battle is over.
March 5th, 2009
Response to Ken.
Firewire is used a lot in the music industry and is very useful for linking audio interfaces to computers, i would choose firewire over USB any day.
August 29th, 2009
Reason for loosing the battle is simple.
-There is no firewire pen drives, cards, card readers, PDAs , Cameras,
- No Mini, Micro Firewire ports, connectors which are more consumer market oriented.
So.. nobody promotes it /wants it.
If I dont have firewire port on my comp, I dont have a problem ( reason is obvious) , but if i dont have a USB port on the comp, there is a big problem…
October 15th, 2009
Shan, you’ve made a wrong assertion. There are mini firewire ports and conectors, in fact most laptops have one… yeah, its that tiny hole in your computer that reads 1394!… and you thought it was a clever Kensington lock….
December 4th, 2009
I prefer to use Firewire for recording because it seems to be more consistent and less problematic. Usb is great on peripherals used quickly like printers and such but if you are in need of reliable communication between interfaces Firewire (or pci) is the way to go.– Shan if you would research just a tiny bit on this subject you would see there is large, Professional market for firewire because well… it is better, stronger, faster.
January 5th, 2010
well that’s the problem as to why firewire hasn’t caught on: it’s oriented to the professional market who have money to splurge on products that support firewire.
also, firewire doesn’t support power output, while usb does support it. this adds convenience to the fact that usb products are smaller and have a smaller setup time.
January 12th, 2010
Neil, you’re wrong there.
FireWire DOES support power output. FW400 has a 4-pin and a 6-pin version, the latter can power devices alright. AND you can daisy-chain FW devices if they have 2 connectors. Though in that case, the one that’s further away from your computer can’t receive power from it.
Then again, most FW-peripherals have their own power supply.
January 13th, 2010
Simon, I don’t agree. I have daisy-chained a harddisk with a dvd-burner with a 320GB portable harddisk at the end and it draws power from the chain.
For TimeMachine backups FireWire is preferable over USB. I also like the targetmode on the Mac, making it possible to use it as an external harddrive.
February 4th, 2010
Only Firewire provides a reliable transfer. USB is good for printers and scanners. My external hard disks have both firewire 800 and USB2. USB2 is faster than Firewire 800 only in the beginning. If you have to transfer wide load of data only Firewire is to be chosen. In the long run Firewire is faster than USB, has no up and downs that USB has.