CPU/Mobo Query about USB 3.0 Pcie Cards !

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I have one USB 3.0 complaint HDD and I am planning to buy a second one asap. Neither my Laptop or my HTPC or my Desktop has a USB 3.0 port. I am not planning to upgrade to a new mobo or a laptop anytime soon but I want to utilize the USB 3.0 HDD's full potential. I have thought of a solution but I want your advise on the same.

I have spotted two relatively cheap USB 3.0 PCIe Cards which I am planning to put on my HTPC which is on a Gigabyte 880GM UD2H board. The two cards are as followss:

http://www.ebay.in/itm/New-4-Port-U...dia&hash=item3f231090f6&_uhb=1#ht_2672wt_1139 (This has 4 USB 3.0 ports but is a generic brand)

&

http://www.ebay.in/itm/TRANSCEND-Du..._DefaultDomain_203&hash=item25784bcd63&_uhb=1 (This has 2 USB 3.0 ports but is by Transcend).

My question to you guys is that do these genuinely work. What are your experiences with the same.I was reading over the net and the important thing which they mentioned was that the PCIe port on the mobo should be 2.0 complaint otherwise the speeds would be bottle necked due to the port. Does my mobo qualify for that standard. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in Advance

Switch
 
Pcie speeds are far greater than usb 3. We have been running 8gig fc over 8x Pcie slot. Usb3 is just 400mbps.
 
@Switch, I wouldn't worry. The first few 'USB 3.0' mobos actually came with a PCIe card to provide USB 3.0 functionality (my Asus 880G came with such a card and this mobo looks similar - PCIe 1.0 died with the RS480 seven years ago). Internally the chips are connected to a PCIe x1 interface anyway. Besides, you will be limited by the disk speed anyway, so unless the drive is a quick one internally you won't get that much difference and on anything less than large seq transfers, none at all.

@psdatta2005: Plugging a PCIe card into a PCI slot will kill the card, your board and anything connected to the card. The interfaces are not interchangeable and PCIe slots have a tab lock preventing you from plugging in a PCI card, the reverse is not true.
 
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I'm using one of these cards on my age-old C2Q machine... it works fine and gives far better speeds than USB2... I get around an average speed of 70Mbs/sec
 
Thanks for the input guys. So should I pick up the 4 port one or 2 port one. The price difference is negligible but I want faster transfers rather then 2 extra ports.
 
Speed should not differ on 4 or 2 port ones. Look for the chipset used and see if it supports the new USB3 mode (forgot the name, shall google and post it later)

Also, try to utilize the ebay WTF offer if possible.
 
Switch said:
I have one USB 3.0 complaint HDD and I am planning to buy a second one asap. Neither my Laptop or my HTPC or my Desktop has a USB 3.0 port. I am not planning to upgrade to a new mobo or a laptop anytime soon but I want to utilize the USB 3.0 HDD's full potential. I have thought of a solution but I want your advise on the same.

I have spotted two relatively cheap USB 3.0 PCIe Cards which I am planning to put on my HTPC which is on a Gigabyte 880GM UD2H board. The two cards are as followss:

http://www.ebay.in/itm/New-4-Port-U...dia&hash=item3f231090f6&_uhb=1#ht_2672wt_1139 (This has 4 USB 3.0 ports but is a generic brand)

&

http://www.ebay.in/itm/TRANSCEND-Du..._DefaultDomain_203&hash=item25784bcd63&_uhb=1 (This has 2 USB 3.0 ports but is by Transcend).

My question to you guys is that do these genuinely work. What are your experiences with the same.I was reading over the net and the important thing which they mentioned was that the PCIe port on the mobo should be 2.0 complaint otherwise the speeds would be bottle necked due to the port. Does my mobo qualify for that standard. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in Advance

Switch
Click to expand...

You can go for these instead:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCI-E-USB-3...-Connector-Control-Card-Adapter-/120953173590

http://www.grabmore.in/products/0065030837408/StarTech.com 7 Port PCI Express Low Profile High Speed USB 2.0 Adapter Card (PEXUSB7LP).html?utm_source=shopmania&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=direct_link


http://www.cromaretail.com/D-Link-DUB-1310-USB-30-PCI-Express-Card-pc-10843-824.aspx
 
bssunil said:
You can go for these instead:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCI-E-USB-3...-Connector-Control-Card-Adapter-/120953173590

http://www.grabmore.in/products/0065030837408/StarTech.com 7 Port PCI Express Low Profile High Speed USB 2.0 Adapter Card (PEXUSB7LP).html?utm_source=shopmania&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=direct_link


http://www.cromaretail.com/D-Link-DUB-1310-USB-30-PCI-Express-Card-pc-10843-824.aspx
Click to expand...

After looking at the prices for the same isn't it advisable to go in for a USB 3.0 board itself. Fewer hassles and it would be guaranteed to work. Plus if i manage to sell my old mobo for 1.5k or less and to get a new mobo for about 4K with a net effect of 2.5K making it a better workaround for me.
 
&bssunil

The one which you suggest at cromaretail is daylight robery. It retails for 2k and that too without even a single internal header for connecting front panel usb port. OMG...

A big NO NO for Dlink . There are other cheap/reliable ones retailing for as low as .7k to .8k along with 2 internal headers . Totally 4 ports. You can go for them...
 
I picked up the transcend one from ebay as I read some revies over at Amazon and was pretty okey with it. It just has two external headers but that works. Gives me an average speed of 70 off MBps which is way better then 25 which I was getting with my USB 3.0 HDD over USB 2.0 ports :).
 
Hey guys,

Thought I would ask here rather than make a new thread. Even I am thinking about getting the 3.0 USB PCIe card. I have an Intel 945GCNL mobo and just now downloaded the tech specs from Intel's website. They show...

• One PCI Express* x1 bus add-in card connector
• One PCI Express x16 bus add-in card connector

So I guess my mobo can support the above Transcend 3.0 USB PCIe card :)

Another VERY IMPORTANT QUERY I needed to ask is, will this work on Windows XP ? My PC is used for company work purpose and personal stuff, hence my company softwares require me to use Windows XP as those company softwares just won't work on Windows 7 :(

So, if I install the above Transcend 3.0 USB PCIe card, do you guys think I'll be able to get 3.0 USB speeds on Windows XP?

Thanx a lot in advance for the help guys :)
 
The mobo should be okey. The issue could be with the driver. Look at the transcend website if they have the driver for win xp. Also read reviews on the net. I read a lot of reviews on the Amazon before buying.
 
there's no usb 3 pci card right? asking because my only pcie x1 slot is already occupied by tuner. x16 slot is occupied by gfx card. only have pci slots left now.
 
varkey said:
Bought this from eBay US, came to Rs 700! :)
Click to expand...

Hi,

What speeds are you getting ? What kind of 3.0 USB device do you have ? Which operating system are you using this with ?

By the way, I presume you used your credit card to order this. How long did it take to reach India ? Did you incur any customs ?

Also, why this and not the Transcend one ? I think the Transcend one would come with Indian warranty, so don't you think it's better to get that ?

Sorry for asking so many questions. Am just too curious :D
 
ravihpa said:
Hi,

What speeds are you getting ? What kind of 3.0 USB device do you have ? Which operating system are you using this with ?

By the way, I presume you used your credit card to order this. How long did it take to reach India ? Did you incur any customs ?

Also, why this and not the Transcend one ? I think the Transcend one would come with Indian warranty, so don't you think it's better to get that ?

Sorry for asking so many questions. Am just too curious :D
Click to expand...

I just ordered it, so will take 2-3 weeks to get it I suppose. So will answer your other questions once I get it. ;) Usually for small packages like this there won't be any duty.

First of all I didn't see the Transcend Rs 950 listing until after I ordered this. :( If I had, I would've probably bought the Transcend with some coupon. Anyway I also wanted the internal 20 pin connector which I think the Transcend doesn't have. Yes the transcend comes with 2 year warranty. Plus the one I ordered has the NEC/Renesas D720201 chipset, in case of Transcend it can either be the older D720200A or the newer D720202 chipset, the latter is better.

Btw @Switch, did yours come with a SATA power connector? If yes its the newer model. And from which seller did you buy it?
 
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