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    Any uses for USB 3.0

    Discussion in 'Accessories' started by aylmer, May 15, 2012.

  1. aylmer

    aylmer Notebook Geek

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    Are there any uses for USB 3.0 right now, other than HD's?
     
    aylmer, May 15, 2012
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  2. Greg

    Greg Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Not really :(. There's no "killer app" except for maybe potential docking station options like this.
     
    Greg, May 15, 2012
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  3. Vogelbung

    Vogelbung I R Judgemental

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    USB2 docks used to hit up the CPU quite a lot - I heard Displaylink was doing some sort of tie-up with Intel and IGP assistance a few years back, do the USB3 docking stations have a much lesser impact on the CPU?
     
    Vogelbung, May 15, 2012
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  4. Gearsguy

    Gearsguy Notebook Deity

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    USB 3.0 may allow docks to be less of resource hogs. I think they offer like 150ma of power over USB 2.0's 100ma, which could allow less stress on the machine.

    Wouldnt your video out be limited by USB 3.0's speeds though? I would be afraid of tearing and lag and such
     
    Gearsguy, May 16, 2012
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  5. Greg

    Greg Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Amps out has no relation to CPU usage or the amount of stress placed on the machine. As far as power consumption is concerned, 500mA (the maximum for USB2, 2.5W) is nothing compared to overall consumption (40W+) and won't even stress the power circuity. USB3 (900mA, 4.5W) isn't a big deal for most notebooks either though it may impact battery life if the full 4.5W is drawn from the port.

    USB3 has enough bandwidth to support 24-bit 1920x1200 @ 60Hz (obviously depending on drivers and CPU utilization and whatnot). :eek2:
     
    Greg, May 16, 2012
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  6. Gearsguy

    Gearsguy Notebook Deity

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    Wow really? I had a USB 2.0 to DVI adapter once and it was pretty laggy... Maybe Ill have to check out one of these docks
     
    Gearsguy, May 16, 2012
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  7. Greg

    Greg Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    24-bit 1920x1200 at 60Hz requires ~3Gbit/s.

    USB2 has 0.48Gbit/s of bandwidth to work with. Barely enough for 9Hz. Anything advertising above 9Hz and you're guaranteed to be working with a compression algorithm that is not going to be friendly to the CPU.
    USB3 has 5Gbit/s of bandwidth. More than enough. ;)
     
    Greg, May 16, 2012
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  8. Gearsguy

    Gearsguy Notebook Deity

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    Yeah I honestly didnt know all this about USB 3.0. Very interesting.. I thought they just upped the transfer rate from 29mb/s to like 150. Maybe USB 3.0 eGPU's are possible then..
     
    Gearsguy, May 16, 2012
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  9. homank76

    homank76 Alienware/Dell Enthusiast

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    I use it all the time to transfer pictures from my memory cards to the computer. I'm talking about compact flash cards, not the cheap SD ones.
     
    homank76, May 17, 2012
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  10. HTWingNut

    HTWingNut Potato

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    You can't game using USB adapter because it's not using your computer's GPU, but desktop work should be fine.
     
    HTWingNut, May 17, 2012
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  11. Krane

    Krane Notebook Prophet

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    Don't forget the huge advantage in powering additional devices. One port can do the job of two. Something everyone can benefit from.
    A half ton pickup vs a 1 ton pickup. A four cylinder vehicle vs one with 8 cylinders.

    I'm not sure quite sure how the analogy would work for fuel economy? Anyway, you may not always need it, but its good to know its there.
     
    Krane, May 17, 2012
    #11