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USB 3.0 Performance: Two Solutions From Asus And Gigabyte

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Access Time And I/O Performance

The only solution saddled with a first-generation PCIe x1 interface, Gigabyte’s eSATA controller incurs a slightly higher write latency.

A chipset-direct connection gives the P55’s native SATA interface a big boost in IOPS. This is the only place where the lowly USB 2.0 interface is somewhat competitive with higher-bandwidth third-party solutions.

Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom
Thomas Soderstrom is a Senior Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware US. He tests and reviews cases, cooling, memory and motherboards.
40 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Lessqqmorepewpew
    Great review. This waiting game sucks.
    Reply
  • amnotanoobie
    Wow, transferring your por..... programs should be a lot faster now.
    Reply
  • playerone
    This seems a bit dated, my two week old ASUS P6X58D Premium has Sata 6.0 and USB 3.0!
    Obviously waiting for a bit more mature drivers and more hardware...
    Reply
  • Onyx2291
    Can't wait for it all to be standard.
    Reply
  • staalkoppie
    Pitty they'll only be available at the back for now....but good news nevertheless
    Reply
  • liquidsnake718
    BAH.... Im waiting for an X58 with USB.3.0 AND 16x 16x SLI. I would not want to sacrifice the other slot for a 8x config....
    Reply
  • Crashman
    liquidsnake718BAH.... Im waiting for an X58 with USB.3.0 AND 16x 16x SLI. I would not want to sacrifice the other slot for a 8x config....
    Uh, d00d, 1366 CPU has 36 2.0 lanes, don't those X58 boards use the leftover four for USB3 and SATA6? I mean, c'mon, 16+16+4=36
    Reply
  • bujuki
    I've been waiting to see how USB 3 performs. However, if you may it's better to test the CPU utilization comparison between all connectors as well. Still, thanks for the great review. b^^d
    Reply
  • anamaniac
    Honestly, with USB 3.0, I don't see any reason at all for eSATA anymore.
    I just want a 80GB Intel x18-m with a USB 3.0 port. Who the hell wants a slow 64GB flash drive?

    I wish we could agree on a stanard already. I like USB, so let's just scrap IDE, SATA, eSATA, PCI (not PCIe), analog audio cables completely already. Well, that or miniDisplayPort.
    Reply
  • JohnnyLucky
    Thanks for explaining how USB 3.0 fits into the grand scheme of things.
    Reply