I am pulling this totally out of my ass, and I might be making assumptions to aren't necessarily true or accurate. But, maybe you can run a powered USB 2.0 hub on one of those 3.0 ports. My assumption would be the chain would only be as strong as the weakest link (2.0 hub) that you might be able to get 2.0 performance on those 3.0 ports.
This would at least possibly eliminate or confirm down stepping to 2.0 as a solution
But I have not had this issue and could not tell you if it would work or not.
I have seen a ton of P52 laptops used in the architecture and engineering industry. I would lean that way or a more modern option depending on budget. P1 laptops are also pretty cool. Not as powerful but more portable and slimmer.