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    Advanced Mini Dock - USB ports native or hub?

    Discussion in 'Lenovo' started by godbreath, Apr 1, 2009.

  1. godbreath

    godbreath Notebook Consultant

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    Just wondering if the usb ports on the advanced mini docks are native USB ports, or if the dock just acts like a hub.

    So if you dock your laptop, and you connect 2 external hard drives to the dock and start transferring files, the harddrives should each have the maximum transfer speed, and should not be cut in half.
     
    godbreath, Apr 1, 2009
    #1
  2. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    Think of the dock as an extension of your notebook.
     
    ZaZ, Apr 1, 2009
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  3. threedaysrest

    threedaysrest Notebook Enthusiast

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    All ports on an advanced mini dock function as though they're native to your ThinkPad.

    Cheers,
    ~tdr.
     
    threedaysrest, Apr 1, 2009
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  4. reggie14

    reggie14 Notebook Enthusiast

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    OP- It's a bit more complicated than that. USB bandwidth is shared between all USB ports on the same controller. So, the question is, how many USB controllers are there on a typical Thinkpad? I don't know the answer for sure, but I wouldn't think most laptops would have more than one. So, even when you plug hard drives directly into the laptop USB ports you're basically using a hub.
     
    reggie14, Apr 2, 2009
    #4