USRP B200 and B210 - USB 3.0 Streaming Rate Benchmarks
Contents
Introduction
Application Note Number: AN-5501
Authors: John Smith and Jane Smith
Last Modified Date: 2016/04/15
Reference: https://www.ettus.com/kb/detail/usrp-b200-and-b210-usb-30-streaming-rate-benchmarks
Incompatible USB 3.0 Controllers
USB 3.0 is a relatively new interface, and some USB 3.0 controllers do not perform reliably with devices like SDRs that stream data continuously. This is a list of controllers that we do not recommend for the USRP B200/B210:
- Any Renesas Technology Controller
- Any AS Media Controller
- NEC uPD720200
Typical USB 3.0 Performance
The tables below show typical streaming performance of the USRP B200 and USRP B210 when plugged into various USB 3.0 controllers. The rates are shown as a function of streaming configurations. In our test cases, the same streaming rate is used across all Tx/Rx channels.
It is possible that performance will be impacted by other variables such as the operating system, processor, etc. The rates shown in the table below are not guaranteed.
If you would like to share the results of your own benchmarking, please use "benchmark_rate" utility in the UHD examples directory and e-mail results to info@ettus.com. Please include "B200/B210 Benchmark" in the subject line.
| USB 3.0 Performance (IQ Sample Transfer Rate in MS/s) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | 1TX | 2TX | 1RX | 2RX | 1TX 1RX | 2TX 2RX |
| "Intel Corporation 7 Series C210 Series Chipset Family USB xHCI Host Controller (rev 04)" | 61.44 | 30 | 61.44 | 31 | 20 | 19 |
| "NEC Corporation uPD720202" | 36 | 19 | 44 | 35 | 39 | 18 |
| "VIA Technologies VL80x xHCI USB 3.0 Controller (rev 03)" | 60 | 27 | 61 | 27 | 29 | 17 |
Notes: The numbers in front of TX and RX show how many channels are running in the benchmark. For example "1TX 2RX" means that there are two transmit streams and one receive stream running. All results are shown in MS/s.
Streaming Performance of Multi-Device Systems
It is possible to synchronize multiple USRP B200s and USRP B210s for MIMO operation. However, the performance may be negatively impacted if multiple devices are connected to the same USB controller on a PC. The benchmarks shown above do not account for multi-device configurations. If you are interested in building high-channel-count systems, please consider other USRP devices such as the USRP N-series.
