PCMCIA USB2 card useful

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Uwe Ziegenhagen <newsgroup@ziegenhagen.info> wrote:
: Hello,

: my laptop just supports USB2 so I think about upgrading it with a PCMCIA
: USB2 card? Would it make sense, is the PCMCIA connection significantly
: faster than the USB1 connectors I already have?

Yes, a USB 2.0 card is much faster than USB 1. You will need USB 2
for external hard drives and disc burners. If you don't use either of
these, USB 2 may not help you much.

I have a USB 2.0 card (from D-link) for my laptop and it works very
well.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
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Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Andrew" <usenetMYSHOES@bizaveMYSHOES.com> wrote in message
news:czcasduuaxc114924645454209@bizaveMYSHOES.com...
> Uwe Ziegenhagen <newsgroup@ziegenhagen.info> wrote:
> : Hello,
>
> : my laptop just supports USB2 so I think about upgrading it with a PCMCIA
> : USB2 card? Would it make sense, is the PCMCIA connection significantly
> : faster than the USB1 connectors I already have?
>
> Yes, a USB 2.0 card is much faster than USB 1. You will need USB 2
> for external hard drives and disc burners. If you don't use either of
> these, USB 2 may not help you much.
>
I've heard that the cards aren't nearly as fast as 'native,' (built-in) USB
2.0 capability--but still much better than USB 1.....

jak

> I have a USB 2.0 card (from D-link) for my laptop and it works very
> well.
>
> Andrew
> --
> ----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
> *******************************************************************
> ----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
> ----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
> *******************************************************************
>

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

"Uwe Ziegenhagen" <newsgroup@ziegenhagen.info> wrote in message
news:cj98ct$vrs$1@lnews.rz.hu-berlin.de...
> Hello,
>
> my laptop just supports USB2

If your laptop already has the USB 2.0 ports why would you need a USB 2.0
slot card?


so I think about upgrading it with a PCMCIA
> USB2 card? Would it make sense, is the PCMCIA connection significantly
> faster than the USB1 connectors I already have?
>

It makes a lot of sense if you don't already have USB 2.0 ports.

> If the PCMCIA connection just transfers 15 MBit I can save the money...
>

15 Mbps? That's like low speed USB 1.1 or 2.0. "Hi-speed" USB 2.0 has a
transfer rate of 480 Mbps.

> Uwe
> --
>
> mail to newsgroup@ziegenhagen.info is read only from time to time. If
> you need an urgent answer, google for me.
>

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

jakdedert <jdedert@bellsouth.net> wrote:
: I've heard that the cards aren't nearly as fast as 'native,' (built-in) USB
: 2.0 capability--but still much better than USB 1.....

Could be. But I have used both external hard drives and a DVD burner
with my USB 2.0 card and I've not noticed any slow speed problems. I
also use the same devices on a desktop with native USB 2.0 hardware
and cannot notice any performance difference. Could be that the
devices I'm using are not even close to using the full 480Mb/sec
bandwidth potential of USB 2.0.

Andrew
--
----> Portland, Oregon, USA <----
*******************************************************************
----> http://www.bizave.com <---- Photo Albums and Portland Info
----> To Email me remove "MYSHOES" from email address
*******************************************************************

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

jakdedert <jdedert@bellsouth.net> wrote:
:
: I've heard that the cards aren't nearly as fast as 'native,' (built-in) USB
: 2.0 capability--but still much better than USB 1.....
:
If they are "Cardbus" USB2.0 cards they should be
just as fast as the built in socket, as both are 32 bit
busses.

If it is a "PCMCIA" USB 2.0 card, then, yeah, it is
only 16 bit bus. Or, the good one, is "compatible", or
well, no, not really cards.

Bruce
--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I like bad!" Bruce Burden Austin, TX.
- Thuganlitha
The Power and the Prophet
Robert Don Hughes

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Bruce Burden <brucegb@realtime.net> wrote:

> If they are "Cardbus" USB2.0 cards they should be
> just as fast as the built in socket, as both are 32 bit
> busses.
>
> If it is a "PCMCIA" USB 2.0 card, then, yeah, it is
> only 16 bit bus. Or, the good one, is "compatible", or
> well, no, not really cards.

There's no such thing as a 16BIT USB adapter. You _must_ have a Cardbus
(32BIT) enabled PC slot in order to use a USB adapter, regardless of whether
it's USB1.1 or USB2.0.

--
Regards,

James

Checkout the NEW Thinkpad Forums: http://forum.thinkpads.com

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

I also have a D-Link USB 2.0 and it works great. Didn't even have to
manually install any drivers. But where are you finding a USB 1 for less?
When I searched for one for an old laptop that won't take CardBus cards they
were selling for a lot more than 2.0 Cardbus cards.

Archived from groups: comp.sys.laptops (More info?)

Get a card that uses the NEC chipset - this seems to be the standard and
works best. I had trouble when using a cheap USB 2.0 pcmcia and then got
myself a (more expensive) Adaptec card - and it works fine. Just check
the web, you'll find some comments on this.

martin



Uwe Ziegenhagen wrote:
> Hello,
>
> my laptop just supports USB2 so I think about upgrading it with a PCMCIA
> USB2 card? Would it make sense, is the PCMCIA connection significantly
> faster than the USB1 connectors I already have?
>
> If the PCMCIA connection just transfers 15 MBit I can save the money...
>
> Uwe