Usb hubs

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A new computer desk has given me the need to purchase a Usb hub to keep things neat and tidy on the desk, missus was fed up cos I used the old desk for tying my fishing flies and other messy stuff, i've been warned
Looking on amazon it seems Usb 3.0 is most common these days, My pc has 6 usb 2.0 and 2 usb 3.0 slots on the rear, if I got a usb 3.0 hub would a usb 2.0 cable or my usb card reader which I think is 2.0 fit into a usb 3.0 slot?
I intend on getting a mains powered one.

thanks
 
cheers Neil , makes the choice a bit easier.
 
USB 2 cables are 4-way. USB 3 are 9-way.
Using a "2" cable between a "3" port and a "3" hub or device will throttle you to "2" speeds.
 
Just ordered a 4 port Amazonbasics 3.0 hub plus a 3.0 extension cable which will probably be needed, 4 port one is plenty for me. Now she's nagging me to get a mousemat, she doesn't want scratches on her new desk :confused::confused::) I draw the line on a pink one:)
 
Tori_T said:
USB 2 cables are 4-way. USB 3 are 9-way.
Using a "2" cable between a "3" port and a "3" hub or device will throttle you to "2" speeds.
Click to expand...


The device end of a USB 3 cable is 9 way (taking your figure - I can't see it with my contacts in!) but the computer end looks the same as USB 1 and 2 - 4 way with the outer as a shield (?). I have a 4 port USB 3 hub with an extra power supply cable running as a pure supply (2 core coaxial) from a USB 2 port. From what I can tell using USB 3 devices, they run a lot faster than USB 2 (using the same computer's USB 2 ports instead of the hub or direct to a USB 3 port).
 
If you shine a light down into the end of a 1-2 compatible USB 3 plug, you'll see the other five connectors hiding at the back. :)
I too have noticed good performance from 3 devices on 2 hubs/ports, when compared to 2 devices, but it's nothing compared to 3-on-3 speeds.
 
just a word of caution. I used to have one of these hubs, not specifically the one you mention above, but it came with a mains power adapter. all was normal and then one day, it crackled for a second, and just as i looked down to see where the noise was coming from, the whole pc went pop!

the mains adapter had failed, it scorched a mark on the plug socket and killed my PC.

The annoying thing, and this is where the caution comes in, is that my complete PC setup including monitors, speakers, etc was supposedly protected as there was surge protection on all the plugs. This one plug however was not. it appears that the faulty usb surged, and sent a huge bolt up the usb hub and then into my motherboard.

Fortunately, my home insurance were fantastic and replaced everything that had popped. My hard drives were ok but everything else on the motherboard and some ancillaries were toasted. I will never again use a powered USB hub. The boffins have stated that USB can self power itself for normal use 173 times, i.e. you can plug 173 hubs into each other and the last one will still work. There is no need for mains power providing you are not charging something big like an iPad.

If you do need to use a mains powered hub, please consider using surge protection on it, and in fact anything that connects to your machine.
 
That sounds like an insulation breakdown in the mains adapter. If that was the case, you were getting 220VAC through your hub into your PC. Surge protection will not help is those situations, 'cos the fault is already past the point where the protection sits in the circuit. :(

Unless your PC's ports support 5V@1A you can have problems with external HDDs failing to spin up on self-powered hubs (and pulling down all the other devices plugged in to them while they try).
Low power devices (keyboards/mice) and self powered (printers/scanners/bigger HDDs) will not have a problem.
 
Yes Tori, the surge sneaked in via an unprotected hub, made a big bang, and exited through the surge protection, therefore protecting the national grid! i was not best pleased.
 
gremlin16 said:
just a word of caution. I used to have one of these hubs, not specifically the one you mention above, but it came with a mains power adapter. all was normal and then one day, it crackled for a second, and just as i looked down to see where the noise was coming from, the whole pc went pop!

the mains adapter had failed, it scorched a mark on the plug socket and killed my PC.

The annoying thing, and this is where the caution comes in, is that my complete PC setup including monitors, speakers, etc was supposedly protected as there was surge protection on all the plugs. This one plug however was not. it appears that the faulty usb surged, and sent a huge bolt up the usb hub and then into my motherboard.

Fortunately, my home insurance were fantastic and replaced everything that had popped. My hard drives were ok but everything else on the motherboard and some ancillaries were toasted. I will never again use a powered USB hub. The boffins have stated that USB can self power itself for normal use 173 times, i.e. you can plug 173 hubs into each other and the last one will still work. There is no need for mains power providing you are not charging something big like an iPad.

If you do need to use a mains powered hub, please consider using surge protection on it, and in fact anything that connects to your machine.
Click to expand...


Assuming your meaning the Amazonbasic4 port hub, I think using the mains plug is optional so I will take note of your experience with it and let the PC power it. I rarely ever use more than one port at a time anyway. Thanks for the warning though.
 
Tori_T said:
If you shine a light down into the end of a 1-2 compatible USB 3 plug, you'll see the other five connectors hiding at the back. :)
I too have noticed good performance from 3 devices on 2 hubs/ports, when compared to 2 devices, but it's nothing compared to 3-on-3 speeds.
Click to expand...


Cheers for the info, Tori. Just peered into the socket end of a 3 extension lead and seen the 5 connectors at the front. My comment about using the USB2 port was meaning that the main USB link was to a USB3 port on the computer with another lead from a USB2 port purely supplying extra power to the hub in case it's needed. I rarely use more than 1 USB3 device at a time but do sometimes, so I keep both supplies connected just in case. There are actually 3 or 4 USB3 ports on the computer but all at the back of the thing (it's an all-in-one unit), hence the need for a hub - to bring a few ports to the front!
 
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