can you add a USB port to a computer?

[iceliquid]

If I remember correctly, one could purchase some sort of add on for an older computer that doesn't have a usb port. Can someone confirm is such a thing exists and what are they called so I can get my hands on one Thanks guys/gals.

 

[SUOrangeman]

Yeah, it is possible. Best Buy, Office Depot, and others sell PCI cards that have USB ports.

-SUO

 

[Lord Evermore]

If you've got a computer so old it didn't come with USB ports, you may not want to try using USB. It's highly CPU dependent, sort of like a Winmodem, and I imagine the expansion cards with USB are even more highly CPU dependent than USB built into the motherboard (maybe not, but the card just plain won't work without the drivers). If the computer is older than USB, then the processing power taken away by USB may be more than you'd want.

 

[Gunbuster]

Why? A system so old as not to have usb prolly wont have the ponys to make enjoyable use of most USB components.

Upgrading a POS system is a great way to waste a good bit of money and end up with a slightly better POS system.

 

[Warrenton]

Really depends on what the USB devices you connect would be. My mouse doesn't use CPU hardly at all, and thats all I have in USB right now. Well my joystick, gamepad, and digicam connect by USB too.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Upgrading POS = not worth the money; wait two months and save a bit more and buy a brand new one

Upgrading outdated but still modern PC = not a bad idea, if the upgrade isn't unreasonably priced (like most CPU 'upgrade kits')

And remember kids, you don't "upgrade" a motherboard, you replace it and you've now essentially got a new computer. Drives me nuts when people talk about upgrading their system from a Pentium 200 to a PIII or something, where the only thing they actually keep is the case and peripherals. If you remove a component and replace it with a new one, you've upgraded the computer. When you remove the BASE component that all others run on, then you've gone beyond upgrading and have 'replaced'.

 

[oldfart]

Why are you guys being so hard on this guy? You dont even know what he plans on doing with it. Maybe to him its not a "POS" I think you can get one of those cards for like $20. Not exactly a huge investment.

 

[beat mania]

but you still have to buy that something usb to use it be it a mouse or whatever.

 

[Cosmic_Horror]

or he could be panning to borrow someone's scanner or something for a week/weekend to scan in some pics, and doesn't want to buy a scanner that runs on a parallel port as he can borrow a usb one (or buy one he will use once and then let it collect dust).

Sure he can do it all at this friends place, but he may not want to impose on his friend, and just wishes to see also what options he has.