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Technologies K–10 · Years 7–8

Hardware specifications: timing a file copy over USB 2.0 and USB 3

Digital and Communication Technologies focus area (NSW Technology 7–8, 2023); Digital Technologies: Knowledge and understanding, Digital systems (ACARA v9)

Practical, model not builtLow risk

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The idea

A hardware specification sets a ceiling on performance: a 1 GB copy cannot be faster than its size divided by the port's data rate, and the slowest part of the system sets the real time.

What you need

  • Computer with a USB 2.0 port and a USB 3 port (identified from the manufacturer's specifications)
  • 1 USB 3 flash drive
  • A 1,000,000,000-byte test file prepared by the teacher (for example with fsutil file createnew test.bin 1000000000 on Windows, which needs administrator rights)
  • Stopwatch; spreadsheet

How to do it

  1. Identify each port type from the manufacturer's specifications.
  2. Copy the test file to the flash drive through the USB 2.0 port and time from the start of the copy until the drive has been safely ejected. Repeat 3 times, deleting the file between runs.
  3. Repeat through the USB 3 port.
  4. Copy the file from the drive back to the computer on each port and time it.
  5. Work out the fastest possible time for each port from its data rate.
  6. Recommend hardware for a class that edits video, using the measurements.

What you should see

USB 2.0 signals at 480 Mbit/s, 60 MB/s, so 1,000,000,000 bytes take at least 16.7 s. USB 3.2 Gen 1 signals at 5 Gbit/s with 8b/10b line coding, leaving 500 MB/s, so at least 2.0 s. Measured times are longer than these floors because of protocol overhead and the flash drive's own write speed, which can be the real limit on the USB 3 port. Timing until the safe eject finishes stops the computer's write cache from hiding the true time. The learner knows it worked when no time beats its floor and USB 3 is faster than USB 2.0 for the same drive.

What changes

What you change
USB port type (2.0 or 3)
What you measure
copy time (s)
What you keep the same
  • the same file
  • the same flash drive
  • the same computer
  • timing until safe eject

Common misconceptions

Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.

  • A faster port always makes copying faster (the slowest part, often the drive, sets the speed).
  • Megabits and megabytes are the same (1 byte is 8 bits).
  • The copy is finished when the progress bar closes (data may still be in the write cache until ejected).

Safety card

Low riskLearners carry it out

Hazards

  • Data loss on the drive

Controls

  • Use an empty drive kept for testing

Note

No chemicals or heat.

Curriculum references

The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.

  • Technology 7–8 Syllabus (2023), NESA. Current: taught from 2026. Code read from the outcomes page on 2026-09-22.TE4-DIG-02
  • Technology Mandatory 7–8 Syllabus (2017), NESA. Outgoing: replaced by the Technology 7–8 Syllabus (2023) from 2026 and not available after December 2027. Code read from the official syllabus document (DOCX) on 2026-09-22.TE4-7DI
  • Australian Curriculum v9AC9TDI8K01

Sources

The pages the author read to write this activity.

  1. curriculum.nsw.edu.au/learning-areas/tas/technology-7-8-2023/outcomes
  2. www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/tas/technology-mandatory-7-8-2017
  3. www.usb.org/document-library/usb-20-specification
  4. www.usb.org/superspeed-usb
  5. www.digitaltechnologieshub.edu.au/plan-and-prepare/scope-and-sequence-f-10/years-7-8
  6. learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/windows-commands/fsutil

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