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USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

T430-T490, T530-T590 Series
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Peter Linu
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USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

#1 Post by Peter Linu » Mon Jul 08, 2019 8:40 pm

I have recently read about the new USB standard.
Will it/they be installable on a Thinkpad T440p?

w0qj
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Re: USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

#2 Post by w0qj » Tue Jul 09, 2019 10:52 am

All users make do with whatever USB ports they have on their computer; these are not user-upgradable.

ie: Your T440p came with USB 3.0 ports, and unfortunately cannot "upgrade" these.
Daily Driver: (X1E3) X1 Extreme 3rd Gen | mobile broadband (WWAN)
Current Thinkpads: X1E3 | X1E1 | X1C10 | X1C9 | X1C4 | X1C3 | X230
Retired Thinkpads: X250 | T410 | T42 | 560 (circa 1996)

Peter Linu
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Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

#3 Post by Peter Linu » Tue Jul 09, 2019 6:41 pm

Thanx for your answer. Pity. I wanted to pimp my lappie to the max.

w0qj
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Re: USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

#4 Post by w0qj » Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:37 am

If you are on the market for a new notebook computer, IMHO, now is the time to future-proof your computer.
Ideally your computer would have two (2x) USB 3.0 ports, and also two (2x) USB-C ports.

~USB 3.0 ports: this would be go-to (dare I suggest the default choice) for computer accessories (USB thumbstick, etc.) for years to come.
(Just last night, I did transfer from external USB 3.0 HDD enclosure to USB 3.0 thumbstick, so two USB 3.0 ports is the minimum.
No USB connection for my USB mouse while doing doing this transfer by the way!)
~Personally, I suspect that the number of USB 3.0 ports may be cut to just one (1) USB 3.0 ports in the future. Which is not nearly enough.

~USB-C ports: for your smartphone connection in the near future, perhaps a dedicated (expensive) HDD/SSD USB-C connection, etc.
And that's the point: expensive connections.

Therefore USB 3.0 ports would be used for years to come.
Daily Driver: (X1E3) X1 Extreme 3rd Gen | mobile broadband (WWAN)
Current Thinkpads: X1E3 | X1E1 | X1C10 | X1C9 | X1C4 | X1C3 | X230
Retired Thinkpads: X250 | T410 | T42 | 560 (circa 1996)

Peter Linu
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Posts: 58
Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2019 3:10 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

#5 Post by Peter Linu » Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:25 am

Dear W0qj,
Thanks for your input. I can deal with USB 3.0 only no matter how mundane it is!

axur-delmeria
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Re: USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

#6 Post by axur-delmeria » Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:00 pm

I see two issues exist when attempting to add USB3.1 on old laptops:

1. Bandwidth -- the Asmedia ASM1142 USB 3.1 controller chip used in most cards requires a PCIe Gen2 x2 or PCIe Gen3 x1 link. Unless there's a slot in the T440p that has accessible PCIe lanes that aren't BIOS-whitelisted, it's already dead in the water.

2. Power -- desktop USB 3.1 PCIe cards have an optional SATA power connector; pretty sure it's going to be necessary in a laptop, if the DC-in jack found in some Expresscard USB 3.0 cards is any indication.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

WarhawkCZ
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Re: USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

#7 Post by WarhawkCZ » Fri Jul 12, 2019 7:38 am

Gentlemen, (and ladies), USB is mess these days.
FYI:

USB3.0 = USB 3.1 gen 1 (5Gbps) -> Renamed due to marketing
USB3.1 gen 2 (10Gbps) -> Difficult to get even for new laptops.

USB-C -> Description of the physical connector. Nothing else. USB-C connector can host typically these functions:
  • USB3.0 (3.1 Gen 1)
  • USB3.1 gen 2
  • Thunderbolt (proprietary IP 40Gbps)
  • Power Delivery (charging cellphones)
  • Power delivery (chargin the laptop through the USB-C connector)
  • Display port alternate mode (some wires in the USB-C cables switch to Display Port mode, remaining wires may support e.g. USB2.0
If you're buying a laptop with USB-C, it is important to know which functions are supported. I bought Swift 3 for my GF. However, the laptop comes in so many variants which seem to be identical but they are not (glossy screen, thickness, ports arrangement, processor generation etc. etc.). The version I bought (Swift 3 Pro SF514-56) supports practically only USB3.1 gen 1 on the USB-C connector. This makes it quite useless.

axur-delmeria
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Re: USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

#8 Post by axur-delmeria » Fri Jul 12, 2019 12:06 pm

WarhawkCZ,

The ASM1142 I mentioned earlier is a USB 3.1 Gen2 Host Controller: http://www.asmedia.com.tw/eng/e_show_pr ... _index=175
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

WarhawkCZ
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Posts: 179
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Re: USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

#9 Post by WarhawkCZ » Fri Jul 12, 2019 12:08 pm

axur-delmeria wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 12:06 pm
WarhawkCZ,

The ASM1142 I mentioned earlier is a USB 3.1 Gen2 Host Controller: http://www.asmedia.com.tw/eng/e_show_pr ... _index=175
I am sorry, I read it quickly at work :) 8)

axur-delmeria
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Re: USB3.1 & higher on a Thinkpad T440p

#10 Post by axur-delmeria » Sat Jul 13, 2019 12:32 am

WarhawkCZ wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 12:08 pm
I am sorry, I read it quickly at work :) 8)
No problem. I do agree that USB 3.1 is a mess. Thunderbolt too.
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons :lol:
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E :cry:

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