USB 2.0 file transfer speed?

revilo56 -
laurent83500 Posted messages 1903 Status Member - 23 Aug 2016 at 09:31

Hello, I have a 250GB external hard drive (Targa) connected to the USB2 port of my 800MHz laptop via a PCMCIA card.
I performed a speed test of a 4.2GB file from my hard drive to the external Targa USB2 drive... and the transfer speed is only 9MB/sec! That seems very slow, doesn't it?

Configuration: windows xp, processor 800mhz, usb2

9 answers

Answer 1 / 9

Best answer
The best answer is the one that has been validated by our teams.
apokalypse

I'm going to explain to you all how it works...

The MAXIMUM speed of a USB 2.0 port/connector is 60MB/s

But why don't we transfer at 60MB/s? Because of the law of the weakest link. For example, if you have an IDE HDD, your transfer speed will be significantly reduced, and it also depends on your CPU. It's certain that if you have a SATA USB 2.0 external drive and you also have SATA in your PC, with a Core 2 Quad and 16GB of RAM, there's a good chance you'll transfer at something close to 60MB/s.

See you later!
23
1. EGedeon
  
  Hello,
  I am getting 18MB/s on SATA with 8GB of RAM and a 3 gigahertz 4-core processor.
  We’re being fed nonsense. I’m the first one taken, I love it.
  Best regards, D.I.
  
  0
  1. will > EGedeon
    
    Hi guys
    I just installed an external SATA HDD (hot plug) via a front rack on my PC
    I just did some tests and to tell you:
    
    In USB 2 I'm at 21MB/sec
    In SATA I (1.5gb/s) I'm at 38MB/sec
    Still need to do the test in SATA II (3gs/s) ...
    
    My reading source (where the file to copy comes from) is in SATA II
    
    I have a 2 core 8400 (boosted to 4GHz)
    4 GB of DDR3 10600mHz
    
    Catch you later and good luck
    
    0
2. Jul974
  
  And there's also the ANTIVIRUS... It will check each file more or less quickly, asking the USB to wait during the check, which, in the end, will slow down the transfer speed...
  If on top of that, we're dealing with a slow computer, slow antivirus, etc...
  
  0
3. Jul974
  
  Moreover, you should not divide 480 by 8 to find 60. Because there are additional bits sent to ensure that there are no errors or loss during transmission (the parity bits).
  
  We can consider the theoretical throughput to be 48Ko/sec.
  
  0
4. Loique
  
  apocalypse it's totally FALSE your reasoning what does RAM have to do with it? I know it matters but 16GB of RAM!
  
  0
Answer 2 / 9
Nunuxnewby

USB2 operates at 480 MBit/s, which is about 60 Mo/s in theory. I don’t know where Christian gets his information, but he should review his sources...
Additionally, in practice, it depends on other factors...
14
1. necir
  
  Mr. Nunu,
  what does "it depends on other factors" mean? Which ones (a list please) and how do they affect it? In what order do they affect it?
  
  I know these factors, and I don't stay in the vague style "yes but there's something else, just do an internet search...". If someone wishes, I will provide the exact time taken for a given transfer.
  Example
  - I have a single 1-gigabyte file to transfer, I can do it in one minute on average.
  - I have 20,000 files totaling 1 gigabyte, the transfer can take 5,000 minutes!!!
  
  hence a ratio of 1 to 5000!!!
  
  0
Answer 3 / 9
Caïnael Posted messages 84 Registration date Status Member Last intervention 11

For my part, with a 500 GB external hard drive connected via USB 2 on the front of my monitor.. I'm running at 140 KB/s
my 90 GB file is scheduled for 6 days -_-"
While I have more than 500 GB to transfer ._.
By persisting, I wrecked the power supply of my external hard drive ("You will give me my entire file in 400 days, ok, let's try!" => it didn't last 2 days!) So I renewed the power supply today, hoping for a better transfer... BINGO, I went from 90 KB to 140!

Even by closing my ongoing tasks and letting it work alone, I can't get at least 1 MB/s ~
No viruses, no malware...

Should I wreck the PC now, or should I wait for some hope?
3
1. will69
  
  Your hard drive is down, man, it happens (but still, what a bummer ^^ ))
  
  Bring it back hoping you have everything you need for the warranty.
  
  0
2. Guill
  
  The USB hub on the front of your monitor is likely to be USB 1.0 rather than 2.0. Try connecting directly instead...
  
  0
3. BaD
  
  Yes, you plug it behind the USB port next to where you connect the RJ45 cable (internet), and it should normally be direct, meaning it's connected directly to your motherboard. There’s a program to slightly increase the speed as well, but I can't remember the name of the program, so do a quick search online at worst...
  
  0
4. necir
  
  The only way, the only way to transfer at ultra-fast speeds that could be calculated in hundreds of minutes instead of hundreds of hours would be to install the USB hard drive internally inside the PC, thus removing the HDD from the external enclosure, installing it in the PC, and copying from SATA to SATA; the transfer will occur at gigabytes per second rather than kilobytes per second.
  
  0
5. Beaver
  
  That's it! Throw away your PC, get a Mac with FireWire 800 and then you'll see what a real machine is!!!
  
  0
Answer 4 / 9
ekra Posted messages 1873 Status Member 342

Hi,

Well, it's not bad!! a USB is still a USB
--
To be or not to be?
If you're wondering, take the second option :)
1
Answer 5 / 9
Christian* Posted messages 4874 Status Member 2 433

The speed of USB 2 is normally 12 MB/second. If you get 9 MB/second, that's not bad.
1
1. laurent83500 Posted messages 1903 Status Member 158
  
  I usually get 250MB/s on USB :D
  
  0
Answer 6 / 9
Christian* Posted messages 4874 Status Member 2 433

Autant pour moi, Nunuxnewby is right, 12 MB/second is the speed of USB 1. USB 2 is 60 MB/second.
1
1. revilo56
  
  But it's rarely 60 MB/sec for USB 2.0 flash drives; the speed is usually:
  Transfer rate
  The maximum transfer rate of the USB 2.0 standard is 480 Mbits/sec (60 MB/sec), which is 40 times the speed of USB 1.1. Currently, the average write transfer speed of USB 2.0 flash drives is 8 MB/sec
  USB flash drives are generally supplied with a cable, installation software (for Windows 98SE), and a cord.
  
  Applications
  Storage, data transport (sound, images, texts...) and transfer to the computer in the blink of an eye.
  
  0
2. Nunuxnewby
  
  Christian, USB1 is 12MBit/s, not 12Mo/s, 12Mbit/s = 1.5Mo/s
  1 Byte = 1 Octet = 8 Bits
  
  0
Answer 7 / 9
lascardino

Well, everyone talks about USB 1 and USB 2. Okay, USB 2 is 480 Mbits/s, but maybe we should solve the problem. The drive is USB 2, but it's connected to a PCMCIA card... could that be the problem? What speed does it support? Moreover, that adds another interface, and different protocols might be used. Maybe check on another PC from USB to USB to see if you get the same speed.

Ciao
1
1. Wishu812
  
  Well, I'll leave you with your gibberish!
  
  Here's MY FACT
  
  Me here, external 300GB ATA via USB 2
  
  on a quad-core PC 2.6 GHz, 8 GB of RAM, Windows 64-bit Home Premium (NEW)
  
  to an external 250GB SATA via USB 2
  
  I'm running at 19 MB/s!!!
  
  Seems to me that's slow!
  
  0
2. yoda91
  
  You go directly to your motherboard output or to a switch, providing power and 12V on the front. The throughput is not the same; more than 60 MB/s does not offer the true value, as you need to account for parity bits (error checking). You also need to check the stability of your PC power supply (5.2V). 19 MB is good.
  
  0
3. bob
  
  I'm getting 23MB/s on a crappy laptop with an Akasa case and a PATA drive inside.
  
  0
4. Beaver
  
  Don't forget that the bandwidth of a USB channel is shared among all the devices it powers. If during the exchange you fiddle with your trackpad or plug in a USB stick or something else, those are just as many requests that will monopolize the channel and thus slow down the bandwidth. There's also disk fragmentation, which can be a lesser factor in slowing things down. In short, it's wise to be cautious when asking questions while asserting "I know these factors, and I'm not being vague" or when giving absolute answers.
  
  0
5. ral le bol
  
  It's annoying to read this kind of nonsense, it feels like being in a shower, competing for who has the biggest dick. What a waste of time reading you.... we want intelligent information.....
  
  0
Answer 8 / 9
polo des îles

Hello
TS physics exercise:
Theoretical throughput is 60 MB/s in USB2.
A USB key is rated for a throughput of 30 MB/s.
Explain this difference!

Can we talk about incoming and outgoing throughput to explain this difference?
30 MB/s incoming and 30 MB/s outgoing
0
1. shifter
  
  It's funny because you all talk about your theories of speed in USB 1/2/3 but you're not helping him with his problem. I have the same issue right now; I'm copying movies from my internal drive via the USB stick plugged in 2.0. I start the transfer at 45MB/s and within a minute, the transfer throttles to 5MB/s and after about 40 minutes to 3.75MB/s :/ can someone help me??
  
  0
Answer 9 / 9
xniico

Hello, to have a high and regular transfer rate, you need to go into your hard drive properties and change the strategy. The only small thing is that each time you remove your hard drive, you need to eject it first. There you go ;)
0

USB 2.0 file transfer speed?

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