USB 3.0 vs. USB 2.0 - How Do I Plug 3.0 Device Into 2.0 Computer?

[ForestHIllsRob]

I'm thinking of buying a Seagate external drive which is USB 3.0 capable.

Ok, I understand that 3.0 speed is only achieved with 3.0 capable motherboards. No problem here.

However, if you try to find an answer to which cable to use for backward compatability ... not there!

So here's my question - do I simply use a USB 2.0 cable to plug the drive into the USB 2.0 port in my computer? It would seem the USB 3.0 cable won't fit a USB 2.0 port because of the extra USB 3.0 connectors, but I can't find a definitive answer.

Thanks,

Robert

[Rich_K]

I bought a Seagate 3.0 recently and I also bought a 3.0 USB expansion card that fit in one of my spare PCi slots. The card has 2 ports and cost me less than $25 as I recall.

[derekmorton]

Just use a USB 2 cable.

Cheers