What Is A USB ‘Header’ (And How Is It Completely different From A Port)?

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One of the crucial generally used information connections within the trendy world is USB (which stands for Universal Serial Bus), however there is a distinction between a USB header and the precise USB port your machine plugs into. A USB header is a multi-pin connector on a motherboard that lets you join USB peripherals to a PC or different machine with USB ports.

A USB port is the exterior connector that you simply plug a USB accent into. As soon as your tech is attached, the motherboard’s USB headers distribute information and energy in response to your USB part. There are a number of USB requirements available on the market (e.g., USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1, and so forth.), which suggests there’s a couple of USB header-type to concentrate on.

Typically talking, motherboards are geared up with at the least two USB headers, however many PCs include six or extra of those pivotal pin connections. And whereas a few of us might by no means crack our laptop computer open to develop its USB header depend, these trying to construct a PC rig from the bottom up can add a header growth card to the motherboard utilizing an obtainable peripheral part interconnect specific (PCIe) slot.

You’ll be able to’t have USB ports with out USB headers

Many trendy PCs supply a mixture of USB 2.0 and three.0 connections, and we’re beginning to see extra machines with USB 3.1 and three.2 headers. The latter is rated for as much as 20Gbps, and due to USB4 — the latest USB-C standard — some USB ports will even push as much as 40Gbps. So far as transferring information goes, it would not get a lot sooner for a non-pro-grade PC. 

And should you’re undecided what kind of USB headers your motherboard has, the varied colors and shapes of your USB ports can assist you establish what variations of USB your PC is utilizing. Happily, USB headers are backward-compatible with older USB requirements. Meaning you’ll plug a USB 3.0 machine right into a USB 2.0 port; your machine will merely be capped at regardless of the header’s most switch pace is.



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