True, who really uses 12 usb connected devices and doesn't get a hub to make connection easier? I would argue that the "extra" headers are more for flexibility than people actually needing them all. There's an extra usb header to connect to your case's front usb connectors. (some cases have 4 even) Sometimes an extra firewire port for the same thing. You also have other usb connected devices like 3.5" internal flash memory readers and stuff. If there was a bracket for each of those to run to the back of your computer most of us wouldn't use them because we'd be connecting headers to front usb ports, card readers, etc. Now, it's possible that some motherboards are really skimpy on extras, but my last two came with a floppy able, two IDE cables, two SATA cables, and one bracket for an extra pair of rear usb ports along with diagnostic led's. I've accumulated a bit of a pile. I'm pretty sure there's still a usb header in there I'm not using.
You are definetly not alone. Case in point ASUS MB, has a header in the middle of the board to accept the plug for an external e-sata port plus 2 more usb ports for the rear of the cabinet. ASUS did not send this component along with the MB It is the Deluxe version. I have an e-sata external raid array that I cannot use at full speed unless I buy an other component, a pci express expansion card with an e-sata port on it. Or go back to ASUS and spend more money for an ASUS proprietary component that I am having a real tough time finding, just so I can have/use the functionality of an e-sata port that runs at e-sata speeds fo my external raid array (It does have a procedure to switch it to USB but we all know the different of speed and reliability between usb and e-sata) instead of having to use up one of my sata ports on the front which I already have filled with devices I required for what I do, Solid State Hard Drive, Blu-Ray Burner and so on that runs so much slower when you go from a sata port and adapt to an e-sata port. This is the DELUXE version of the board, for whomever that kid was that was bashing you for bitching about a company not including all of the basic components to have full ADVERTISED functionality of the board.I can live without the extra usb ports but the external e-sata port is a basic component that they spent the money and added the header to the board for it but didn't include it with the kit so you have to go back to them and spend more money to access a basic, advertised function of the board. A simple, plug, ribbon cable, metal riser and associated external port and fasteners. Barely $2.00 in parts wholesale added to the assembly line that can easily be absorbed in the cost of board. They can choose to leave out the parts necessary to utilize an advertised function of that product but choose to add 3 bags of parts of which 2 are necessary like mounting screws, which a new cabinet comes with, the I/O shield, and some other parts I'm not thinking of at the moment then add a third bag of totally unnecessary, unrelated extras that have no relation to the function of the board such as Ego Stickers to stick on your cabinet so all your buddies know what motherboard you installed, extra sata cables which the components already come with, ego lighting to light up the interior of the cabinet,.... and so on. I say support what functionality you advertised and keep the ego boosting junk and excess parts. I did buy an external e-sata, pci express card and installed everything and gave it a good workout. 3 days later while I was away the e-sata card went bonkers, smoked itself and corrupted 4 WD Black drives with just under terrabytes on them. I tried everything I knew plus begged for assistance from others. My thanks to everyone that had chipped in to assist in the data recovery but the file allocation tables were so screwed up, there was no recovering the data. 7 terrabytes gone, really hurt. If I had the right proprietary cable from ASUS or the patience to find that cable so I'd be using the onboard e-sata controller and the actual RAID setup in bios and the software of course I would have probably been just fine. However I was just going to fill up the drives while I kept searching for that cable. Oh well. It's just a taunt, The folder displays the contents and size of the file however it is useless. For instance say it's a movie in avi format and i'm using VLC to try to watch that movie, the folder shows the file, checking the properties shows it's 1.5 Gig in size and no anomalies. Start the player and it will either sit there and run as though it were playing a movie, the HD indicator shows activity but the time indicators are both 00.00. Truly bizarrre. Move that file toa totally different machine and same deal. Well all, have a great day.
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Hey "IDONTCARE" buy reading glasses and grow up a little, tech channels don't need 12 years old bashers. Go play on facebook and let the adults talk about actual hardware issues and fixes and opinions. First off there kid, that is not what he is saying. Read the following texts from good knowledgeable, POLITE people or go away.
UsandThem
Elite Member
- May 4, 2000
- 16,068
- 7,383
- 146
Holy necro thread, love it.
Sign up and respond to an almost a 9 year old thread. And call out a user who hasn't logged in for almost 40 weeks.
Well played.
LOL rightHoly necro thread, love it.
Sign up and respond to an almost a 9 year old thread. And call out a user who hasn't logged in for almost 40 weeks.
Well played.
Joined:Oct 10, 1999
posted:Feb 1, 2008
today:Jan 17, 2017
Conclusion: poster is 12 years old.
MongGrel
Lifer
- Dec 3, 2013
- 38,466
- 3,067
- 121
Holy necro thread, love it.
Sign up and respond to an almost a 9 year old thread. And call out a user who hasn't logged in for almost 40 weeks.
Well played.
And a solid wall of text also
Ichinisan
Lifer
- Oct 9, 2002
- 28,298
- 1,235
- 136
I don't think the connector is as "proprietary" as you say.Newegg/Amazon/Microcenter/Fry's
Which model is the motherboard?
BonzaiDuck
Lifer
- Jun 30, 2004
- 16,782
- 2,114
- 126
Yeah, MongGrel -- definitely a case where some tech-George-Romero re-animated an old thread.
I've watched a handful of people over a dozen years decide what to do with computer cases that are filled with options. they think they have to use every ventilation hole, every opportunity to install another fan.
I'll choose a motherboard for certain features beginning with (of course) the chipset, certain BIOS features, and enough of the options that I can decide later if I need them. But I don't plan on "needing" to use an option if it wasn't in my original plan.
My Z68 boards all had onboard Asmedia USB3 and JMicron eSATA controllers. How many eSATA ports do I need? You need to them do maintenance, or at most connect to some hot-swap NAS or external drive box. I "need" at most one eSATA port, preferably accessible from the case-front. I "need" at most 1 or 2 USB2 ports -- accessible from the front. And I "need" at most 2 USB3 ports -- similarly accessible. I don't need a JMicron eSATA controller if I can run a cable from an onboard port to either a rear-backplate SATA-to-eSATA 2-port plate, or to a front-panel adapter similarly.
Also, the Z68's also had an Asmedia-Marvell onboard SATA 2-disk controller, which I wouldn't use unless some contingency required it (for instance, it would be good for those eSATA connections.)
With the new Z170 Sabertooth, I only get the onboard 19-pin USB3 controller. If I need more SATA drives than I have in onboard ports, I'll add a PCIE-x1 SATA 4-port controller -- nothing of a problem with 3 or 4 x1 slots on the board.
The biggest miscalculation I made with my Z170 build involved M.2 NVMe. I didn't figure on a major techno-lust coveting experience. Then I think I discovered the option of using the NVMe in a PCIE x4 slot with adapter card (~$20), which offers better NVMe performance. If the board-maker put an M.2 slot on the motherboard, do you think they'd "throw in" an adapter card? No, they don't and probably shouldn't. But I find limitations both ways: Can't use SATA 1 and 2 ports with the NVMe in the M.2 slot, because their bandwidth is shared as part of "SATA-Express" with the M.2. If I want to use the PCIE x4 port, I lose SATA ports 5 and 6.
These miscalculations haven't cost me anything, really. My Syba-Marvell PCIE x1 SATA controller is entirely available for external eSATA connection; my boot disk is on the onboard SATA 1, a second drive on SATA 2, and a hotswap bay in use is connected to SATA 3. I still have an onboard port available and useable -- connected to a second hotswap bay.
Anyway, I never use all the extras I get with my boards, and I accumulate that stuff -- much of which is still useful on a new board.
Maybe there are two different mindsets here, and I've had both of them at this time or that: You'd like to just slap together a PC after ordering the parts, fire it up and nothing more. Or, you could fancy you're a tech-guy for Dell, Origin or any OEM working in their testing lab, trying to build the ideal PC. You'd want an ideal number of fans -- not too many. You'd want a moderate set of front-panel options. You'd want just enough reliable SATA ports for more than one SSD or HDD. You'd want a case that gives you enough options for ventilation that you actually need to block some of them off to get optimal cooling and case pressurization.
I've watched a handful of people over a dozen years decide what to do with computer cases that are filled with options. they think they have to use every ventilation hole, every opportunity to install another fan.
I'll choose a motherboard for certain features beginning with (of course) the chipset, certain BIOS features, and enough of the options that I can decide later if I need them. But I don't plan on "needing" to use an option if it wasn't in my original plan.
My Z68 boards all had onboard Asmedia USB3 and JMicron eSATA controllers. How many eSATA ports do I need? You need to them do maintenance, or at most connect to some hot-swap NAS or external drive box. I "need" at most one eSATA port, preferably accessible from the case-front. I "need" at most 1 or 2 USB2 ports -- accessible from the front. And I "need" at most 2 USB3 ports -- similarly accessible. I don't need a JMicron eSATA controller if I can run a cable from an onboard port to either a rear-backplate SATA-to-eSATA 2-port plate, or to a front-panel adapter similarly.
Also, the Z68's also had an Asmedia-Marvell onboard SATA 2-disk controller, which I wouldn't use unless some contingency required it (for instance, it would be good for those eSATA connections.)
With the new Z170 Sabertooth, I only get the onboard 19-pin USB3 controller. If I need more SATA drives than I have in onboard ports, I'll add a PCIE-x1 SATA 4-port controller -- nothing of a problem with 3 or 4 x1 slots on the board.
The biggest miscalculation I made with my Z170 build involved M.2 NVMe. I didn't figure on a major techno-lust coveting experience. Then I think I discovered the option of using the NVMe in a PCIE x4 slot with adapter card (~$20), which offers better NVMe performance. If the board-maker put an M.2 slot on the motherboard, do you think they'd "throw in" an adapter card? No, they don't and probably shouldn't. But I find limitations both ways: Can't use SATA 1 and 2 ports with the NVMe in the M.2 slot, because their bandwidth is shared as part of "SATA-Express" with the M.2. If I want to use the PCIE x4 port, I lose SATA ports 5 and 6.
These miscalculations haven't cost me anything, really. My Syba-Marvell PCIE x1 SATA controller is entirely available for external eSATA connection; my boot disk is on the onboard SATA 1, a second drive on SATA 2, and a hotswap bay in use is connected to SATA 3. I still have an onboard port available and useable -- connected to a second hotswap bay.
Anyway, I never use all the extras I get with my boards, and I accumulate that stuff -- much of which is still useful on a new board.
Maybe there are two different mindsets here, and I've had both of them at this time or that: You'd like to just slap together a PC after ordering the parts, fire it up and nothing more. Or, you could fancy you're a tech-guy for Dell, Origin or any OEM working in their testing lab, trying to build the ideal PC. You'd want an ideal number of fans -- not too many. You'd want a moderate set of front-panel options. You'd want just enough reliable SATA ports for more than one SSD or HDD. You'd want a case that gives you enough options for ventilation that you actually need to block some of them off to get optimal cooling and case pressurization.
dave_the_nerd
Lifer
- Feb 25, 2011
- 16,994
- 1,622
- 126
Because a bunch of people who work for the company asked their customers "hey, how many USB ports do you actually use?" and they said "3... sometimes 4? What's a UBS port?"
So the manufacturers figured sticking 4 USB ports on their motherboards would be enough for almost anybody. And in 99.9% of cases, it is.
So the manufacturers figured sticking 4 USB ports on their motherboards would be enough for almost anybody. And in 99.9% of cases, it is.
BonzaiDuck
Lifer
- Jun 30, 2004
- 16,782
- 2,114
- 126
It just amazes me the way some people connect storage devices to external USB ports and just . . . . leave them . . . running . . . all the time. . . .
You know? I've yet to buy a USB3 thumb drive? but I've got two front-panel USB3 ports on all the systems here, and one 4-port USB3 hub front-panel in one of those. My eight-year-old Stacker 830 case has four front-panel USB2 ports, and I've only connected two of them. It already has, then, 4 USB ports -- two USB3-capable -- and all USB2 compatible.
How many eSATA ports do you need? Unless you have permanently-attached external NAS or drivepool storage, you should need . . . exactly . . . . ONE. I've got two of those.
bigboxes
Lifer
- Apr 6, 2002
- 42,399
- 12,429
- 146
What happened to Idontcare? I asked somewhere else and no one replied. Is this a board secret?
crashtech
Lifer
- Jan 4, 2013
- 10,695
- 2,294
- 146
I think he just moved on. Last I knew he was living in Taiwan. People's lives change, interests change. Maybe he'll be back one day.
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