USB 3.0 STILL not standard WTF!?!

livEwirE

Hi all,

Just a question about USB 3.0 STILL not being FULLY standard on new mobos and especially new cases. Apologies if I am incorrect here:o

I have been browsing around some new boards(not all;)) and cases and notice that even ones which say they have USB 3 usually only some of the ports are usb3 and the rest are still usb 2:eek: Does anyone know of any good pc cases which include usb 3.0 ports on the front, all of them still seem to be usb 2. How long must we wait to have mobos and cases which have usb 3 only and not a mixture of both, sorry about the rant but I find this all very frustrating as the USB 3 standard has been out ages now:rolleyes:

Anyone else come across this or am I full of sh1t:D

BaconZombie

The specs only got signed off about a month or 2 ago.
And MB / device manufactures have been developing "USB 3*" stuff for over a year now....

There were USB header on MB's for about 3 years before a standard was approved.

livEwirE wrote: »

Hi all,

Just a question about USB 3.0 STILL not being FULLY standard on new mobos and especially new cases. Apologies if I am incorrect here:o

I have been browsing around some new boards(not all;)) and cases and notice that even ones which say they have USB 3 usually only some of the ports are usb3 and the rest are still usb 2:eek: Does anyone know of any good pc cases which included usb 3.0 ports on the front, all of them still seem to be usb 2. How long must we wait to have mobos and cases which have usb 3 only and not a mixture of both, sorry about the rant but I find this all very frustrating as the USB 3 standard has been out ages now:rolleyes:

Anyone else come across this or am I full of sh1t:D

Komplett-Tech: Ryan

The standard has been out ages, but its not widely used to be honest. When im looking for a new motherboard or case USB 3 is pretty much not even on the list. For me, the speeds that USB 3 offer just arn't needed. Maybe if i did alot of video editing and the need to move about massive files, but even then the hard drive can't keep up with the throughput on offer(Unless its a SSD). Plus, connecting anything thats not USB 3 has no benifit at all.

marco_polo

Because currently most people still have USB 2.0 devices and that will remain the same for a long time yet, while obviously USB3 is fully backward compatible, there is a obvious price premium on USB3 currently (higher chipset/controller manufacturing costs I presume) so for those who only need a few USB3 ports the most cost effective solution is a mix.

Why pay extra for a ton of USB3 ports you will be sticking USB2 devices into?

livEwirE

@ marco_polo, that makes sense I suppose, we are all at the mercy of the manufacturers at the end of the day I currently own a usb 3 sata docking station and usb 3 2.5" external hard disk. It looks like my next mobo is likely to have a mix so. Don't suppose you know of a pc case which has usb 3 ports integrated on the front by any chance;)

Komplett-Tech: Ryan

None that i've seen apart from the high end lian li's have them.

livEwirE

D'oh, my budget won't stretch that far:(

Komplett-Tech: Ryan

You could just get a card reader, i think a few of them have USB 3 support now, but does the motherboard have any usb3 headers?

livEwirE

Yeah, thats an idea I suppose! Would prefer integrated into a case though.

massy086

the haf x has usb 3 on the front i/o

Solitaire

Many new upper-mid-range mobos have a USB3 header or two on the mobo and some even bundle a drivebay adaptor

Overheal

I assume that the USB3 on my motherboard was built on the proposed standard at the time, before it was actually ratified. I'd say plenty of board makers have been doing the same thing. Either way the module I am told was a bit of an "add-on" to the board's original model.

Still havent seen anything thats honestly USB3 on the market however. Certainly nothing that makes me think "Damn, aren't I glad I have USB3"

For me I dont expect the transfer rates to amount to much, I honestly don't. When did you ever but occasionally see USB2 live up to its specification in that department? Truthfully I think the extra Power will be what sets it apart. I have USB2 Wireless Headsets, a USB Mug Warmer, etc. etc. And I could see similar-ish devices coming on the market with more power thanks to being able to draw up to 900mA instead of 500mA of power from a single port. At least thats the number on wikipedia right now, I though when they were announcing this thing it was meant to be closer to 3 amps or something. Still, expect to see fancier peripherals, like illuminated keyboards and such, or mini-LED screens (also, coincidentally, seen on some ridiculous keyboards)

marco_polo

Another thing to bear in mind is that the USB3 standard 'USB 3.0 Internal Cable and Connector Specification 1.0' for internal headers etc was only released by the USB-IF around at the end of September last year so it is not surprising that USB3 cases and motherboards with (standardised) internal headers are not yet all that commonplace and explains why cases with USB 3.0 front panels are as rare as hens teeth.

Although a few board makers like ASRock went and but it in anyway before the standard was finalised.

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2010/08/27/asrock-p55-extreme4-review/1

Venom

Some of the high end Asus boards have USB 3.0 front panel adapters.

While for my next build I would want only USB 3.0 slots on the motherboard I can't honestly say there are any gadgets I plan on buying that use the format.

ScumLord

Komplett-Tech: Ryan wrote: »

Maybe if i did alot of video editing and the need to move about massive files,

But firewire is already established at doing that job so I guess there's a competition angle.

marco_polo wrote: »

there is a obvious price premium on USB3 currently (higher chipset/controller manufacturing costs I presume).

I don't think there would be much of a difference, I'd guess it would be a few cent at most. Developing it costs the money but once it gets to the factory floor it makes no difference what's being made, manufacturing would be more or less the same unless USB 3 is using some amazing new technology.

marco_polo

ScumLord wrote: »

But firewire is already established at doing that job so I guess there's a competition angle.

I don't think there would be much of a difference, I'd guess it would be a few cent at most. Developing it costs the money but once it gets to the factory floor it makes no difference what's being made, manufacturing would be more or less the same unless USB 3 is using some amazing new technology.

I agree, I probably could have been clearer that I was just referring moreso to the lack of a mass production effect currently on the high per unit cost of USB controllers rather than them being much more difficult to manufacture per say (That and the fact that NEC have had fairly thin competition for their USB controller chips for a good while). Times they are a changing though.