Poll of the Day > Can someone recommend me a USB splitter/hub?

(+) Yeah! (+)

My brand new PC (well, as of last year) has 8 USB ports... and by 8 I mean 3 'cuz logic. 2 of them in the back for the mouse and keyboard and 1 in the front.

I mean, there's quite visibly 4 in the front, 2 blue and 2 black - but only one of the black ones works.

So, I need a splitter.

Looking for a HIGH SPEED connection, but IDK how USB works so if speeds don't really matter and my controller won't have any lag then I'll just get an Amazon Basics or Staples generic one... but if speed DOES matter, that's where you guys come in - I would need a recommendation.

I just need 1 more slot for now, but if I want to add, like, facecam in the future I'd need another slot and so-on... but, because this is for gaming. SPEEEEEEEEEEEEED FIRST

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Unless USB speed doesn't actually matter

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I have one of these: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PBZX0OM/

It's really nicely made, a single piece of aluminum for the body instead of cheap plastic. Only real issue is that the data cord is a bit on the short side (1.3 feet/40 cm) and is permanently attached.

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That does look kinda cool.

Not available in Canada, but I can search for the brand

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Lokarin posted...

Looking for a HIGH SPEED connection, but IDK how USB works so if speeds don't really matter and my controller won't have any lag then I'll just get an Amazon Basics or Staples generic one... but if speed DOES matter, that's where you guys come in - I would need a recommendation.

speed shouldn't matter for a controller. if you will ever want to use this to plug in a drive and copy large files, then get USB 3 (and make sure it plugs into a USB 3 port). if it will only ever be used for peripherals, you can probably just settle for USB 2. (usually USB 3 will be blue, and USB 2 black).

either way make sure to get one with an adapter if you want to charge something with it. it can still charge without one, but will do it a lot slower.

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Sahuagin posted...

either way make sure to get one with an adapter if you want to charge something with it. it can still charge without one, but will do it a lot slower.

If you want to charge devices, stick to an actual charger. Most hubs follow the USB standard, which is 500mA for USB 2.0 and 900mA for USB 3.0, both at 5V. The few I've seen that can offer more are limited to 2.4A and 5V and are usually more expensive, while a proper charger can handle up to 5A and 20V, depending on the design and your device's capabilities.

You do still want a hub with a power adapter, however, because the port on the PC can only supply 900mA maximum; without an adapter that power has to be shared among all the ports on the hub.

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captpackrat posted...

If you want to charge devices, stick to an actual charger.

not clear on the difference here. I'm talking about USB charged devices. I'm not sure if there's a difference between a USB outlet charger and a powered USB hub, but I know from (limited but non-zero) experience there seems to be a large difference between a powered USB hub and non-powered USB hub in terms of charge time.

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Does your motherboard have any usb connection points on it? Might just need to wire them up.
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captpackrat posted...

while a proper charger can handle up to 5A and 20V, depending on the design and your device's capabilities.

usb 3.1 can handle that.
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Kyuubi4269 posted...

usb 3.1 can handle that.

Only if the hardware supports USB Power Delivery. Most computer USB ports don't, mainly because it requires huge amounts of power (up to 100W). I've seen laptops that can receive power from USB PD, usually on only one specific port, but all the laptop's ports are limited to providing the USB standard 4.5W.

Sahuagin posted...

not clear on the difference here. I'm talking about USB charged devices. I'm not sure if there's a difference between a USB outlet charger and a powered USB hub, but I know from (limited but non-zero) experience there seems to be a large difference between a powered USB hub and non-powered USB hub in terms of charge time.

If you were to try to power the hub off the computer's USB port, you'd be having to share that port's limited power among all the ports on the hub, so a 5 port USB 2 unpowered hub might only be able to supply 100mA to each port (and likely less than that, since the hub itself consumes power). Most powered hubs with a separate power supply can provide the full USB spec power to each port, 2.5W (USB 2) or 4.5W (USB 3).

A USB charger, on the other hand, is capable of providing MUCH higher amperage and voltage than the USB standard to devices that can negotiate that power, as much as 100W for chargers that support USB Power Delivery or Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0.

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don't need charging - just zero latency gaming

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captpackrat posted...

If you were to try to power the hub off the computer's USB port

That's not how it works, it uses a wall plug. It's just there so some of your hub ports don't go dead if the power draw exceeds the connected usb port.
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captpackrat posted...

A USB charger, on the other hand, is capable of providing MUCH higher amperage and voltage than the USB standard to devices that can negotiate that power, as much as 100W for chargers that support USB Power Delivery or Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0.

k this makes sense and is good to know. I don't really use chargers much since USB ports are easier to find than wall outlets.

trying to post this but apparently gamefaqs is having seizures...

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Kyuubi4269 posted...

That's not how it works, it uses a wall plug. It's just there so some of your hub ports don't go dead if the power draw exceeds the connected usb port.

Some hubs don't have external power at all and draw power from the PC's USB port, and some that have external power can also operate off the PC alone. My Logitech gaming keyboard has a 2 port hub built in that draws off the PC for power, with no provision for external power. The Anker hub I posted earlier can operate without the power adapter if necessary (with a laptop, for instance), with limited power levels.

The hub on my keyboard is of very limited usefulness. The keyboard consumes enough power that my power-hungry gaming mouse won't work, neither will most USB hard drives, and definitely not both at the same time. There is enough power for a basic mouse, data transfer from a phone, a printer, scanner or other self-powered peripheral, or some other limited power items like flash drives or small LED lights. The latter is the only thing I use it for.

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You might want to check in your bios to see about turning on those blue one, they would be at least usb 3.0. If they are on then you might want to open the pc and check that they are connected to the motherboard.

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