USB 2 (released in 2000) is the latest generation of the Universal Serial Bus. USB 1.1 is still a widely accepted standard, but now, it is getting updated. USB 1.1 has a speed of 12mbps, compared to USB 2.0 which is rated with speeds of up to 480mbps (60MB per second). There are many more devices that support USB than FireWire. All newer computers will have USB ports but only some will have FireWire. Macintosh computers usually include FireWire ports. You can identify whether your PC has Hi-Speed USB by opening Device Manager and expanding the Universal Serial Bus section. There should be an "Enhanced" USB host controller present.
FireWire is theoretically a little slower than USB2 at 400mbps but FireWire devices use the full 400mbps speed (Peer-to-Peer) where with USB you are sharing the bandwidth between the devices (Master-Slave). FireWire does perform better during sustained throughput. FireWire has been around for a long time although USB devices seem to be more popular. Devices such as video cameras will have FireWire ports to allow you to transfer your video to your computer quickly. There is a newer FireWire 800 that boasts speed of 800mbps which is almost double that of USB. When it comes to providing power FireWire can provide much more power over the bus 30V as opposed to 5V for USB so many times there won’t be a need for an external power supply for the FireWire device.
Here are the features of both USB 2.0 and FireWire
USB 2.0
- 1.5 Mbit/sec, 12Mbit/sec and 480Mbit/sec supported.
- USB controller is required to control the bus and data transfer.
- Cable can be up to 5 meters.
- Provides full compatibility with USB 1.1 devices.
- Power supply to external devices is 500 mA/5V (max)
- Up to 127 devices supported.
FireWire (IEEE1394)
- 100 Mbit/sec 200Mbit/sec 400Mbit/sec 800Mbit/sec supported.
- Works without control, devices communicate peer-to-peer.
- Cable can be up to 4.5 meters.
- Power supply to external devices is 1.25A/12V (max.).
- Up to 63 devices supported.
USB and FireWire ports
Related Tip:
Turn off “This USB device can perform faster if you connect it to a High-Speed USB 2.0 port" message
