Is USB 3.0 PCI controller a waste on this MOBO?

[NTAC]

Here are the specs:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131400

Looking like my PCI is 1.1: 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (at x4 mode, 2.5GT/s)

USB 3.0 as I understand it can do 5, so my plan was to purchase an external USB 3.0 HD and also a USB 3.0 PCI controller, but am I going to be bottle necked by my MOBO?

And if yes, will it still be faster than USB 2.0, or not noticeably?

Thanks!

 

[paperwastage]

unfortunately, USB 3.0 3rd party chips aren't as good as the Intel USB 3.0 chip... it'll do better speeds than 2.0, but not the best USB 3.0 speeds you can get

why not eSATA?

 

[Fun Guy]

unfortunately, USB 3.0 3rd party chips aren't as good as the Intel USB 3.0 chip... it'll do better speeds than 2.0, but not the best USB 3.0 speeds you can get

why not eSATA?

Does Intel make a USB 3.0 PCIe add-on card?

 

[Suhidu]

unfortunately, USB 3.0 3rd party chips aren't as good as the Intel USB 3.0 chip... it'll do better speeds than 2.0, but not the best USB 3.0 speeds you can get

why not eSATA?

Intel has not released their USB 3.0 controller yet. I know there are NEC, Renesas, and VIA controllers that are certified and said to work well. AMD also has a USB 3.0 controller in some of their chipsets, but this is not available on a PCI(e) card.

Here are the specs:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131400

Looking like my PCI is 1.1: 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (at x4 mode, 2.5GT/s)

USB 3.0 as I understand it can do 5, so my plan was to purchase an external USB 3.0 HD and also a USB 3.0 PCI controller, but am I going to be bottle necked by my MOBO?

And if yes, will it still be faster than USB 2.0, or not noticeably?

Thanks!

2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (single at x16 or dual at x8/x8 mode)
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (at x4 mode, 2.5GT/s)

2 x PCI Express x1

This means that your motherboard has 2 PCIe 2.0 x16 slots that are capable of max x8 if both are used, and x16 if only the top slot is used.

It then says you have 1 PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot capable of max x4 speeds @2.5GT/s. Essentially, this means that you have an x4 slot (in an x16 frame) that runs at PCIe 1.1 speeds (because only the two x8/x8 slots on your board actually run at true 2.0 speeds). Beyond the two x8/x8 slots(which hook directly into the CPU), all PCIe slots hook into the P55 chipset (which can't provide >PCIe 1.1 speeds, Intel's fault).

Note that if you are buying a PCIe x1 card, using it in the x4 slot would show no improvement over using it in an x1 slot (and your motherboard has two of those), they all run at PCIe 1.1 speeds.

In addition, USB 3.0 doesn't do 5GT/s, it says it does 5Gbps. This is slightly bottlenecked by the PCI(e) 2.0 x1 interface, but only slightly. (And it's lessened by the fact that USB 3.0 doesn't usually get very close to 5Gbps (like USB 2.0 didn't often approach 480Mbps).)

Since you're using a PCIe 1.1 interface (when it comes to speed), you'd be bottlenecked much further. But nevertheless, USB 3.0 should absolutely get you a huge speed boost vs. USB 2.0 (assuming you have USB 3.0 devices).

 

[NTAC]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I will go ahead and roll with it and eventually when I upgrade my mobo I'll be in even better shape.