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    What USB 3.0 Express Card for VPC-Z?

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by Steve78, Jan 21, 2011.

  1. Steve78

    Steve78 Notebook Evangelist

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    Any suggestions/recommendations?
     
    Steve78, Jan 21, 2011
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  2. sonus

    sonus Notebook Consultant

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    I have the same question. But more specifically, does anyone have one that fits flush with the body of the Z?
     
    sonus, Jan 21, 2011
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  3. pyr0

    pyr0 100% laptop dynamite

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    Photofast USB3.0 card (rare)
    AKE USB 3.0 Expresscard BC618 (cheap, comes under 20$ shipped from ebay)
    and many more with NEC or Fresco Logic chipsets.

    See also the link in my signature.
     
    pyr0, Jan 21, 2011
    #3
  4. Achusaysblessyou

    Achusaysblessyou eecs geek ftw :D

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    There have been a few threads on this, just search the forums. But off the top of my mind, AKE 3.0 expresscard and the Photofast 3.0 expresscard fit quite flush. There are images in this forum, so just search for them.
     
    Achusaysblessyou, Jan 21, 2011
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  5. sonus

    sonus Notebook Consultant

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    From what I recall those threads are all about adding eSATA, with a little discourse on USB3.0, but nothing definitive. Do you recall or could you link the threads on USB3?
     
    sonus, Jan 21, 2011
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  6. sonus

    sonus Notebook Consultant

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    Do does the AKE have a flush fit? It wasn't mentioned in the thread you linked. And is there any benefit to the rare Photofast card you mentioned?
     
    sonus, Jan 21, 2011
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  7. pyr0

    pyr0 100% laptop dynamite

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    It does.

    Go to Search - Advanced Search - type in "USB 3.0", select "Search Titles Only" - Search in Forums "Sony" and there you have plenty of topics, dude. :mad:
     
    pyr0, Jan 21, 2011
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  8. ggold321

    ggold321 Notebook Consultant

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    on this fine website, I just read a review of the Aluratek USB 3.0 ExpressCard Review. They say there are no USB 3.0 express card adapters which will be flush and even if there were, they would not be able to operate at greater than USB 2.0 speeds as they need external power.. and need to stick out a bit to be able to plug-in the power supply.

    Check out the review. I thought it was very helpful.
     
    ggold321, Jan 21, 2011
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  9. DustB00

    DustB00 Notebook Enthusiast

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    DustB00, Jan 21, 2011
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  10. pyr0

    pyr0 100% laptop dynamite

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    1. This expresscard sucks (slow as hell)
    2. Review is inaccurate concerning ExpressCard bottleneck, I get constantly over 110 MB/s over my Z's Expresscard interface.
    3. USB 3.0 needs an external power supply? BS! Either your card raises 3.3v to 5v with internal DC/DC converters or you got a special Y-splitting USB cable or a jack on your card where you can connect a USB 2.0 port from your computer to gather the 5v.
    4. Most 2.5" HDDs or SSDs can be directly powered through the card, 3.5" HDDs wont need 5v with high amp juice since they already got an own power supply.

    Conclusion:

    AKE or OWC USB 3.0 cards both provide flush fit, enough juice to power 2.5" ext. drives and get you good transfer speeds. If you only plan to use hard drives eSATA may also be a good choice for you.
     
    pyr0, Jan 21, 2011
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  11. Steve78

    Steve78 Notebook Evangelist

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    Steve78, Jan 21, 2011
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