USB 3 ?

[Camelion]

Hello all
Newbie here, considering his first build, few things I am not to clear on.

1. USB 3, I was told that it was coming out soon, and that I should wait for it, any truth there? Exactly what is USB 3, I know that a USB port is what we plug all our things like mp3's an cameras into, but to get USB 3, is it incorporated into the mobo, or is just a software thing?

2. Direct X 11, same thing, I was told that it would be wise to wait for it, am I correct that it is incorporate into the video card, how important is Direct X 11 to someone that is not into gaming?

Sorry if I am not explaining myself to clearly here.

Thanks

 

[jared51182]

1. USB 3.0 is a new protocol for the USB transfer system. It is a new hardware (not software) protocol. However, it will be backwards compatible. Basically, waiting for USB 3.0 is just waiting for faster data transfer over USB peripherals (such as digital cameras, external harddrives, usb "sticks"). I don't know if building/getting a new computer is really worth waiting for this release. The USB 3.0 standard was first introduced in 2007, released last year (in 2008) to manufacturers. There is a delay and trickle-down effect, and usb 3.0 hardware should be going mainstream next year (2010). I don't think this is worth waiting for.

2. DirectX 11 is out now in the ATI graphics cards (the 5xxx series). It is a very impressive jump in video capability, but there are no games that employ Dx11 yet, so...but there are other benefits to the ATI 5xxx series cards - and there are reviews everywhere about them - just check out the graphics card article section of Toms. However, if you are not into gaming, then it may not be right for you. What type of computing do you do? That will help determine what you will want. There are some power savings with the new cards, so that might be a factor as well.

Edit: AHAHAH i put 8xxx series...silly me!

 

[KidHorn]

There's always an improvement on the horizon. If you wait for the next new thing, you'll never buy a computer.

USB 3.0 isn't a big deal to me. I can download all my photos from my camera in like a minute. Reducing it to 45 seconds isn't a big deal. Anyway, I can just plug the card into my computer and copy them over even faster. I don't use external USB drives because the USB electronics on all of them are crap and they fail after 6 months (Read reviews on them if you don't believe me) and I end up yanking the drives from them and using them internally.

As the previous poster stated, you probably won't be able to take advantage of DirectX 11 for a while. If it's important, get a new 5000 series ATI card. I just bought a video card that doesn't support dx 11 knowing I probably would rarely use it in it's expected lifetime of a couple of years.

 

[Camelion]

Thanks , I appreciate the reply.