… is there any reason or benefit in replacing it ?
Yes, there are discussions about it. The later generations respond faster, resulting in things like less time on opening/closing Cubase. I’ve replaced my stone age dongle some years ago. With the old one I had to dis-/reconnect it every time I restarted my computer 
Not only faster operations, but more stable. I was having frequent crashes before I switched to newer dongle.
Replace my dongle??? With what - one of those prosthetic, pump-up models?
Never!!!
Don’t be afraid, your new model will be smaller and even shorter. Just more ladylike 
Lol umm…
Interesting. Funny thing is I have literally no issues with it at all which is why I never have replaced it. Also No crashes. Usually they are third party plugin related if I do get a crash. And the actual e license booting up section is only seconds before it goes into the actual boot up of the project. I’d be surprised if a new dongle would speed the increase of an actual project loading ?
(The only issue I currently have is that having the record button enables on a kontack 6 instrument track with wave alchemy bass synth makes the presets load very very slowly. Turn off record enable and everything is fine. )
My crashes have tended to be third party plugin related. Like with kontakt or something
We need a metal dongle. Period.
Hi there
I’m taking this up from another thread, because I haven’t yet seen a usefull answer:
According to this
https://helpcenter.steinberg.de/hc/en-us/articles/115001652690-USB-eLicenser-revisions-dongle-key-
it seems that there is no technical difference between 2., 3. and 4. generation - only differences in size and colour. Is that a fact?
Metal USB-C please…
Boo to USB-C.
USB-C on my Macbook pro has been nothing but a disaster. Constant disconnects if the connector wriggles even a half of a millimeter loose. I’m amazed there isnt more uproar about the USB-C socket and connector design on the MBP. A Steinberg dongle disconnect = crash.
I replaced my 15 year old dongle a couple of years ago. I did notice a substantial performance increase with Cubase. Also the new dongle is much shorter so there’s much less chance of hitting and breaking it. I now keep the old one as a backup.
Do know which generation dongle it was, the old one?
The decline of Apple is a sad story. From a Computer blue ship to a toy manufacture in only a few years.
Is there more memory in the later revisions?
My problem is, I have run out of space on my 1st generation dongle. I’ve had to start using a second (also gen 1) dongle and could o with the USB slot back.
I bought the old dongle when I upgraded to Cubase Essential 5. The old dongle is 5cm long, including the metal connector.
Bought a new dongle. Managed to move across all the licenses off my old dongle as well as everything on my IKMultimedia dongle. So I’d say there is more space.
I got a little blue dongle with SX3 juuuuuuuuust prior to the release of C4, the same week or something for grace period reasons.
I’ve bought two computers since and the dongle has been sitting in the back of them and almost never been moved.
It looks like new but it’s actually about 15 years old …
Is that the old or are there even older ones?
… any difference? … anyone?