NEC Rolls-out First USB 3.0 Add-on Cards

Tuesday, May 19 2009

NEC unveiled the first add-on cards based on its recently announced µPD720200 USB 3.0 host controller. This is the typical route taken by a company to propagate the standard in an environment where motherboard vendors and chipset makers haven't yet embraced it. For the desktop segment, the reference-design PCI-Express x1 add-on card provides two SuperSpeed USB 3.0 ports that are backwards-compatible with USB 2.0, 1.1, and 1.0. NEC also released an add-on card for notebooks, in the ExpressCard-34 form-factor based on the same controller, offering the same two ports. With these reference designs, NEC plans to propagate add-on card vendors to design their own cards based on the NEC µPD720200 controller. Typically, these cards should be priced around the $15~20 mark. A successor to USB 2.0, USB 3.0 offers 10-times the bandwidth (4.8 Gbps), although it will take a while for devices to use all that bandwidth, let alone support the standard. Perhaps this is why the company seems to find PCI-Express x1 sufficient as its system interface.

Source: PC Watch

posted by btarunr - 9:26 AM | Related News |

User comments

by Error 404 (May 19th - 9:36 AM) - Reply

First question:
When will USB storage devices be able to utilise this bandwidth?
Second:
If a PCI-E slot can supply 75 watts of power (IIRC), then why does it need a 12v connector? Honestly, what USB device can use more than 75 watts of power??

by Weer (May 19th - 9:39 AM) - Reply

by: Error 404
First question:
When will USB storage devices be able to utilise this bandwidth?
Second:
If a PCI-E slot can supply 75 watts of power (IIRC), then why does it need a 12v connector? Honestly, what USB device can use more than 75 watts of power??

That's for 2 devices.

So, this is E-SATA with the potential to use devices that won't be released until USB 3.0 exists on every motherboard manufactured. I want 12.

by Judas (May 19th - 9:40 AM) - Reply

Ahhh.. you beat me too it was just going to say the same thing Weer :)

by Weer (May 19th - 9:41 AM) - Reply

by: Judas
Ahhh.. you beat me too it was just going to say the same thing Weer :)

We must have a pillow fight to decide who is the better replier. Honor requires it.

by tigger (May 19th - 10:00 AM) - Reply

When can i buy one?

by Weer (May 19th - 10:02 AM) - Reply

by: tigger
When can i buy one?

Before you'll need one.

by h3llb3nd4 (May 19th - 10:04 AM) - Reply

true:laugh:
but I need to save up first:(

by csendesmark (May 19th - 10:05 AM) - Reply

by: Error 404
First question:
When will USB storage devices be able to utilise this bandwidth?
Second:
If a PCI-E slot can supply 75 watts of power (IIRC), then why does it need a 12v connector? Honestly, what USB device can use more than 75 watts of power??

USB 3.0 HDD adapter can use it already
SSD drive with integrated USB 3.0 (I didnt see yet)

BTW:
eSATA getting owned :slap:

by tigger (May 19th - 10:10 AM) - Reply

Esata is great.the only problem is,it needs a seperate power connector,whereas usb does not.If esata had integrated the power and signal in one plug ala usb,it would be much more useful.

by TheLostSwede (May 19th - 10:11 AM) - Reply

The ExpressCard also seems to have a power connector, but what does it draw power from? A USB 2.0 port :D
As what's the point of this if you need an external power brick for the USB 3.0 card for your notebook, then you might as well use eSATA and bring the power brick for the device.

by tigger (May 19th - 10:13 AM) - Reply

I think express cards draw power from the pci-e bus,like a pci-e card does.I could be wrong though.

EDIT- i see the power connector now,and you're right.Esata is probably faster than usb3(i think) so you may as well use esata and use the brick anyway.

by alexp999 (May 19th - 10:18 AM) - Reply

How much power does a typical external HDD use? Thats the only reason i see for the external power connector.

Cus atm, my external HDD needs two USB ports

by tigger (May 19th - 10:31 AM) - Reply

According to this-
http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/storage/hddpower.html

It seems about 5-17(idle to read) and upto 30 on startup.Theres some quite interesting info on that page.

by h3llb3nd4 (May 19th - 10:37 AM) - Reply

do you have a 2.5 or 3.5"?

by moto666 (May 19th - 12:43 PM) - Reply | Edit

eSata isn't faster than USB3

eSata _ 3Gbit/s
USB3 _ 4,8Gbit/s

but there will be 2years or so when we will sea many USB3 devices.
That was tha case when USB2 was introduced in 2000, in 2001 all laptops hade just USB1 but in 2002 and 2003 the USB2 protokoll was on the rise everywhere! So 2010-11 Will be the year of USB3 and SATAIII 6Gbit/s or eSataII 6Gbit/s maybe...

by DanTheBanjoman (May 19th - 1:06 PM) - Reply

by: moto666
eSata isn't faster than USB3

eSata _ 3Gbit/s
USB3 _ 4,8Gbit/s

Though how efficient is USB3 compared to eSATA? I'd imagine eSATA still being superior for storage devices. USB is more flexible though, you can connect practically anything to it.

by mdm-adph (May 19th - 3:23 PM) - Reply

Well, that was quick.

by tigger (May 19th - 3:37 PM) - Reply

Usb is rubbish for storage devices,portable hdd's etc.The transfer rate is too slow for transfering large amounts of data to a usb hdd.Esata on the other hand is really fast,not far off as fast as my internal hdd.

Usb3 had better be at least as fast as esata or its going to be useless for external usb3 hdd's.

As far as i'm concerned,usb2 is only any use for peripherals and usb cams,forget using it for a 1tb external hdd:laugh:

by OnBoard (May 19th - 7:03 PM) - Reply

by: tigger
Esata is great.the only problem is,it needs a seperate power connector,whereas usb does not.If esata had integrated the power and signal in one plug ala usb,it would be much more useful.

It has:

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2009/05/14/msi-unveils-power-esata/

Though I think ASRock was the first to have it. Now if that was made when eSATA was new, it would be much better. Still it works as a regular USB port, so it's more useful than plain SATA.

by Ahhzz (May 19th - 7:53 PM) - Reply

by: tigger
Usb is rubbish for storage devices,portable hdd's etc.The transfer rate is too slow for transfering large amounts of data to a usb hdd.Esata on the other hand is really fast,not far off as fast as my internal hdd.

Usb3 had better be at least as fast as esata or its going to be useless for external usb3 hdd's.

As far as i'm concerned,usb2 is only any use for peripherals and usb cams,forget using it for a 1tb external hdd:laugh:

by: btarunr
A successor to USB 2.0, USB 3.0 offers 10-times the bandwidth (4.8 Gbps), although it will take a while for devices to use all that bandwidth, let alone support the standard.

Source: PC Watch

looks pretty solid fast to me....

by 95Viper (May 19th - 8:02 PM) - Reply

I have not seen any, but, if it does what is promised, it should be the BIG Kahuna, Top Dog, etc. . :)

It can be optical, it is full duplex (usb 2.0 is only half-duplex), and, oh well, read here:http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-262047.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9780794-1.html
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/everything_you_need_know_about_usb_30_plus_first_spliced_cable_photos

by Hayder_Master (May 19th - 11:51 PM) - Reply

so it is started , we expect many many things run on USB 3.0 and time new mobo's chipset's must be already based USB 3.0

by tkpenalty (May 20th - 5:26 AM) - Reply

Note 4.8Gbps USB3.0 is the burst rate, and not the sustained rate of transfer unlike E-SATA, thus speeds would realistically be like half of that.

by twicksisted (May 20th - 1:48 PM) - Reply

theyll probably make external graphics cards (like external soundcards) USB3 connected for extra horsepower so a 12v connection is a good idea

by Scrizz (May 20th - 4:56 PM) - Reply

can't w8 for this to be widely used

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