Tom Crawford Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 I need to get a SD card reader for my wife's computer. But they all the ones I find online are listed as USB 3 and her computer is before USB 3 so only has a USB 2. Is a reader listed as USB 3 downward compatible and will it work on her computer. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDustB Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 I've never encountered something where it wasn't backwards compatible. Usually the only implication is that it will run slower than it would have with USB 3. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 If only that were true. If I didn’t have a USB 2 on my new computer ( The rest are USB 3) I wouldn’t be able to run my printer. If I plug into a USB 3 with that printer I get an error specific to ‘ not USB 3 compatible’. This is probably fairly device specific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 In my experience, a computer with USB3 ports will work with USB 2 or 1 devices, but not the other way 'round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 I've never seen something not work on 2 when it was made for 3. That would be a shoddy product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 1 hour ago, Cliff said: I've never seen something not work on 2 when it was made for 3. That would be a shoddy product. 10+ year old HP laserjet. Hard to blame a product that was built that long ago ;-) I don't know how many inkjets I'd been through before I inherited the old dog from dad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 26 minutes ago, gee-dub said: 10+ year old HP laserjet. Hard to blame a product that was built that long ago ;-) I don't know how many inkjets I'd been through before I inherited the old dog from dad. USB 3.0 came out in ‘08. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gee-dub Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 And IPv6 came out in 1998 and IPv4 has been classless since 1993 yet, here we are finally using IPv6 on the web and people still talk about IPv4 address "classes" . My point being that creation, delivery and common adoption are events in technology that often have gaps. I'm starting to get confused as to why this has become such a conversation piece. My old HP pukes an error on my Dell XPS running Windows 10 if I plug it into a USB3 port "USB device is an older USB device & might not work with USB 3.0 Plug the device into an available USB 2.0 port & click NEXT." but, runs fine in a USB2 port on the same machine. I was just relaying the experience in case Tom saw something wonky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 I don't know that I'll ever be able to remember an IPv6 address. but i do know my media computer is 192.168.0.61 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 26 minutes ago, gee-dub said: And IPv6 came out in 1998 and IPv4 has been classless since 1993 yet, here we are finally using IPv6 on the web and people still talk about IPv4 address "classes" . My point being that creation, delivery and common adoption are events in technology that often have gaps. I'm starting to get confused as to why this has become such a conversation piece. My old HP pukes an error on my Dell XPS running Windows 10 if I plug it into a USB3 port "USB device is an older USB device & might not work with USB 3.0 Plug the device into an available USB 2.0 port & click NEXT." but, runs fine in a USB2 port on the same machine. I was just relaying the experience in case Tom saw something wonky Guess I just don’t find this on a ten year old device to help the OP. The machine was not built with USB 3 in its paradigm. Any currently built USB 3 device should simply run more slowly in a USB 2 port. My advice to the OP is to buy through Amazon or similar that will allow easy returns just in case, but it truly should not be an issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 Some USB 3 devices refuse to work form USB 2 ports because of power requirements. USB 3 ports deliver more juice. In the USB 2 world some external devices required a dual cable, connected to TWO USB 2 ports in order to draw more power, e.g. external DVD burners. USB 3 external drives do not require that contraption because USB 3 almost doubles the power output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 You got me. I made too universal a statement. Limit my comment to SD card and flash drive readers which don’t require very much power. I think too much overthinking is going on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 10 minutes ago, C Shaffer said: You got me. I made too universal a statement. Limit my comment to SD card and flash drive readers which don’t require very much power. I think too much overthinking is going on. Fair enough. Some manufacturers addressed the power problem in USB 2.0 ports before USB 3 port was implemented. Apple included a "high power" USB 2 port in their first version of the Macbook Air (I still have on of those), reason being the thing had a single USB 2 port and a USB hub was going to be needed by most users in order to connect more than one device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Crawford Posted February 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 I appreciate all of your comments my question. I find this one interesting 1 hour ago, Immortan D said: Some USB 3 devices refuse to work form USB 2 ports because of power requirements. USB 3 ports deliver more juice. In the USB 2 world some external devices required a dual cable, connected to TWO USB 2 ports in order to draw more power, e.g. external DVD burners. USB 3 external drives do not require that contraption because USB 3 almost doubles the power output. as the USB port and cable on my wife's new Canon 5DS is a split configuration - the metal is compressed together about 2/3 from one side. Don't know if this is related at all. Readers are not expensive so I'll buy a USB3 one and give it a try. I'll report back on the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Immortan D Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 33 minutes ago, Tom Crawford said: I appreciate all of your comments my question. I find this one interesting as the USB port and cable on my wife's new Canon 5DS is a split configuration - the metal is compressed together about 2/3 from one side. Don't know if this is related at all. Readers are not expensive so I'll buy a USB3 one and give it a try. I'll report back on the results. That's probably a Micro-B USB3 connector. It's fairly common on USB 3 devices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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