Question Is it time for more USB Type-C ports?

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I see too many motherboards still released with only 1x port on the back. With more and more consumer products moving to USB Type-C does it make sense to add more and swap out legacy Type A ports? I kinda wished the motherboard manufacturers would just go all in or at least put in a larger number of ports (at least 3 - 4).

For instance the Crosshair VIII Hero has 7x USB A 3.2 Gen 2 ports and 1x 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port. Would it kill users if they split it 4x Type-C and 4x Type-A? Many people buy computer components and expect them to last for years now. 1x port is already limiting when it is often used by my phone. With cameras, iPads, and other peripherals going that direction it might make sense to equip users with more ports now.

 

[Muadib]

What's a good USB-C hub? The USB-C port on my case no longer works, and reaching around the back is a pain. I would like a hub with USB-C ports, not USB 3.0 type A. I tried looking on Amazon, but had no luck.

 

[mindless1]

Meh no, when you have a host with so many I/O and software to add features, USB-C has little benefit and great detriment in how fragile it is. I'd much rather have more USB3 A.

Besides, you can get adapter dongles for conversion to USB-C if you just want to charge something, as if every device (except now possible Apple's?) didn't already come with a charger.

I do think it is a bit stingy when boards have only one-two rear USB3, but once you accept that you'll need an external hub, it isn't a big deal unless you're trying to run several external USB3 HDD/SSD simultaneously and the throughput suffers. I actually prefer that, shove the PC back under the desk, only close enough that I can hit the power button with my foot (lol) and have the hub on the desk.

 

[mindless1]

What's a good USB-C hub? The USB-C port on my case no longer works, and reaching around the back is a pain. I would like a hub with USB-C ports, not USB 3.0 type A. I tried looking on Amazon, but had no luck.

Why run against the wind? Get a good combination of cord length and price, USB A hub, then some A to C cords. If you need female C for something, there are adapters on ebay for a couple bucks.

 

[Muadib]

Why run against the wind? Get a good combination of cord length and price, USB A hub, then some A to C cords. If you need female C for something, there are adapters on ebay for a couple bucks.

I already have a 3.0 hub, I don't need anymore type A ports. I want a hub that will take advantage of the USB 3.2 Gen2 speed.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I already have a 3.0 hub, I don't need anymore type A ports. I want a hub that will take advantage of the USB 3.2 Gen2 speed.

Type A can do the 10Gbps, you must be referring to the 2x2 20Gbps only C does.

And it is weird to post in tech forums where users are good with the status quo for hardware. I have yet to have any issues with C despite constantly moving devices around the house for VR or game folder needs on different systems.

If you are in an environment where the security becomes an issue, very understandable. For me as a home user, I would dig being able to plug everything in using C. Easier cable management, and no orientation required. Not a big deal, but one less thing...

 

[bigboxes]

Type A can do the 10Gbps, you must be referring to the 2x2 20Gbps only C does.

And it is weird to post in tech forums where users are good with the status quo for hardware. I have yet to have any issues with C despite constantly moving devices around the house for VR or game folder needs on different systems.

If you are in an environment where the security becomes an issue, very understandable. For me as a home user, I would dig being able to plug everything in using C. Easier cable management, and no orientation required. Not a big deal, but one less thing...

I keep reading of the fragile nature of Type C, ITT. Have you experienced this? I have not. Now, microUSB is a fragile connector that you have to be careful with. Not type C. Current USB 3.2 transfers data at 20Gbps, while USB4 promises 40Gbps with Thunderbolt support built in. One freaking cable that does it all.

 

[Muadib]

Type A can do the 10Gbps, you must be referring to the 2x2 20Gbps only C does.

And it is weird to post in tech forums where users are good with the status quo for hardware. I have yet to have any issues with C despite constantly moving devices around the house for VR or game folder needs on different systems.

If you are in an environment where the security becomes an issue, very understandable. For me as a home user, I would dig being able to plug everything in using C. Easier cable management, and no orientation required. Not a big deal, but one less thing...

You are correct, and I agree with you. They need to hurry and make a good hub soon. USB 4 is on the way!

 

[bigboxes]

I bought an SSD enclosure earlier this year with Type C support. No need for a separate cable for power and data transfer. Welcome to 2020!

 

[WelshBloke]

Has anyone else had an issue with USB C not actually being reversible?
I have hubs that will obviously physically plug in anyway around but if you want to use video out on them you have to have them plugged in in a specific orientation.

 

[bigboxes]

Has anyone else had an issue with USB C not actually being reversible?
I have hubs that will obviously physically plug in anyway around but if you want to use video out on them you have to have them plugged in in a specific orientation.

Maybe it's your cables? I have read of others complaining that certain cables wouldn't work correctly in different scenarios. I was paranoid when I was buying USC 3.1 Gen 2 Type C cables early in the year. They can get quite expensive.

 

[piokos]

Owning Apple products would make you a hipster.

What...?

Type C is well established now. By one cable means I can use one cable for many purposes. It's not magical. It's high transfer speed, high power to quickly charge phones, tablets and laptops and a reversable durable connector.

And once again: what you're mentioning is concerning the bus standard, not the connector. Why don't you stop deciding who is "a techie" (whatever that means) and spend some quality time with wikipedia?
There are USB-C ports that run on USB 3.0. And they will keep doing that even if we move to a unified port.

I'm not a huge fan of 'one cable to rule them all'. IMO it's a case of 'do one job well and properly' or 'do all the jobs not particularly well'.

It's a frickin PC cable. We're not asking it to run 15kV power line.
There's a big enough domain of problems in PCs that a unified cable with unified connector can handle.

Such a cable should be thin, flexible and round. It should carry enough current to handle basic PC peripherals and power small systems.
Such a connector should be thin (so that the port fits on mobile devices) and ideally symmetric (because why not?).

USB-C ticks all these requirements. It's not a forced standard. It's just evolution and optimization.
If it wasn't USB-C as we know it, it would be something very similar.

Also, I hope you do realize that your argument has been used before, as we said goodbye to things like LPT, PS/2 (mostly), FireWire and the latest victim: eSATA.

USB disconnections has already been raised

This is a PC peripheral port, so it *should* disconnect relatively easily - lowering the chance of damaging the port or pulling a PC with a cable.
This is a non-issue.

something I was reading recently about the vulnerabilities of USB-C rolling in because there's a crapload of stuff that can be done over the same connection (including graphics-related stuff being a quick shortcut to system-level privileges).

This is an issue of USB/Thunderbolt standard, not the connector. Yes, there are some security issues. They're being addressed in TB4/USB4.

 

[WelshBloke]

Maybe it's your cables?

Thats just plugging the hub directly into the PC/laptop.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I have yet to have any issues with C despite

Good for you, DP. I've had nothing BUT trouble with USB-C devices. Give me Type-A any day. (Not that that hasn't been without issues either, mind you.)

My crowning achievement, was attempting to plug in a USB-C ethernet dongle to the rear of my Asus B450-F ROG STRIX mobo. BOOM! Instant shutdown. I thought that Type-C was supposed to be "foolproof".

Also, couldn't get the Type-C ethernet dongle to work with my HP Slimline 14" Ryzen laptop with a Type-C port. Nothing but issues, until I bought a semi-inexpensive hub, with a Type-C upstream, and one Type-C downstream, and inserted it in-between the Type-C ethernet dongle and the host PC.

Also, had ports break much more easily than a Type-A does.

Also, had nothing but performance issues with a QNAP 5GbE-T dongle, that has a Type-C socket on the end of it, using the cable that shipped with it. Once I replaced the cable with a third-party quality one, with a Type-A on the end for the NAS unit, and a Type-C for the dongle, it worked a lot better.

 

[DeathReborn]

My chosen case (Lian Li PC-A70S) only has USB 2 on the top (no front panel ports) but I added a USB 3.1 G2 front panel (using a 5.25-3.5" adapter) which has 2x Type-A & 1x Type-C, there is one Type-C on the motherboard at the back which goes to a 7 Port USB 3.1 Type-A Hub, I have never used the front Type-C, I do use the Type-A's quite a bit. I have had a few issues with Type-C cables failing, sometimes the whole cable fails and sometimes it's just the connector but I do find Type-A more reliable & robust.

I would like more Type-C's but still probably would use Type-A's until Type-C becomes more prevalent on peripherals/accessories. I have tried to locate a USB 3 top panel for my case but alas it's nowhere to be found.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Good for you, DP. I've had nothing BUT trouble with USB-C devices. Give me Type-A any day. (Not that that hasn't been without issues either, mind you.)

My crowning achievement, was attempting to plug in a USB-C ethernet dongle to the rear of my Asus B450-F ROG STRIX mobo. BOOM! Instant shutdown. I thought that Type-C was supposed to be "foolproof".

Also, couldn't get the Type-C ethernet dongle to work with my HP Slimline 14" Ryzen laptop with a Type-C port. Nothing but issues, until I bought a semi-inexpensive hub, with a Type-C upstream, and one Type-C downstream, and inserted it in-between the Type-C ethernet dongle and the host PC.

Also, had ports break much more easily than a Type-A does.

Also, had nothing but performance issues with a QNAP 5GbE-T dongle, that has a Type-C socket on the end of it, using the cable that shipped with it. Once I replaced the cable with a third-party quality one, with a Type-A on the end for the NAS unit, and a Type-C for the dongle, it worked a lot better.

That's some bad juju brother. If it were someone I did not know, I'd call PICNIC. Heck, I must be charmed, because I bought the partylink 3m for Oculus Quest last year the day it was confirmed you could use it on PC, and it works perfect plugged into a B450 Steel Legend C type 2 or x370 Gaming X C type 1. But if you read the reviews on Amazon, everyone is trashing it and saying it does not work, etc.


Oh, and stop buying the really cheap Chinese junk, spend a little more for the better Chinese junk.

EDIT: I have to say those 2.5GB LAN cards you picked up on a deal, are gold. I have one in my Phenom II retro gamer, and it works great even in a gen 1 PCIE 1x slot. Thanks again for that!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Oh, and stop buying the really cheap Chinese junk, spend a little more for the better Chinese junk.

Yeah, that too. LOL.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Yeah, that too. LOL.

I hit you with an edit.

 

[mikeymikec]

It's a frickin PC cable. We're not asking it to run 15kV power line.
There's a big enough domain of problems in PCs that a unified cable with unified connector can handle.

Since the end user cannot separate the bus standard from the connector, for the purposes of this discussion the distinction is irrelevant.

 

[piokos]

Good for you, DP. I've had nothing BUT trouble with USB-C devices. Give me Type-A any day. (Not that that hasn't been without issues either, mind you.)

My crowning achievement, was attempting to plug in a USB-C ethernet dongle to the rear of my Asus B450-F ROG STRIX mobo. BOOM! Instant shutdown. I thought that Type-C was supposed to be "foolproof".

Also, couldn't get the Type-C ethernet dongle to work with my HP Slimline 14" Ryzen laptop with a Type-C port. Nothing but issues, until I bought a semi-inexpensive hub, with a Type-C upstream, and one Type-C downstream, and inserted it in-between the Type-C ethernet dongle and the host PC.

None of this seems to be stemming from the port being USB-C or not. Just pure correlation - much like both your machines running on AMD platform, which makes it hypothetical reason as well (with similar, quite negligible, probability).

Yes, USB-C port is foolproof. And it's easily the most used port today (by the number of plugging in and out), so you're probably aware that your experience is anomalous.

Also, had ports break much more easily than a Type-A does.

It's almost impossible to unwillingly break the socket, which is actually the element you should be worried about. I mean, you must be really heavy-handed if you did manage after all.

The plug is fragile simply because it's slim - much like micro USB or Lightning. Nothing wrong with the design itself.

Also, had nothing but performance issues with a QNAP 5GbE-T dongle, that has a Type-C socket on the end of it, using the cable that shipped with it. Once I replaced the cable with a third-party quality one, with a Type-A on the end for the NAS unit, and a Type-C for the dongle, it worked a lot better.

Which means it was either a faulty cable or there's a problem with the NAS. Clearly, you're not having "issues with the dongle" precisely speaking.

 

[mikeymikec]

Also, had ports break much more easily than a Type-A does.

I'm interested to know more. My wife's phone needs repairing because its USB-C socket has died (multiple cables tried, multiple chargers).

 

[mindless1]

^ What more is there to know. We have a world full of armchair geeks with no clue about electronics design, that it's not just a schematic and ignorant idealisms, where bigger numbers and features = better, that if you have a surface mount socket, shrinking it down to USB C size, is asking begging for damage.

A non-working device has infinitely low performance and features.

Your wife's phone will probably need a new mainboard because the tiny USB socket ripped the solder pads off the PCB and the repair techs, are not deep enough into repair to have a microscope and precision soldering skill, to then put jumper wires in to replace the torn off solder pads.

Like all Fragile Things, if you pay extra attention and use it seldom, it'll last long enough that you don't recognize the difference between what it is and what it could have been. The question is why are we sacrificing durability for no good reason. This is not something that should ever fail, is an easily recognized weak link. There is no cost difference, unless you want to talk about fractions of a penny.

There comes a point where a few millimeters smaller, makes no sense. There are very few devices where USB C needed to be as small as it is, certainly not on a cell phone or anything larger.

Smaller devices are a good thing... until it goes too far. You would never notice the (very) few cubic mm size difference on a device to fit a more robustly designed USB C port in. The USB C standard is a joke for mechanical reasons.[/rant]

 

[DAPUNISHER]

^ What more is there to know. We have a world full of armchair geeks with no clue about electronics design,

Guilty as charged, but I know what I like and what works for me as a consumer. And if they want to make it a bigger, hardier, standard, then cool. And the lack durability accusation falls flat for me, I use my stuff constantly, and move it between systems constantly, month after month, yet here I am with zero issues. Heck, I do some physically intense VR with it plugged in (E.G. thrill of the fight) and have no issues.

And watch the ad homs in the tech forums, no matter how generalized. I posted in this thread so I am saying it as another member. Attack the points/arguments (you made some good ones yourself) not the person/s. It is part of forum decorum to do it without passive aggressive name calling, because that, most decidedly, is not cool.

 

[mindless1]

^ Hey now! I too am an armchair geek with ignorant idealisms on some topics!