Can I add front USB ports to an EPOX 8k7a?

[Ike0069]

I would like to add USB ports to the front of my case. I'm looking to buy a 2-port 2.0 USB hub that afits in a 3.5" drive. I do not know how this connects to my motherboard. It is an EPOX 8k7a with 2 1.1 USB ports in back. Is this board able to connect USB ports other than on a PCI card?

8k7a
Athlon XP 2200
512 MB 2100 Crucial

 

[Boonesmi]

yup the board has a place to connect 2 more usb ports

 

[Ike0069]

If I get the hub, is it obvious where to connect? Also, is there really any difference between USB 2.0 and 1.1?

 

[Boonesmi]

each usb port on the motherboard has 4 pins
-power
-data-
-data+
-ground
and they are usually in that order

your best option will be to go to epox's web site and download the manual for your board... it shows where the pins are
then you can compare it to some different front plates with usb and make sure it will work

here is a link to the board at epox

 

[Ike0069]

Thanks. I guess I'll go ahead and order the hub.

 

[Boonesmi]

something like this will connect right to your motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?DEPA=&submit=Go&description=F7771

link

 

[Boonesmi]

as for the usb1 vs usb2

usb 2.0 is much much faster, and if you use something like an external harddrive it will really show (for example i moved a movie to an external harddrive on usb 1.1 and it took almost an hour, but the same movie only took about 2 or 3 min with usb 2.0)

but if your just using something like a webcam, or printer, etc then the usb 1.1 will work fine

 

[Ike0069]

We think alike. That's the exact product I was looking at getting. I always go to NewEgg first.

 

[Boonesmi]

cool

if you dont still have the manual with your motherboard then make sure you download the .pdf version from epox... cause you will need to check it to make sure you plug in the usb ports correctly (hooking them up wrong can damage the motherboard)

 

[Fisherman]

Will this board support an Athlon 2400 with the right bios update since the 2400 has a 266 mz bus ? If so does anyone know where the bios update is to support it ?

 

[Boonesmi]

with the latest bios update (which you can get from epox.com) it should support any of the 266mhz palominos or tbreds

 

[Alkaline5]

Nothing above 2200+ is officially supported on the 8k7a. People have gotten higher clocked processors to work, but it's hit or miss (depending on board revision) and you need a beta BIOS for the CPU to be recognized correctly. Check the Epox forum at amdforums.com for more info on that.

And Ike, the board only supports USB 1.1. If you want USB 2.0 you'll need a PCI card.

 

[pspada]

One other consideration - in many cases the front USB ports will only run at 1.1 speeds, not USB 2 speeds.