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I have a Dell Inspiron 15R 5520 laptop with 4 USB ports.

One of them has nothing on it. Two of them have a USB symbol with SS.(USB 3.0 I suppose) One of them has USB with both SS and a bolt symbol. (Maybe USB 3.0 Thunderbolt)

But when I transfer data from my laptop through USB cable, the speed doesn't go beyond 1mbps.

Where lies the problem ?

Thanks in advance.

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  • 2
    For the speed, please ensure you are being precise. Is it Mbps or MBps? Mbps = Megabits per second. MBps = Megabytes per second. One byte is equal to eight bits. So this means 1MBps is equal to around 8Mbps. Also, are you using a USB 3.0 device on the port you think is USB 3.0? USB 3.0 ports are usually backwards compatible, so you will only notice a speed difference if using a USB 3.0 device on a USB 3.0 port.
    – David
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 4:06
  • Mib is bits, Mb is bytes.
    – user88311
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 12:45

2 Answers 2

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According to this review:

The left side of the Dell Inspiron 15R houses two USB 3.0 ports, headphone and microphone jacks, HDMI and VGA video connection. That same side includes the fan vent. The right side includes two more USB 3.0 ports,

So it would seem the answer is yes. The bolt symbol most likely means its a powered port - meaning it will provide USB power to charge devices even if it is off. It is most definitely not Thunderbolt, which is a different technology and connector all together.

Also, just because the ports are USB 3, doesnt mean you will get USB 3 speeds. Your devices and USB cable need to be USB 3, as well. If not, it will fall back to USB version 1, 1.1, or 2 speeds depending on the device.

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  • Good answer! +1 Expanding on the lighting bolt USB port, the following link talks about how it identifies that it is called a high powered USB port. Traditional USB ports output about 500 milliamps, these new High Powered USB ports provide up to 1000 milliamps, or 1 Amp. Also, as you said, it will charge a device whether or not the computer is on. thegeekpost.com/2011/08/15/…
    – David
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 4:16
  • Ah yes. High powered USB port. That's what it is
    – Keltari
    Commented Jun 28, 2013 at 5:00
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It is important that everyting in the USB chain ist USB 3.0 : The conector, the hub, the target and EVERY cable used in the chain. Even a short cable Extension to get some space between the hub and the connecting device must be USB 3.0.

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