What is the maximum data transfer speed of USB 3.0?

The maximum data transfer speed of USB 3.0 is indeed 5 Gb/s. This standard, officially introduced in 2008, significantly improved data transfer rates compared to its predecessor, USB 2.0, which had a maximum speed of 480 Mb/s.

USB 3.0 is often referred to as "SuperSpeed USB" and was designed to handle higher bandwidth applications such as external hard drives, high-definition video, and other data-intensive tasks. The 5 Gb/s speed allows for faster file transfers and better overall performance when connecting devices.

The other options represent speeds associated with later versions of USB technology. USB 3.1 Gen 2, for instance, supports up to 10 Gb/s, while USB 3.2 can reach speeds up to 20 Gb/s, and USB4 can achieve up to 40 Gb/s. Understanding these distinctions is important for recognizing the capabilities of different USB standards.