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NEC Rolls-out First USB 3.0 Add-on Cards

btarunr

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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.



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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??
 
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.
 
Ahhh.. you beat me too it was just going to say the same thing Weer :)
 
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.
 
true:laugh:
but I need to save up first:(
 
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:
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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
 
do you have a 2.5 or 3.5"?
 
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...
 
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.
 
Well, that was quick.
 
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:
 
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.
 
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:



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