• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

USB 3.0 Add-on card (PCIe) advice.

Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
10,881 (1.63/day)
Location
Manchester, NH
System Name Senile
Processor I7-4790K@4.8 GHz 24/7
Motherboard MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
Cooling Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory 16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE Vega 64
Storage Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x10Tb WD Blue
Display(s) 34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (3440*1440) *FREE_SYNC*
Case Rosewill
Audio Device(s) Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software Win 10
See my system specs, currently only have USB 2.0, and don't plan to do a major MB/CPU/GPU upgrade till later in the winter. So, for the time being, I'm looking for a USB 3.0 add on card, PCIe. It'd be nice to have some front panel connectors, but I'm not stuck on that... I have a few 5.25" drive bays free. My HAF case was made before USB 3.0 came out.

Any advice on a good USB 3.0 card and/or what to look for? When I do upgrade, the card will stay with the old PC, and will still be used.
 

JrRacinFan

Served 5k and counting ...
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
20,073 (3.23/day)
Location
Youngstown, OH
System Name Dual Build Streamer
Processor Ryzen 7900x3d : Ryzen 4600G
Motherboard AsRock B650E Steel Legend : Giga B450i Aorus
Cooling Custom Water 1x420 : Stock
Memory 32GB T-Force Deltas : 16GB Dominator Platinums
Video Card(s) PowerColor 7900 XTX Liquid Devil: iGPU
Storage 20+ TB
Display(s) Sammy 49" 5k Ultrawide
Case Custom White Painted Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2
Audio Device(s) Onboard : Onboard
Power Supply EVGA 1200W P2
Mouse Corsair M65 RGB Elite White
Keyboard Hyperx Origins 65
Software Windows 10
Quick q; do you have any usb devices that could utilize USB 3.0? I say skip it til then, and even at that even then give it some thought as 3.0 devices will still function ok on 2.0 ports.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
10,881 (1.63/day)
Location
Manchester, NH
System Name Senile
Processor I7-4790K@4.8 GHz 24/7
Motherboard MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
Cooling Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory 16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE Vega 64
Storage Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x10Tb WD Blue
Display(s) 34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (3440*1440) *FREE_SYNC*
Case Rosewill
Audio Device(s) Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software Win 10
Quick q; do you have any usb devices that could utilize USB 3.0? I say skip it til then, and even at that even then give it some thought as 3.0 devices will still function ok on 2.0 ports.

Good question and answer is yes, I just got a 750GB 2.5" portable drive that only has USB 3.0/2.0 interface, and man it's slow on USB 2.0!
 
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
144 (0.03/day)
Location
Houston, TX
System Name 2600k
Processor i7 2600K
Motherboard ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
Cooling Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) ASUS GTX 760 OC
Storage 120GB Agility 3/2TB WD Caviar Black x 2/Intel 311 (Cache Drive)
Display(s) Dell S2340M
Case Lian Li PC-8FIR (Silver)
Audio Device(s) X-Fi Titanium Fata1ity
Power Supply Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000W
Software Win 7 Pro x64 SP1
Benchmark Scores Logitech G500 | Razer Lycosa Mirror | Logitech Z-5300
I bought a Startech USB 3.0 card it works okay. Problem is finding new drivers for it is kind of a PITA. It's also about 30 MB/s slower on the reads and writes from the onboard NEC controller.

I think I picked it up on a Shellshocker deal for $20.
StarTech 4 Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCI Express Car...

Other problem is you would need to pickup a female to male USB 3.0 cable and route it through the case to get it to the front. That's pretty easy to find though (hint, hint Monoprice).
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
10,881 (1.63/day)
Location
Manchester, NH
System Name Senile
Processor I7-4790K@4.8 GHz 24/7
Motherboard MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
Cooling Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory 16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE Vega 64
Storage Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x10Tb WD Blue
Display(s) 34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (3440*1440) *FREE_SYNC*
Case Rosewill
Audio Device(s) Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software Win 10
I bought a Startech USB 3.0 card it works okay. Problem is finding new drivers for it is kind of a PITA. It's also about 30 MB/s slower on the reads and writes from the onboard NEC controller.

I think I picked it up on a Shellshocker deal for $20.
StarTech 4 Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCI Express Car...

Other problem is you would need to pickup a female to male USB 3.0 cable and route it through the case to get it to the front. That's pretty easy to find though (hint, hint Monoprice).

Drivers are definitely a concern especially with off brands.

I found this: SIIG USB 3.0 4-Port PCIe i/e Model JU-P40212-S1

Monoprice is about the only place I go for cables :)
 
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
144 (0.03/day)
Location
Houston, TX
System Name 2600k
Processor i7 2600K
Motherboard ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
Cooling Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) ASUS GTX 760 OC
Storage 120GB Agility 3/2TB WD Caviar Black x 2/Intel 311 (Cache Drive)
Display(s) Dell S2340M
Case Lian Li PC-8FIR (Silver)
Audio Device(s) X-Fi Titanium Fata1ity
Power Supply Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000W
Software Win 7 Pro x64 SP1
Benchmark Scores Logitech G500 | Razer Lycosa Mirror | Logitech Z-5300
Bad news, that SIIG uses the same TI controller (TI TUSB7340) as the Startech card I mentioned. So at the end of the day finding updated drivers is still going to be a PITA. Like I said before the performance isn't that bad, might help too if I hooked up the SATA power adapter to the card. I just figured for what I use it for the provided PCIe power should be adequate.
 

95Viper

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 12, 2008
Messages
12,645 (2.24/day)
Any advice on a good USB 3.0 card and/or what to look for?

Yep, some things to look for:
1. the type of power port you want/need (SATA or molex)
2. the type of connector on the card (20 pin motherboard type, 9 pin, etc.)
3. whether PCI, PCIe (x1,x4,etc.)
4. how many ports & connections; and, internal, external, or both

Bad news, that SIIG uses the same TI controller (TI TUSB7340) as the Startech card I mentioned. So at the end of the day finding updated drivers is still going to be a PITA. Like I said before the performance isn't that bad, might help too if I hooked up the SATA power adapter to the card. I just figured for what I use it for the provided PCIe power should be adequate.

I would hook up the External power, as so, you don't have to later when you might need it.


Google it, they are all over.
Ain't that hard to find the drivers for any of them.

Just scroll down and look for the section "Software" and seems that chipset uses all the same drivers for, either , TUSB7340EVM or TUSB7340.
TUSB7340EVM

TUSB7340

And, the TUSB7320, if you need it.
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
10,881 (1.63/day)
Location
Manchester, NH
System Name Senile
Processor I7-4790K@4.8 GHz 24/7
Motherboard MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
Cooling Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory 16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE Vega 64
Storage Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x10Tb WD Blue
Display(s) 34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (3440*1440) *FREE_SYNC*
Case Rosewill
Audio Device(s) Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software Win 10
Yep, some things to look for:
1. the type of power port you want/need (SATA or molex)
2. the type of connector on the card (20 pin motherboard type, 9 pin, etc.)
3. whether PCI, PCIe (x1,x4,etc.)
4. how many ports & connections; and, internal, external, or both

I would hook up the External power, as so, you don't have to later when you might need it.

Google it, they are all over.
Ain't that hard to find the drivers for any of them.

Just scroll down and look for the section "Software" and seems that chipset uses all the same drivers for, either , TUSB7340EVM or TUSB7340.
TUSB7340EVM

TUSB7340

And, the TUSB7320, if you need it.

Thx!
 
Joined
Dec 6, 2005
Messages
10,881 (1.63/day)
Location
Manchester, NH
System Name Senile
Processor I7-4790K@4.8 GHz 24/7
Motherboard MSI Z97-G45 Gaming
Cooling Be Quiet Pure Rock Air
Memory 16GB 4x4 G.Skill CAS9 2133 Sniper
Video Card(s) GIGABYTE Vega 64
Storage Samsung EVO 500GB / 8 Different WDs / QNAP TS-253 8GB NAS with 2x10Tb WD Blue
Display(s) 34" LG 34CB88-P 21:9 Curved UltraWide QHD (3440*1440) *FREE_SYNC*
Case Rosewill
Audio Device(s) Onboard + HD HDMI
Power Supply Corsair HX750
Mouse Logitech G5
Keyboard Corsair Strafe RGB & G610 Orion Red
Software Win 10
I bought this yesterday: SYBA USB 3.0 (3+1) PCI-e Controller Card, Etron Ch...

Bastards had it priced at $19.99 when I bought it, now it's $18.99 lol. $1.99 shipping



I would have preferred the version with SATA power connector, but I have a few molex leads in use for my case fans and lights so it's not an issue.

Nice feature is the internal port to have a cable at the front of the case. Ghetto, but oh well.

The chipset is Etron EJ168, which appears to have decent support: http://www.etron.com/EJ168.php
 
Joined
Jun 2, 2009
Messages
144 (0.03/day)
Location
Houston, TX
System Name 2600k
Processor i7 2600K
Motherboard ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
Cooling Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) ASUS GTX 760 OC
Storage 120GB Agility 3/2TB WD Caviar Black x 2/Intel 311 (Cache Drive)
Display(s) Dell S2340M
Case Lian Li PC-8FIR (Silver)
Audio Device(s) X-Fi Titanium Fata1ity
Power Supply Cooler Master Silent Pro M 1000W
Software Win 7 Pro x64 SP1
Benchmark Scores Logitech G500 | Razer Lycosa Mirror | Logitech Z-5300
Never heard of the controller. Let the rest of us know how it works.
 
Top