Question USB-C power and data transfer - for VR gaming

[AWmk1]

I hoped that my ne PCIE usb-c card would help me charge my VR headset (Quest 2) and use it at the same time thru the Link USB-C cable. My Asus X570 pro motherboard has 2.9Gbps transfer thru the cable, but will not keep the headset charged while using it. The PCIE card charges the headset, but Gbps is DOWN to 1.9. Will this even matter for gaming? The encode bitrate is set to 500 Mbps so am I right to guess my headset won't need close to the 1.9Gbps of the card?

 

[Tech Junky]

Don't know for sure but, if you need more power get a different card that has a SATA power connector to boost the power to 100W over USB-PD. This should cover just about anything you can plug into it for power and still provide a 10gbps or higher connection depending on the card you go with.

I picked up a TB4 card for the highest bandwidth @ 40gbps and 100W charging / power for $60 on Amazon. It was a return but, it works 100% and the card was never removed from the sealed bag inside the box. I'm guessing someone was dumb and ordered the wrong card and sent it back.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083HZHP62/ref=olp-opf-redir?aod=1&ie=UTF8&condition=ALL

As long as you have a slot and the 5-pin header on your MOBO for TB it will work.

Asus also has a TB4 card https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZS3D6JY/ref=olp-opf-redir?aod=1&ie=UTF8&condition=ALL

 

[AWmk1]

Don't know for sure but, if you need more power get a different card that has a SATA power connector to boost the power to 100W over USB-PD. This should cover just about anything you can plug into it for power and still provide a 10gbps or higher connection depending on the card you go with.

I picked up a TB4 card for the highest bandwidth @ 40gbps and 100W charging / power for $60 on Amazon. It was a return but, it works 100% and the card was never removed from the sealed bag inside the box. I'm guessing someone was dumb and ordered the wrong card and sent it back.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B083HZHP62/ref=olp-opf-redir?aod=1&ie=UTF8&condition=ALL

As long as you have a slot and the 5-pin header on your MOBO for TB it will work.

Asus also has a TB4 card https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZS3D6JY/ref=olp-opf-redir?aod=1&ie=UTF8&condition=ALL

Thanks! So the card I bought does have SATA power - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013FDFGTI?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

It definitely supplies more amps than my mobo usb-c, but just restricts the bandwidth relatively. PICE slots should be able to handle a ton of bandwidth, right?
Do you have a way to test your actual gbps transfer rate thru a usb-c cable?

 

[Tech Junky]

Looking at the card it has mixed reviews for speed and personally I would have passed on it for something else.

Being that it's PCIE Gen2 would be a red flag though the interface / slot should be capable of full speed on the port.


For testing I use a drive enclosure with an NVME inside that's well capable of exceeding the enclosure/controller, cable, and interface.

Having tested many different enclosures and cables I can say that verification of speeds is necessary rather than relying on the label / marketing for such items. In general the shorter the cable the more reliable the speeds tend to be. for 10gbps USB though anything under 6ft should be fine. Anything over tends to degrade the speed and sometimes even be sold with USB2 speeds 480mbps or mostly used as a power / charging cable.

https://www.amazon.com/PCI-USB-Type-Expansion-Card/dp/B077VRWZPK - mentions a lot of VR positive feedback
https://www.amazon.com/Yottamaster-Expansion-Compatible-PCI-Express-Controller/dp/B08DLP374T - not enough feedback but, all positive / also 20gbps using Gen3 2x2

For any AIC at this point I would be shooting for at least PCIE 3 or higher because it sets the baseline for bandwidth at acceptable levels for most anything on the market today. Things like AIC's though tend to keep prices cheap by shooting lower on their specs or using older controllers.

I don't play with VR so, it's hard to say exactly what kind of bandwidth the headset needs but, it doesn't hurt to provide more than needed. If you're not getting the bandwidth I would order a few cables on Amazon and then test them to see if any provide an improvement and return the rest when you're done testing them.

 

[AWmk1]

Thanks so much for the insight!

 

[AWmk1]

Looking at the card it has mixed reviews for speed and personally I would have passed on it for something else.

Being that it's PCIE Gen2 would be a red flag though the interface / slot should be capable of full speed on the port.
View attachment 74469

For testing I use a drive enclosure with an NVME inside that's well capable of exceeding the enclosure/controller, cable, and interface.

Having tested many different enclosures and cables I can say that verification of speeds is necessary rather than relying on the label / marketing for such items. In general the shorter the cable the more reliable the speeds tend to be. for 10gbps USB though anything under 6ft should be fine. Anything over tends to degrade the speed and sometimes even be sold with USB2 speeds 480mbps or mostly used as a power / charging cable.

https://www.amazon.com/PCI-USB-Type-Expansion-Card/dp/B077VRWZPK - mentions a lot of VR positive feedback
https://www.amazon.com/Yottamaster-Expansion-Compatible-PCI-Express-Controller/dp/B08DLP374T - not enough feedback but, all positive / also 20gbps using Gen3 2x2

For any AIC at this point I would be shooting for at least PCIE 3 or higher because it sets the baseline for bandwidth at acceptable levels for most anything on the market today. Things like AIC's though tend to keep prices cheap by shooting lower on their specs or using older controllers.

I don't play with VR so, it's hard to say exactly what kind of bandwidth the headset needs but, it doesn't hurt to provide more than needed. If you're not getting the bandwidth I would order a few cables on Amazon and then test them to see if any provide an improvement and return the rest when you're done testing them.