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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by borzthewolf@lemmy.world to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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So I'm struggling to understand all the different types of usb standards like 2.0, 3.1, 3.2, 4.0, etc. I am interested in only USB c to USB c. I've read about higher data transfer speeds? I'm confused by what that actually means. Is that like transferring files from your laptop to an external drive? Basically sending files between devices in the network? I've read you can get 8k video resolution? I have no need for that.I just don't quite know what is best for me.

I have a dell xps 13 9310 laptop and the only two ports on the laptop are usb c. I've had major connectivity issues after the years of wear and tear. I just had a shop replace one port, so the major plan is to get a docking station with pass through charging capabilities.

But for now, I feel so foolish I don't even know what standard or protocol cables I need. Since all of the fancy features like video display don't appeal to me and I never do file transfers via usb, does that mean all I need is simple usb 2.0 cables for power delivery? Do the newer 3 series standards provide more power and or helpful features? What is the best sort of cable to link my main device, my laptop, to a docking station? I need to start there to reduce wear and tear on the new usb c ports on my laptop.

Any pointers would be great, thanks I RUN LINUX BTW SO THATS WHY I POSTED HERE lol

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[–] LinuxSBC@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

It's really confusing. USB-C is a physical connector that can carry the USB protocol, as well as power over the USB-PD standard, PCIe over the Thunderbolt protocol, DisplayPort over Alt-mode, and probably more that I'm not thinking of. The versions of USB that you're seeing are just for speed of file transfer, nothing else, except USB4 which adds support for USB-PD, Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, and everything else. The ports on your laptop are all Thunderbolt, which is equivalent to USB4.

If all you want is power, you need the cable to support USB-PD, which every cable that I know of does. Any cable should work. However, if you want to charge at more than 65W (which you probably don't because your laptop is small), you'll need a cable with an "e-marker" chip—just get a cable that is rated for whatever wattage you need.

If you need to transfer lots of data (which it doesn't sound like you do), you'll probably want something like USB3.1 (also known as USB3.2 Gen 2 and USB3 10Gbps) or USB3.2 Gen 2x2 (USB3 20Gbps) cable (yes, their naming scheme is horrible). If not, USB3.0 (also known as USB3.2 Gen 1 and USB3 5Gbps) or even USB2.0 should be fine.

To summarize, almost anything will work for your needs, but anything extra would require you to buy a cable that has explicit support. To make it easier for you, it looks like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T19KQYF has support for everything that you might need and much more: full power delivery up to 100W, more than twice what you need; 20Gbps Thunderbolt data transfer and 10Gbps (USB3.2 Gen 2) USB data transfer, many times more than you need; and displays connected to it, even though you don't need it. I'm not sure if it has full Thunderbolt PCIe support, but that shouldn't matter to you, and the price is pretty good.