What, if anything, is different about USB C 3.0 Gen 1 vs USB A 3.0?

[Xanthe_2871]

Hi! My new laptop has one USB C 3.0 gen 1 port. It's not 3.1, it doesn't double as a charger for the laptop, it doesn't support thunderbolt, it's just first gen USB C. 

 

Is there anything cool or special about it? I can find plenty of adapters and docks online but most say they work best with C 3.1, or that they need thunderbolt for all features to work. 

 

Some have video out, but I don't know if non thunderbolt non 3.1 USB C outputs video better, like a real video out, or if it's like those USB A to HDMI things that members of this forum have told me before use CPU power to emulate a port... 

 

So, is there anything cool I can do with this port? Or, is it just a USB 3.0 A port, but with a reversible tip?

[Oshino Shinobu]

Gen 1/Gen 2 is for USB 3.1. USB 3.0 is just USB 3.0, no Gen 1/ Gen 2 stuff. 

 

If it's Just a USB 3.0 USB C connector, then that's all it is. Same as a USB 3.0 Type A connector, but with Type C instead, the features are the same, just the connector type is different. 

[Ryujin2003]

3.0 is the protocol generation, where as A and C are two physical connection interface standards. They will communicate at the same speed in the same manner, but have different physical interfaces. Often, modern devices with type C interface have a double sided cord, so it's readier to have USB C to USB C for simplicity.

 

Physical interface, nothing else difference.

 

Edit: this is a good question. I've had clients in the part who purchased a device with USB C and we're pissed it wasn't Thunderbolt protocol speeds.