USB 3.0 Port looks different

Drake5 · 16 Apr 2012 at 01:39

This is going to be a noob question I know...

But the USB 3.0 port on my laptop looks different than the USB 2.0 ports internally.

The usb 2.0 ports have a flat edge when looking into them but the USB 3.0 ports kind of look like something has stuck inside them... Is this normal?

My USB Stick works in the USB 3.0 port to I wasn't quite sure if it had meant to?

So in short do the internals of a USB 3.0 port look different?

Cheers

Meaker · 16 Apr 2012 at 01:47

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_3.0

Gamer_T · 16 Apr 2012 at 02:05

Hmm, my usb 3.0 port isn't flat though when you look onto it. It has 4 holes that go across it

Drake5 · 16 Apr 2012 at 02:31

Sorry for the crappy phone quality, this is how mine looks.

It looks like the casing has come off around the port? But the laptop is brand new and the only thing that's been in that port before is a keyboard/mouse.

Is it just normal? Everything works in it fine. Just looks different

Cheers

Drake5 · 16 Apr 2012 at 02:42

Actually the manual states it's not a USB 3.0 port at all... I'm not quite sure why I thought it was but it still looks different than the other 2.0 ports.

Why could it look like that? :S

bremen1874 · 16 Apr 2012 at 02:54

What laptop is it?

Drake5 · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:03

bremen1874 said:
What laptop is it?

It is an Acer Aspire 5750Z. I just spoke to my brother about it to, (it used to be his). The first one he had displayed the same looking USB port so he took it back and got a brand new replacement and now this is the same to.

I did a Google and stumbled on this thread with a picture in it: (The first picture, the bottom port looks EXACTLY like one of mine.
http://forums.thedailywtf.com/forums/p/13657/205651.aspx

Any idea why only one port would be made like this? :confused:

Also if I look inside the port there's an extra 'bracket' on the floor of it which my other ports don't have.

Cheers

Rroff · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:10

May be a dual function port - tho for what I don't know - the rear USB ports on my gaming laptop can also be used as esata ports and look different to the normal USB ports but work fine as USB.

Drake5 · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:13

Rroff said:
May be a dual function port - tho for what I don't know - the rear USB ports on my gaming laptop can also be used as esata ports and look different to the normal USB ports but work fine as USB.

I don't know if you saw my ninja edit but inside the floor of the port there's an extra bracket thing in the middle to.

Could well be a dual function port but I don't think it's esata as that does look a bit different.

Anyone else got any ideas?

Cheers

Rroff · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:17

Yeah its not esata as mine have a slot that intersects the usual USB port horizontally for the wider esata connector but have the same bracket, etc. like yours have.

Drake5 · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:18

Weird :S Any other ideas on what it could be? As said I can't see it being a faulty port as the first laptop we had had the same issue and the port functions fine. It does not feel as tight as the others though when something is plugged in it.

But like said maybe it is a dual function port especially since it has the extra bracket on the floor... I'm trying to Google like mad but can't seem to find anything. :S

bremen1874 · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:20

I've just had a look at a Dell Inspiron 6400 I've got kicking about at the moment. The rear USB connectors are the same as those pictured.

To me it juts looks like part of the manufacturing process. The ends of the normal USB pins are visible down the holes. There's no way that anything could be plugged into them.

Drake5 · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:21

But the thing I'm concerned about is the other 2 USB Ports on the laptop look fine and normal.

bremen1874 · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:23

The parts could well have come from different suppliers. The 6400 I was looking at has both types. The single connectors have the holes, the double stacked ones don't.

Rroff · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:25

Could be some of the ports are directly connected to the chipset/CPU and have one manufacturers style socket and some are additional ones provided by a 3rd party root hub controller and have a different style port due to being a different manufacturer.

Drake5 · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:32

Well on the left side of the Laptop I have one USB Port which is fine, on the right side I have the 2 ports, one of which is fine and the other which looks weird.

Isn't it something I should be concerned about then?

Cheers

bremen1874 · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:45

If it works as a USB 2.0 port, and there's no advertised functionality missing, what's there to worry about?

Drake5 · 16 Apr 2012 at 03:57

bremen1874 said:
If it works as a USB 2.0 port, and there's no advertised functionality missing, what's there to worry about?

True, I just get paranoid about things like this lol. It's strange because on every one of my other PC's all the usb ports are perfect and have the 'flat' edge with no visible holes. Never seen this type of USB Port before. It does almost look like a USB port has been snagged out of but I know that's not the case, and if it was it'd have a visible break and probably do even more damage to the port.

Cheers

memyselfandi · 16 Apr 2012 at 07:59

Tom_D said:
Well on the left side of the Laptop I have one USB Port which is fine, on the right side I have the 2 ports, one of which is fine and the other which looks weird.

Isn't it something I should be concerned about then?

Cheers

Is this the one of the USB ports closest to the optical drive?

If so then the Quickstart manual (from here) seems to indicate that it is a USB 2.0/3.0 port whilst the port next to it is just USB 2.0. They even look slightly different in the image in the Quickstart manual.

Drake5 · 16 Apr 2012 at 11:26

memyselfandi said:
Is this the one of the USB ports closest to the optical drive?

If so then the Quickstart manual (from here) seems to indicate that it is a USB 2.0/3.0 port whilst the port next to it is just USB 2.0. They even look slightly different in the image in the Quickstart manual.

Yes it is the port closest to the optical drive. I knew I read something about it being a USB 3.0 Port.

So afterall that is why it looks different? It is still a bit strange though because I can't find any other usb 3.0 port that looks like the one I've got on Google.

Thanks

EDIT - Just downloaded the quick start guide and I think that's for the 5750G which does have a USB 3.0 Port but it is a different model, so I'm not to sure on wether mine is a USB 3.0 Port afterall.

Cheers