Geek Tested:

Intel Decides to Hold Off on USB 3.0 Support Until 2011

Posted 10/22/09 at 04:28:20 PM by Bart Salisbury

The need for speed goes on unabated, but fulfilling that need became a bit less likely with Intel’s decision to wait until 2011 to integrate support for USB 3.0 into its PC chip sets.

USB 3.0 promises to bump up throughput between computers and peripherals to a theoretical high of 4.8 Gbps: a 10x increase over USB 2.0’s present raw transfer rate. The increase in speed would make it easier for users to manage the massive amounts of data in raw digital images and video, and their ever expanding MP3 collections. USB 3.0 would also permit more power for USB-powered devices.

Problem is, says an unnamed source quoted by the EE Times: “It's hard to commit to an emerging technology like this when the key silicon enablers are not making it a priority. You get into a chicken-and-egg situation.” In other words, no one is interested in making, because no one has committed to buying. Given the lack of interest Intel has decided its time is better spent working out issues with the Nehalem processor’s integrated memory controller, and coming to terms with the new 5 GHz PCI Express 2.0 specification.

In the meantime I’ve got to dig out my FireWire cables.

Image Credit: Intel, USB.org

COMMENTS:12

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COMMENTS

Intel Lacks nice spec MOBO'S
Submitted by RAMBO on Sat, 10/24/2009 - 5:49pm

This is why I don't buy Intel MB's, and will never!!!

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Hrmm.... wasn't it Intel
Submitted by routine on Fri, 10/23/2009 - 5:50am

Hrmm.... wasn't it Intel that had a commercial touting the invention of USB?

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GODDAMMIT!
Submitted by major_tom on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 8:44pm

I'M MAD AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE! A protest! Retaliate, I say! You know that Intel ad where they're debating where to cut the cake first, and finally a real man steps up and gets himself a damn corner piece, and the first dork asks "Why don't you just pop all the balloons and spit in the punch?"

Great idea, you clown! Don't mind if I do! At least SOMEONE will actually ENJOY the party! ME! Let's not forget, I'm YOUR CUSTOMER! I'm The Man who pulls out his wallet and pays for your product with cold hard cash. Only in THIS case it happens to be a hot, sweaty, fistfull of hundred dollar bills! I have half a mind to cram 'em down your throat and hope you choke! Why wait for either the chicken or the egg? I'm hungry now, dammit, and I don't care if it's scrambled eggs or chicken soup! Actually the market is more like a salad, now that I think about it. Hasn't someone already released some USB 3.0 external hard drives? I'm sure I saw that on here the other day. Oh yeah, Buffalo. Here's a quote from the article:

"The company also plans to offer NEC's IFC-PCIE2U3 2-port PCI-Express x1
host controller because, well, what good is a USB 3.0 drive without a
controller to take advantage of it?"

Now there's a company that can figure out how to cut a cake.

Thanks for stepping up to the cake to play with yourself, Intel. I'm sure it was delicious and moist while it lasted. Now step aside.

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I think there is a
Submitted by quickone on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 4:23pm

I think there is a compitition who can take longer, Wi-Fi with N and USB with 3.0, so far, we are losing

~~The difference between insanity and genius is merely succes~~

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Good ol' Intel. -Santos
Submitted by DBsantos77 on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 4:13pm

Good ol' Intel.

-Santos

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I had been looking forward
Submitted by William Koehler on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 2:58pm

I had been looking forward to USB 3.0 being rolled out in Intel chipsets hopefully starting in early 2010. I routinely use USB 2.0 drives to back up SD and HD video projects. The data sets are large. Loading or unloading a 1 TB drive takes 8 hours at USB 2.0 speeds. I can't wait for a higher speed, generic, available damn near everywhere connection to be rolled out. Which is exactly why I don't use FireWire or eSATA.

Definitly depressing.

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welcome back 3rd party chip makers
Submitted by mysteriousgamer on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 2:47pm

There are still plenty of other companies who can and will support USB 3.0 into their chipsets. VIA, AMD, Nvidia are just a few examples. AMD, this is your chance to re-assert your dominance in the processor/chipset war.

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Good point.
Submitted by quantumnerd on Fri, 10/23/2009 - 5:09pm

It's not that I hate intel, but whenever they fumble another company can correct intel's mistake, thus gaining market share, thus being more competitive, thus making their and intel's products better.

-=[The name's Quantumnerd, and if you mock my name you're clearly missing the point]=-

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darn
Submitted by lien_meat on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 1:52pm

This really sucks. I was really looking forward to have usb3 soon. I was HOPING that would happen sometime around 2Q 2010, but it looks like that's not gonna happen for sure now. (does win7 support usb3 yet, ubuntu does, don't know about OSX, but I'm guessing it doesn't yet)

### I'm an idiot, and I approve this message ###

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Nope
Submitted by Slugbait on Sat, 10/24/2009 - 12:07am

Win7 does not support USB3. Last thing I heard, it might happen in a service pack (likely SP2). Vista support is a waffle, and they don't talk about XP anymore.

Last I heard about Linux is that they have written driver support, but no way to verify if it works yet (need hardware support, both mobos and devices).

Again, last I heard is Snow Leopard also does not support USB3.

So...there is basically nobody for Intel to support.

I also know a dev who is working on a USB3 device. Apparently, some hair loss has occured while trying to write drivers...

USB3 has all the earmarks of being even more of a nightmare than USB2 was.

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LightSpeed?
Submitted by n0b0dykn0ws on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 1:44pm

The conspiracy theorist in me wonders what Apple gave/promised Intel to hold off on USB 3.0

n0b0dykn0ws

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We can only assume free
Submitted by gendoikari1 on Thu, 10/22/2009 - 2:01pm

We can only assume free iPhones. Or heavy bags with large $s emblazoned on them.

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