When is a 3.0 port not a 3.0 port?

I just got my 9150 a couple of weeks ago, and picked up a couple of WD MyPassport 2TB USB 3.0 external drives, which have been working just fine.

I also have an older Seagate GoFlex 1.5TB USB 3.0 drive, that I've used on other computers (but only with a 2.0 connection). Anyway, I tried doing using it with the 9150 today, and, no matter which of the two 3.0 ports I plugged it into, I still got the same result: a dialog telling me "for better performance, connect this drive using a SuperSpeed 3.0 port," followed by only getting 2.0 speeds (55 minutes to copy a 16.9GB directory, as opposed to 16 minutes with the WD drives).

What's going on here? Is there a compatibility problem with the GoFlexes working with the 9150? Is it something that can be remedied by some procedure or other? Or is it a sign -- my biggest fear -- that this may be a previously-undiscovered problem in the 9150 that might require a warranty return? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Try a different cable?

 

I did. I actually tried the cable from one of the WDs. No warning dialog, but still the ultra-slow transfer speed.

 

Just because it's USB 3.0 doesn't mean you'll get fast speeds. It sounds like the other cable was giving you USB 3.0 as recognized by the laptop. However, as an older mechanical drive that sort of slow speed is not unheard of. I've had that happen on drives that were failing too. If the port is working fine for newer 3.0 drives, I'm going to bet it's your old drive that's the problem and not the port.

 

Are you on Windows 8?

 

Kind of to reiterate what Epsilon said but clarifying a little bit,

If you aren't getting the USB 3.0 error message that means it's recognizing it as USB 3.0. Where the external drive manufacturers get tricky is that the terminology they use means that the controller is USB 3.0 itself. The drive is still limited in transfer speeds due to it being a mechanical drive which can be pretty similar to USB 2.0 transfer speeds.This is true even on newer external drives depending on which models you're going with. If you're looking for faster transfer you'll want to get a 7200 RPM external, a 10,000 RPM external, or a true SSD external drive.

 

If your chipset/USB 3.0 drivers for the laptop are up to date and working, then what Epsilon and Derek stated is most likely the issue. The nomenclature can be frustrating, as they can market a slow platter drive with "USB 3.0!" with the yellow 'bang/pow' effect outlining the advertisement, yet - as Derek pointed out - the controller itself is 3.0, but the spin up and read/write speeds are the same as any other 2.0 drive.