New M6500 Discussion Thread

Hi ponx,

SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) is a new version of USB that has much higher speed and bandwidth than HiSpeed (USB 2.0) and earlier USB ports.

The first USB (1.0/1.1) supported up to 12Mbps transfer speeds. This was adequate for replacing keyboards and mice, but little else.
HiSpeed (USB 2.0) came on the scene in 2000, and increased the bandwidth to up to 480Mbps. This was good for adding hard disks, audio devices (Speakers and Microphones), video capture devices, etc.
SuperSpeed (USB 3.0) increased the bandwidth to 4.8Gbps (or 4800Mbs) which is almost as high as 1x lane for a PCIExpress device (5Gbps).

USB 3.0 ports are backwards compatible with all USB 2.0/USB 1.x devices. Some USB 3.0 peripherals may work with USB 2.0 and earlier ports; but the USB 3.0 cable can't be used as the USB 3.0 plug is longer then a USB 2.0 port (I imagine you can still plug USB 2.0 cables into USB 3.0 devices though). This may also depend on the level of support from the vendor. The company I used to work for made USB 2.0 webcams, and they would enumerate on a USB 1.x bus; but the webcam would not be usable running at only 10Mbps (it would stream at only 1 frame per second, etc).

Currently the only USB 3.0 peripherals are external Hard Disks. However, the increased bandwidth of USB 3.0 offers a lot of future expansion and newer device classes are on the horizon. This mimics the situation of USB 2.0 back at the turn of the decade when the first USB 2.0 devices where external Hard Disks. Then we got WebCams, Speakers, Microphones, TV Tuners, etc.

Some ideas I had heard mentioned include USB 3.0 monitor connections (akin to USB Speakers, where the sound card is actually in the speakers; USB 3.0 monitors can have a USB 3.0 video card built into the monitor - thereby adding additional multiple displays to your computer easily and with good performance)... video capture devices... better TV tuners (multi-channel HD with less compression)... high bandwidth network devices... improved docking stations... etc.

Also USB 3.0 bus supports higher voltage, so less devices will need a power brick and can run off the USB 3.0 bus directly.

I am happy to hear that Dell may offer an upgrade to USB3.0 to us early adopters of the M6500, and I want to sign up for that as soon as it is available! Its one of the reasons I haven't considered returning my M6500 in my 30 day window.

 

Hi ponx,


Some Facts about USB 3.0

USB 3.0 is fast:

The new standard breaks the 480Mb/s data transfer limit of USB 2.0 and takes it to a new maximum of 4.8 GB/s. keep in mind that real-world performance can be considerably lower than that. USB 3.0 devices are not expected to reach their full potential at launch, but as standards matures the SuperSpeed USB from the USB-IF considers it reasonable to achieve a throughput of 3.2 GB/s, or just about enough to transfer a 27GB High Definition Movie in just over a minute, rather than 15 minute or more with USB 2.0

USB 3.0 is bi-directional:

Unlike previous versions of USB’s where data can only be piped in one direction at a time, USB 3.0 can read and write data simultaneously. This is achieved by adding two new lanes dedicated to transmit (broadcast) SuperSpeed data, and another pair for receiving it. Bringing the total number of connections from, four on USB 2.0 for (Power, Ground, and two for Sending / Receiving), to nine counting the 3.0 Ground Contact.

The signaling method while still host-directed, abandons device polling in favor of a new interrupt-driven protocol. This ensures that the USB host controller doesn’t continually access a connected device in anticipation of a data transfer. Instead USB 3.0 devices will send the host, a signal to begin a data transfer.

USB 3.0 is more power efficient:

The signaling method mentioned above also means that non-active or idle devices won’t have their power drained by the host controller, as it looks for active data traffic. The USB-IF has upped the maximum bus power output from about 500mA to 900mA, which will enable power-hungrier devices to be bus-powered and USB hubs to support more peripherals. And there’s also a bonus that battery-powered devices should charge faster.

USB 3.0 is backwards compatible:

Your existing USB 2.0 gear will work on USB 3.0 ports and vice verse. You’ll be able to maximize your bandwidth when using a USB 3.0 cable with USB 3.0 devices and ports, otherwise plugging a USB 3.0 device into a USB 2.0 port or a USB 2.0 into USB 3.0 port will get you standard USB 2.0 data rates.


Some USB 3.0 links:

TechRepublic: 10 Things you Should know about USB 2.0 and USB 3.0

USB-IF Technical White Papers

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 FAQ

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Wikipedia

USB 3.0 Debuts: 10 Times Faster

USB 3.0’s Ramp-UP: Can’t This Happen Faster?

Google:

USB 3.0 Devices

USB 3.0 Products


I hope this helps

 

IMHO. USB 3 is overkill for a Laptop. The hard disk or even an SSD is not fast enough to write the incoming data passing thru a USB 3 port. Unless the external drive is in RAID. I have my M6500 for a month now. But not really looking forward for USB 3. I will wait before it will become mainstream.

 

Can anyone show me proof that the 64g ssd drive is slow?

I find it hard to believe that any solid state drive is slower than a physical one.

 

Shipment of my M6500 is delayed again!
They keep pushing the ship date back week by week.

Are there any informed insiders that can provide some insight?

Mark

 

Heck, I ordered on 12/30, went from delay to delay, then cancelled because USB 3.0 was close. Now I'm waiting to re-order...same deal was guaranteed me. It would have shipped on 2/10...wondering if I should have cancelled....i.e. if USB 3.0 will speed up my work while working off a tethered virtual machine via usb cable? idk....

 

@gripper & mannyA: Thanks guys, very informative..!!

 

I spilled coffee on my Latitude D820 yesterday morning while reading this forum. Fortunately, I disconnected the battery and power and aired the old girl out for a day and we're up and running again.

But I can't shake the feeling that she's jealous - somehow knows the Covet is on the way. Also, everything is getting creaky and slow. May be some law of physics on time dilation effects as one approaches a new laptop?

Guess I'll give her a makeover - defrag, deep malware and virus scan, clean up the keyboard and screen. It is valentine's day after all =)

 

Doesnt Dell make a 130w power supply for the e6500 ? Has anyone tried the 130w supply with the m6400/m6500 ? that might be a good compromise to carry over the cinderblock. . .

 

LOL ProteinSimulator, I felt the same way about my i9300 just before the M6500 arrived. She started to drop the bluetooth mouse & got even slower than usual.

The old girl has been "lobotomized" now, new install of XP, far fewer programs to worry about, and seems much happier.