USB3 for old motherboard?

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R

RU482

Lifer
Apr 9, 2000
12,689
3
81
An add on card will definitely work, assuming the card you buy has drivers for the OS you are running.

I personally don't have a recommendation on a card. I bought the cheapest one I could get a few years ago, and it seems to work OK still
 
vailr

vailr

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,365
54
91
More info needed: do you want front USB 3.0 ports, or would just the rear ports be sufficient? Would the case require an add-on USB 3.0 front port bracket, or does the case already have that feature? And: is a free internal PCIe slot available?
 
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Bearmann

Member
Sep 14, 2008
167
2
81
vailr said:
More info needed: do you want front USB 3.0 ports, or would just the rear ports be sufficient? Would the case require an add-on USB 3.0 front port bracket, or does the case already have that feature? And: is a free internal PCIe slot available?
Click to expand...

Rear ports would be preferable. A PCIe slot is available.
 
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J

jkauff

Senior member
Oct 4, 2012
583
13
81
Most USB 3.0 add-on cards don't come with drivers. Make sure you buy one with Vista 64 drivers, if you can find one.
 
B

Bearmann

Member
Sep 14, 2008
167
2
81
Thanks master_shake and jkauff.

Now that you mention it, it seems that I bought a usb 2 card for a previous computer and never got it to work. Maybe a driver issue? I'll see what I can find that has a Vista 64 driver.
 
B

Bearmann

Member
Sep 14, 2008
167
2
81
I don't mind waiting. Is a VIA chipset good or bad?

Those two look nice, vailr! 4 ports!

What is the SATA cable for? Will I need to hook up the card to a SATA port on my motherboard? That port is impossible to get to without disassembling the whole computer.
 
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vailr

vailr

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,365
54
91
Bearmann said:
I don't mind waiting. Is a VIA chipset good or bad?

Those two look nice, vailr! 4 ports!

What is the SATA cable for? Will I need to hook up the card to a SATA port on my motherboard? That port is impossible to get to without disassembling the whole computer.
Click to expand...

That's for a SATA power connector. Other designs use a 4-pin Molex power connector, and still others just use the PCIe slot for power.
That VIA card seems to not be MAC compatible, whereas the FrescoLogic card is Mac (+ Windows) compatible (if used in a MacPro, for example).
Another example:
www.amazon.com/KDLINKS®-Extension-Internal-Connector-Desktops/dp/B00DSXG4YW
(NEC chipset).
Video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxhWLAHfkz4
Same item with free shipping:
http://www.kdlinks.com/index.php/us...-with-4-pin-power-connector-for-desktops.html
Read the user comments at Amazon, and see which one looks best, I guess.
 
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Bearmann

Member
Sep 14, 2008
167
2
81
PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!! I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S ASSISTANCE! Now that I have a better understanding (thanks to your education), I think I would like to get an esata pci-e card first (or dual esata/usb3 card) and get the usb3 card later. My priority is to use my BlacX usb2/esata hard drive dock at faster speeds than usb2. Since I was unable to reach the sata ports on my motherboard, I had planned on replacing the BlacX with a usb3 version. If I understand correctly, I can get an eSATA PCI-E card which will be powered by the motherboard and not have to replace my BlacX dock. So this is my preferred route now. What so you think of this card which says it is Vista compatable, hot swappable, and bootable, (and inexpensive)?

http://www.amazon.com/Express-Adapte...ata+pci-e+card

If this is not a good choice, would you kindly recommend something else?
 
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Bearmann

Member
Sep 14, 2008
167
2
81
Oh, I have one of those, but I can't access my sata ports on my motherboard without disassembling the whole thing. Someone built the computer for me, but forgot to install the esata bracket. The sata ports are at 90 degree angles and behind the hard drive bays. I really don't want to pull everything out including the heatsink, etc. I thought getting a pci-e card would be easier for me with less chance of screwing something up.
 
J

jkauff

Senior member
Oct 4, 2012
583
13
81
Your choice looks good. ASMedia is a reliable manufacturer of SATA components.

I've used a similar card, and the only downside is that the card loads its BIOS when you boot up, which usually takes 5-10 seconds. Unless you're a boot-time fanatic (and how could you be with Vista?), it shouldn't bother you much.
 
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Bearmann

Member
Sep 14, 2008
167
2
81
Good! Thanks for the update since I ordered it a few hours ago, along with an esata cable. All for less than twenty dollars total! Strange, as I was writing this, I see that it has shipped with an expected delivery date April 2-18th. The seller has locations in Hong Kong and China so I guess it coming on the proverbial slow boat from China ;)
 
J

jkauff

Senior member
Oct 4, 2012
583
13
81
Did you buy through Amazon? Their marketplace sellers often use very conservative delivery dates. You'll probably get it in a week or 10 days.
 
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Bearmann

Member
Sep 14, 2008
167
2
81
Yes, got the one at Amazon. Judging from their feedback, it seems that most items arrive within the estimated time, but one person did receive their item early at two weeks. It's not a big deal, but I hope it gets here before my new computer build which I expect to do in a year or two ;)
 
bryanl

bryanl

Golden Member
Oct 15, 2006
1,157
8
81
Bearmann said:
I have a 5 year old Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5.

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=2958#sp

http://redirect.anandtech.com/r?url...oduct.aspx?Item=17Z-0002-00002&user=u00000687
Would a USB3 card work with this motherboard?
Click to expand...
They work in my AM2 motherboards whose latest BIOSes are from 2008.

The safest chipset choice is Renesas, formerly known as NEC.

The USB 3 card in the link requires a connection to the power supply through an IDE plug, otherwise USB devices will not receive +5V power. Some other USB 3 cards generate +5V power onboard don't need such a connection, even if they have an IDE socket (or even a floppy disk power socket).
 
B

Bearmann

Member
Sep 14, 2008
167
2
81
Well, I've already ordered the SATA card, but I think since I'll be using it with a Thermaltake BlacX which has it's own power supply, then an unpowered connection will be fine, right?
 
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