View Full Version : USB 3
My usb ports are all 2 usb.I have just ordered a 1TB 3 usb external hdd.Am I right in assuming that a 3 usb hdd will not work if connected to a 2 usb port?I can buy a pci-e 3 usb card adapter which will work if I find that I have the right size pci slot on my motherboard.I have not yet checked to see if I have the correct size pci slot on my motherboard.I know I should have checked before ordering the new hdd If I haven't then a new motherboard will be required.I just need one of you computer geniuses to confirm that a 3 usb device will not work when connected to a 2 usb port.The best reply would be to say it would work when connected to a 2 usb port.
Milo Minderbinder
2nd Feb 2013, 22:01
As far as I know USB3 is backward compatible with USB2
You may find however that you get better performance if you do fit a USB3 card. Not sure if you can get a PCI one though - all those I've seen so far have been PCIe
Thanks Milo
The motherboard is over 2 years old so when I have a look I don' think that I will find one of the smaller pci-e slots. I have a feeling that more money will be needed to be spent for an upgrade.Motherboards,graphics cards and other components will soon be appearing on my computer screen in the next few days.
obgraham
2nd Feb 2013, 22:57
I have a seagate usb3 external drive. It worked perfectly well on my desktop which had only usb2.
I then installed a usb3 pcie card easily enough.
The problem was to find the driver, since it came with none. Eventually I found one that worked. The USB3 is much faster when doing a large backup.
Metro man
2nd Feb 2013, 23:10
Should work but only at USB 2 speed.
lomapaseo
2nd Feb 2013, 23:51
I found no problems at all installing multiple USB3 cards in multiple Dells 3-4 yr-Old (both using Win7). Slots were available but had to do some gerry-rigging on power (a cable or two to piggyback)
I'm a fan of the Startech USB 3 caddy for the drives and upgraded USB cables
I do have a question though about speed. I assume that the highest transfer speed is in the motherboard. If I use a USB 3 card and plumb the output to another hub (in this case my monitors USB hub) will I lose the speed advantage using that hub?
Milo Minderbinder
3rd Feb 2013, 00:07
lomapaseo
assuming the hub is USB2, then yes it will act as a throttle
also remember that the very fact its a hub will also degrade the speed as the devices attached will be sharing bandwidth........always best to attach an external drive directly
to be honest if you can, its best to forget about USB for external drives and instead go with eSATA
lomapaseo
3rd Feb 2013, 06:23
to be honest if you can, its best to forget about USB for external drives and instead go with eSATA
For external drives so where do I find an eSATA port on the outside of a PC?
Bushfiva
3rd Feb 2013, 06:28
You realise "e" means "external"?
mixture
3rd Feb 2013, 09:13
For external drives so where do I find an eSATA port on the outside of a PC?
Not all PCs have one..... buy an eSATA PCI card, stick it in ... and hey presto, you have a eSATA port !
Milo Minderbinder
3rd Feb 2013, 09:37
thats assuming your external drive has an eSATA connector of course...
From your replies it seems that I can connect my new 3 usb drive to a 2 usb port and it will run at 2 usb speed.That will do for me,so no need to upgrade.I will still check to see if I have a pci-e slot and if I have will fit a 3 usb card adapter.Thanks again for your help.
The late XV105
3rd Feb 2013, 14:23
Agree on the PCIe card. I purchased one of these to use on my Windows 7 Professional x64 home build system because the mobo only had one USB3 header and I'd already used it to connect a high speed memory card reader.
It worked out of the box. Much, much, faster than USB2 and worth the few quid. I paid less than the current price shown on the link but I have not searched to see what the current going rate is.
Milo Minderbinder
3rd Feb 2013, 14:43
you probably paid over the odds there
this is more like it
4 Port USB 3.0 PCI-e Card from Dynamode - USB-4PCI-3.0 - Scan.co.uk (http://www.scan.co.uk/products/dynamode-usb-4pci-30-4-port-usb-30-pci-express-pcie-card)
you'll find them at similar prices elsewhere, Scan just happens to be someone I use often and trust