Fast USB 2.0 PCI card?

[CuriousMike]

I currently have a media PC / file server system that has two USB 2.0 drives hanging off of it.
Performance copying from the PC's local disc to either USB drive is fair... 20MB/sec, but copying from either USB drive to the local disk is poor... 11-14MB/sec.
(This is using Windows 7's copy information.)

Googling "fast usb 2.0 PCI card" is a tough proposition, but it looks like a motherboard comparison showed the Intel ICH9R chipset is fastest, particularly when two USB drives are mounted. ( It's surprising how almost all chipsets lose 33% of their bandwidth when a second drive is installed. )

Anyhow, it's not apparent that I can buy an Intel ICH9R based USB 2.0 PCI card.

Suggestions?

 

[tcsenter]

Intel ICH is part of the motherboard chipset. Find a USB2.0 PCI card that is based on an NEC controller chip and you should be fine. The latest VIA VT6214 chip isn't bad but NEC has a solid implementation for USB2.0 (as one of the original development partners for USB, USB2.0, and now USB3.0 as well).

 

[CuriousMike]

NEC... got it.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[Blain]

Yes, buy an NEC base card. I would avoid VIA chipset cards.

 

[de8212]

Just to echo the others, NEC based is best. I asked this same question almost 3 yrs ago and this is the one AT suggested.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815124008


Been going strong in my wife's ancient PC since then. Soon to be retired on xmas day (I bought her a new PC). If you haven't bought one by then I can let you have this one for next to nothing.

 

[Fox5]

I'm guessing esata is not an option? If performance is really an issue, it'd be the way to go.

 

[CuriousMike]

eSata / USB 3.0 will all the be future for me... but for now, I have what I have; USB 2.0 drives.

The surprising aspect of all of this was the fact that running two drives off of one USB controller kills performance... dramatically.

So kids, when possible, keep your USB drives on separate USB controllers.

8212 - thanks for the offer, i'm sure I'll pick up something before then. :thumbsup:

 

[Fox5]

eSata / USB 3.0 will all the be future for me... but for now, I have what I have; USB 2.0 drives.

The surprising aspect of all of this was the fact that running two drives off of one USB controller kills performance... dramatically.

So kids, when possible, keep your USB drives on separate USB controllers.

8212 - thanks for the offer, i'm sure I'll pick up something before then. :thumbsup:

Internally, are they IDE drives or sata drives? If they're SATA internally, then eSATA ensloures start at around $10. (and esata pci cards are pretty cheap too)

 

[CuriousMike]

Internally, are they IDE drives or sata drives?

They're fairly recent Seagats ( 750 / 1.5tb ) -- so I'd suspect they're both SATA.

I thought eSata PCI cards were sorta priced exorbitantly -- I'll have to check this out.

Thanks.

 

[Fox5]

They're fairly recent Seagats ( 750 / 1.5tb ) -- so I'd suspect they're both SATA.

I thought eSata PCI cards were sorta priced exorbitantly -- I'll have to check this out.

Thanks.

RAID cards are expensive. Heck, quality eSATA cards are expensive. But even the cheapest esata cards should beat out usb, just don't expect performance on par with say...Intel's built in controllers.

Or if you're willing to do a system upgrade, there's motherboards out now with both USB3.0 and esata, on the AMD and Intel sides.

 

[Blain]