Lenovo - Does the new mini-dock support USB 3 with the W520? [ Edited ]

[SSDee]

Edit: @Harris is right. The 30 dock is hard to come by. I screwed up the part # earlier.

However, you can still find them:

Amazon

and there are others. I don't know for how much longer though.

Lenovo should be a little bit more upfront with their customers about this issue. A lot of retailers won't let you return it unless it's defective (not defective by design).

[harrisb]

The hardware limitation should have been clearly documented if it does in fact exist. I had previously asked if the latest Renesas USB 3.0 driver had been used (to eliminate the issue of software/hardware compatibility), but I've never seen a reply.

BTW, Newegg has no stock for the 433830U docking station:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006742&isNodeI...

[SSDee]

@Harris

I was hoping it was a driver / firmware issue, but @Ron states earlier in this thread "It's a hardware limitation". 

Without a technical explanation, I don't have a lot of confidence in this statement. Ron?

[harrisb]

I was curious as to what an "MTT USB Hub" meant in the PCI tree below The USB 3.0 docking station apparently uses the Renesas MTT hub, . Here's an extract of an explanation:

What is the difference between Single Transaction Translator(STT) and Multiple Transaction Translator (MTT)

A USB hub has two choices for organizing Transaction Translators (TTs). A hub can have one TT for all downstream facing ports that have full-/low-speed devices attached ( called Single Transaction Translator---STT) or the hub can have one TT for each downstream facing port ( called Multiple Transaction Translator---MTT) . For Multiple Transaction Translator (MTT) , each downstream port of the Hub has its own transaction translator to provide the best USB performance no matter what class of USB device is connected it. When implementing a USB Hub system, consider the types of devices and the speeds they will run at. If downstream USB devices are either all high-speed or just a single full-/low-speed device a lower cost, a Single Transaction Translator (STT) hub can be considered. If the application is multiple full-/low-speed devices with a need for bandwidth, a Multiple Transaction Translator (MTT) hub should be used. In the case of consumers connecting full-/low- speed devices with USB 2.0 hubs that use Single Transaction Translator (STT) technology, they are bound to face performance issues when multiple USB devices are used.

[Ron_9972 Retired Support Specialist]

harrisb, I asked one of our lab staff.  I'll try to get a screenshot posted later today.

[Mark_Lenovo Former Administrator]

I think Ron's statements are factually correct.   The issue remaining seems to be what the expected behavior of the Dock USB 3.0 ports with the W520 attached.    I'm told that the dock will perform at USB 2.0 with the W520 installed because:

"The USB 3.0 controller of W520 is a discrete part (not built into the chipset), and I don't know how it would be technically possible to route it through the dock. I think it is only possible to get USB 2.0 through the dock, and this is what the screenshot is showing in Ron's post (#2 of the thread).  The W530 works because USB 3.0 is built into the chipset."

I also inquired with our senior hardware team, and they indicated that :

"The new dock has no USB 3.0 capability with Huron River systems (520); USB 3.0 is with Chief River and beyond. The docs and web site are already being updated to make this clear."   

Additionally, it seems that if the W530 (or other Chief River) system is running XP and docked, the port will also be limited to USB 2.0 speeds.

If you purchsed the new dock from Lenovo directly and believe that the information was misleading and that you want to return the dock, I would encourage you to contact sales.  I would think that restocking fees could be waived under the clause "unless in case of Lenovo error".   

Hope this helps to clear things up.

Harrisb,

Thanks for help and clarification here - as always, your contributions here are much appreciated by all!

Best regards,

Mark

[SSDee]

Thank you for looking into this issue, Mark.

[bmegdal]

I originally posted this inquiry, and when it was confirmed that I uselessly upgraded my dock, I called Lenovo Tech Support, and got a case number, which did not really authorize a return, but it was enough that the retailer (Provantage) gave me an RMA to return it for a refund.

- Barry

[SSDee]

Thanks for the update, Barry. Sorry about the troubles.

Now I am scrounging to find a second 433830U dock at a reasonable price. There's no shortage of overpriced ones on eBay.

Will the W520 work with any mini docks besides the 30U and 35U?

If anyone has a used 30U please give me a shout.

[harrisb]

Here is a distributor for the dock with 64 in stock. I've previously dealt with Insight.

https://www.insight.com/search/ppp.web?materialId=433830U