M17X R2 - USB 3 express card

Hey guys I am getting one of those Coolermaster SF-19 laptop coolers and am stuck picking between the usb 2 and usb 3 models for my R2.

I have seen these usb 3 express card things and am wondering is it really that simple, we just put that card in the express card slot and we can use usb 3 with this thing?

After reading some replys on another thread about this I have this weird feeling we need usb 3 compatible hard drives? is that right?

GAHH these bloody cards also need a external power source.........

 

Hi

I bought this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Express-Exp...NXJ4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1319181555&sr=8-4

and it works like a charm and does not need external power.

 

yeah I have been looking at a lot of them.....also checked out a helpfull video on you tube about these so most of my questions are actually answered now......one thing is I have noticed they are saying these will work without a power supply but only at usb2 speeds.

I have seen some come with a usb power cable.......so let me get this straight instead of powering the express card from the wall, its ok to use a usb 2 port for the power source lmao

EDIT: Ok this laptop cooler seems awesome with the usb 3 hub....however after thinking about all this I have come to a conclusion about integrating this usb3 into the R2.

These express cards need additional power to reach speeds 'close' to a native usb3 port. I bet trying to power a usb3 hub (like the one on the SF-19 cooler) from a already under powered express card is a waste of time.

If you have a m17x R2 and want one of these awesome coolers.....get the usb2 model....save a couple of bucks and miss the headache.

(just put in the usb3 express card to only use the included 2 ports)

 

Hijakd
Yeah it gets a bit complicated. My CF19 is plugged in, I went with USB 3 because I had a USB 3 external hd dock, native USB 3 ports and a USB 3 Card for other laptops.

Some USB 3 cards do have a port for external power, others will only recognize devices with external power.

I had no issues using my USB 3 HD with the SIIG superspeed USB express card since HD dock requires external power.

The express card was a bit odd with devices deriving power from the port, sometimes I'd have no issues and other times it just wouldn't be recognized.

 

If using a regular hard drive you need to have it in a USB 3.0 enclosure to get USB 3.0 speeds. If your using a 5400rpm drive in the enclosure, power won't be an issue. If using a 7200rpm drive you'll need to plug it in for extra power. Some USB 3.0 enclosures come with an extra power cable. I did some tests, and they are linked to my USB 3.0 link in my signature.

 

USB 3 express card does a bang up job in my opinion.


m17x r3 native usb3 port

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : Crystal Dew World
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]

Sequential Read : 94.654 MB/s
Sequential Write : 90.084 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 31.574 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 37.437 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.368 MB/s [ 89.9 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.804 MB/s [ 196.3 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.540 MB/s [ 131.9 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.797 MB/s [ 194.6 IOPS]

Test : 2000 MB [E: 85.4% (795.3/931.5 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2011/10/21 9:14:08
OS : Windows 7 SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)


vostro 1400 low power w USB 3 siig express card

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 3.0.1 x64 (C) 2007-2010 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : Crystal Dew World
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 byte/s [SATA/300 = 300,000,000 byte/s]
Sequential Read : 94.140 MB/s
Sequential Write : 66.311 MB/s
Random Read 512KB : 30.083 MB/s
Random Write 512KB : 37.346 MB/s
Random Read 4KB (QD=1) : 0.367 MB/s [ 89.6 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=1) : 0.794 MB/s [ 193.8 IOPS]
Random Read 4KB (QD=32) : 0.534 MB/s [ 130.3 IOPS]
Random Write 4KB (QD=32) : 0.810 MB/s [ 197.7 IOPS]
Test : 2000 MB [F: 85.4% (795.3/931.5 GB)] (x5)
Date : 2011/10/21 9:37:43
OS : Windows 7 SP1 [6.1 Build 7601] (x64)

 

Yeah the speeds are well worth it......the cards are very inexpensive aswell....I was shocked actually, I was expecting a hefty bill for one.

Its on my short list now defiantly (may aswell just wait till usb3 becomes the norm) such a easy upgrade/addon.