USB hub vs USB pci card

[laliga]

I was about the buy a USB PCI card since I need more ports. I wasn't aware that these USB hubs even existed.

Both can be had for pretty cheap, $10-$20.

Purely performance based, which is better?

If I were to use all four ports on the PCI card at the same time, would it possibly slow down the computer?

 

[pcgeek11]

I was about the buy a USB PCI card since I need more ports. I wasn't aware that these USB hubs even existed.

Both can be had for pretty cheap, $10-$20.

Purely performance based, which is better?

If I were to use all four ports on the PCI card at the same time, would it possibly slow down the computer?

They have been around since USB1, years! Wow! I have never noticed any slowdown of a PC due to a USB Hub.

 

[laliga]

Haha, that long eh?

So something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182174

I've read that some hubs only allow one peripheral to work at a time? Would I be able to run multiple on this hub? Keyboard/mouse/thumb drive/whatever.

 

[mfenn]

A USB card will have higher performance because you are adding more USB controllers to the system. A USB hub just takes the bandwidth available on one USB port and splits it. That being said, you probably won't notice a slowdown with a hub unless you try to run a bunch of demanding devices at once.

 

[laliga]

I'll go with the PCI card.

They can be had for pretty cheap over at Amazon. $5-$6 shipped. Nice.

 

[PhoenixEnigma]

I'd opt for the PCI card as well, if only to avoid having another adapter under foot to power the hub. Performance should be pretty much indistinguishable.

 

[Jeff7]

If you ever do need to get a USB hub, make sure it's powered. (It will come with an external wall-wart power supply.)

If it's powered, you'll get 5V and at least 500mA at every port.

If it's unpowered, you'll get 5V and 500mA out of the PC's USB port, which is then split across everything attached to hub.

 

[PhoenixEnigma]

Worse, you'll only ever get 100mA from each port of an unpowered hub, assuming it's standards compliant. USB spec only allows unpowered hubs to send one power unit to each port, regardless of total load.