USB 3.0

[titsmgee]

I would like to hear the kind of devices people have working on different setups.

 

[tofuconfetti]

GA-Z68XP-UD4, Core i7/2600K SandyBridge, Gigabyte Radeon 6870, 16 Gb RAM is the setup. The two rear USB 3.0 ports work fine. I wanted front USB, so I bought a Biostar USB 3.0 3.5" (NewEgg Link) front drive bay adapter that plugs right into the motherboard USB 3.0 header. Now I have 4 USB 3.0 ports, two front, two back, and they work well with the only USB 3.0 device I have. I do a lot of photography and have a USB 3.0 card reader for my high speed compact flash cards. They download a lot faster over USB 3.0. I haven't tried any hard drives, etc yet.

Not to hijack the thread, but the real surprise with this board is the eSATA function. I have an external drive dock that I can mount and dismount just like a card reader over USB. It's truly hot pluggable as long as you unmount (eject) it in between.

 

[arw]

[ GA-Z68MX-UD2H-B3 | 10.6.8 | Onboard USB 3.0 ]

Many (including me) had problems with the Etron EJ168 USB 3.0 chipset and the patched LaCie kext from Multibeast as it has been developed for the NEC 720200.

Problem: An external HDD is perfectly recognized but suddenly kicked after few minutes.

Solution: Add the external drive to "Privacy" in the Spotlight's preferences.

For me, this is working perfectly, perhaps other people with the same problem could report back, if this fixes their issues too.

 

[titsmgee]

Nice set up tofu.

Its nice to know that USB 3.0 can be expanded past the onboard ports (although my only option to expand would be via PCI). It would also be nice to know if anybody got something other than a storage device working via 3.0.

 

[arw]

Nice set up tofu.

Its nice to know that USB 3.0 can be expanded past the onboard ports (although my only option to expand would be via PCI). It would also be nice to know if anybody got something other than a storage device working via 3.0.

What do you want to have tested exactly?
I have no USB 3.0 devices, but plenty of USB stuff like soundcards, etc.

 

[alex_tzardea]

I don't have an USB 3.0 device,but if i insert Kingston Data Traveler G3 32GB USB Drive,it works.I am able to copy data on/from it.If i insert my USB Bluetooth adapter,it doesn't work,but it is shown in System Profiler under USB Super Speed Bus.I also tried my iPhone,it charges the battery,but it's not recognized by iTunes;if iTunes it's off and i try to open it while my iPhone is plugged in,it never opens,right-clicking it says "application not responding-Force Quit"If i unplug the iPhone,iTunes opens right up.

 

[arw]

I don't have an USB 3.0 device,but if i insert Kingston Data Traveler G3 32GB USB Drive,it works.I am able to copy data on/from it.If i insert my USB Bluetooth adapter,it doesn't work,but it is shown in System Profiler under USB Super Speed Bus.I also tried my iPhone,it charges the battery,but it's not recognized by iTunes;if iTunes it's off and i try to open it while my iPhone is plugged in,it never opens,right-clicking it says "application not responding-Force Quit"If i unplug the iPhone,iTunes opens right up.

Indeed, exactly same problem here with iPad1.

Also not Working:
- Apple Keyboard (USB)
- Bluetooth Dongle
- M-Audio Fast Track Audio Interface
- USB Soundcard (a cheap 6€ thing)

Working:
- All storage devices I tried
- Digital Camera (Copying files)
- USB Mouse

 

[titsmgee]

Also not Working:
- Apple Keyboard (USB)
- Bluetooth Dongle
- M-Audio Fast Track Audio Interface
- USB Soundcard (a cheap 6€ thing)

Working:
- All storage devices I tried
- Digital Camera (Copying files)
- USB Mouse

When I was looking around I saw that most people only had storage devices working on the 3.0 Hub using the modified lacie driver. I didn't have any device in mind other than an HDD when I asked the question was wondering if anybody got lucky with another device. Trying to see if its worth it to upgrade my external from FireWire to USB 3.0

 

[tofuconfetti]

Its nice to know that USB 3.0 can be expanded past the onboard ports (although my only option to expand would be via PCI).

I guess I didn't explain correctly. That front USB bay adapter requires no expansion card. IF your motherboard has an internal header (it looks different than a USB 2.0 header), all you do is plug that adapter/front bay extension into that adapter and you have two front ports. I find this very handy because I don't keep the card reader plugged in all the time. But it does work perfectly.

The Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3P and GA-Z68XP-UD4 boards both have internal headers from which you can extend this adapter to the front of your case if you have an empty bay and a 3.5"->5.25" adapter. I made this a priority when selecting my motherboards. You also have to avoid choosing a board with the VLI chipset. The rule of thumb is to choose a board with only two USB 3.0 ports on the back. I also have the GA-Z68XP-UD5 board. While it is extremely nice and a screamer as far as performance is concerned, it has four rear USB 3.0 ports and installing the NEC/Renesas drivers locks it up solid. No usb device 2.0 or 3.0 will work once you do that. So I have that board in storage for when they solve the driver issue.

Now everyone has me curious as to whether a USB 3.0 external HD will work. I may pick one up to test it. The card reader (Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader, $39 at B&H) works flawlessly.

 

[titsmgee]

Sorry worded it poorly, but what i was trying to get across is that I dont have a 19 pin header on my board. Therefore, i would have to use a PCI expansion slot if I wanted to have additional USB 3.0 ports, making it a little difficult to mount on the front of my case. However I found this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815150170. This appears to be essentially a 2xUSB 3.0 product with one of them running to an internal hub mountable at the front of the case. It's not an ideal solution but at least it will keep everything nice and clean looking.

The question is will it work?