Does the Pavilion dv7-6163us have 3.0 ports?

[JohnCGarvin]

Based on information posted on HP's official website( http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c02863099), I thought that the Pavilion dv7-6163 had 3.0 usb ports available and just bought one.  Yet Staples say no, forums seem to  disagree about it, and the enclosed documentation with the computer says nothing definitive.  Does it or doesn't it?  Is there a diagnostic tool that one can use to determine the nature of the ports on this computer?  If there are 3.0 ports, I'm glad and frustrated that it takes Sherlock Holmes to solve the mystery.  If there are no 3.0 ports, why does the official site say it does and what recourse do I have with my two day old computer?   Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[banhien]

Hi,

It should have two USB 3.0 ports and two USB 2 ports as in the specs. Does your machine have 4 ports all together ? BUT, yes but, do you know what is the CPU on your machine ? Machines with Intel CPU do not have USB 3.0 ports as mention in the manual, please look at this:

Regards,

[JohnCGarvin]

The PC has the i-7 CPU so it looks like I'm stuck.  I REALLY wanted a PC that had at least one 3.0 port so I'm going to try the return routine.  Shame on me for not double checking with the store on ALL specs.  Shame on HP for publishing specifications that are incorrect for the exact model number I bought. 

[JohnCGarvin]

Answer:  Yes, it DOES have two 3.0 ports and two 2.0 ports.  The 3.0 are on the left side of the PC.  My CPU is an Intel i-7 and not an AMD.  I contacted HP tech support and they directed me to the documentation on this website.  I persisted and eventually found that there is very tiny writing and symbols under the ports themselves.  The 3.0 ports have SS followed by the USB symbol.  Also, by going to the Control Panel>System and Security>System>Device Manager>Universal Serial Bus Controllers [Don't you just LOVE how easy this is?] you'll find that there are controllers installed for 3.0. 

   OK, my own thoughts here.  How come all this has to be so hard for everyone to understand and agree on?  Staples own website says it does NOT have 3.0 ports yet it does.  It seems to me that HP is not communicating clearly with their vendors and whoever is in charge of all at HP "has an opportunity for improvement".   Nuff said. 

[RobertYoungberg]

Thank you so much for this clarification.  The HP Pavilion dv6-6047 cl also has 2 USB 3.0 ports on the left side - marked with the SS+USB Symbol and two USB 2.0 ports on the right side.  The store clerk kept saying they weren't because they were not blue.

I had found the Control Panel>System and Security>System>Device Manager>Universal Serial Bus Controllers information was not sure if that meant the devices were actually there and working. 

Here is an article with real world tests of 3.0 vs. 2.0:

http://blog.premiumusb.com/2011/12/usb-2-vs-usb-3-speed-test-results/ 

Any SIMPLE way to actually test the USB 3.0 ports? 

Cheers!

Robert

[hchen42]

Just want to make this perfectly clear for anyone looking at dv7-6163US.  I've own it for almost a year.  IT HAS TWO USB3.0 PORTS.  As mentioned by other posters, the two ports are on the left side. Staples employees, sites are like Best Buys employees, they are SALES people.  They are not tech people.  They don't really know what the heck they are talking about.

I have consistently transferring files to/from a USB 3.0 external drive at 60MBps (or roughly 600 mbps).  This transfer rate is above USB 2.0 spec.  So yes, it is is USB 3.0.

Some added information in case you encounter problems with these ports.

- Windows 7 does not natively support USB 3.0. 

- if You are reinstalling Win7 from a flash drive, use the usb 2.0 ports (right side one).

- if you are reinstalling win7, make sure you install usb 3.0 driver.  Otherwise you will encounter error or usb 2.0 speed.