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Build Advice Add a USB 3 PCIE controller

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by nichos, 17 Jan 2015.

  1. nichos

    nichos Minimodder

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    Hi,

    Have difficulty to show my Toshiba V63700-A 500gb external HD plugged in the USB 2s of my motherboard.

    Saw this below in Amazon (£9.99) but does not mention Win8 only w7, has anybody by chance used it in w8?

    Also my mobo has 2 free PCIE slots, will I need anything else with them or just plug into them & + power cable?.

    The seller did not answer my Q. .....thanx ......nick

    ".......eLifeStore® 4 Ports USB 3.0 PCIE PCI Express Card for PC with USB 3.0 Extension Cable (30CM), SuperSpeed 5.0Gbps, Support MS Microsoft Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP/Server 2003/XP 64-bit/Vista /win 7....."




    Home build, Asus P5K Premium WiFiiFi Intel,
    Intel Core 2 Quad Pro Q6600 95W 2.4GHz, OCZ Vendetta Cpu Cooler,
    2x2GB, 240-pin DIMM, DDR2 800 (400mhz) PC2-6400,
    EVGA GeForce 9800 GTX KO 512MB GDDR3 (PCI-E),
    Seagate Barraguda sata 500gb, TOSHIBA vb63700-A 500GB external HD,
    Corsair TX750M Psu, X45, XPhome/Win8
     
  2. PocketDemon

    PocketDemon Modder

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    There's no reason why not... & i used a similar pcie generic one going back.

    in fact if this is it then in the questions someone's already said "Only know its very fast on windows 7 and 8.1 sorry." - so that kind of confirms it.

    Otherwise, as you say, just stick it in a slot & connect a molex connector as your Toshiba HDD needs it for power, & Win8 should automatically detect it...

    Once you know what Windows sees it as though (ie what chip's used on the card), you 'may' find an updated driver searching online.
     
    Last edited: 17 Jan 2015
  3. nichos

    nichos Minimodder

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    Thanx ,

    I googled "molex connector " & they look like the cables to power things. Do they convert USB 2 to USB 3?.

    I even bought a split cable that connects to 2 USB ports with no luck. ......nick

    PS. The strange thing is that I plugged the external HD in my old micky-mouse ACER small netbook & it works OK???
     
    Last edited: 18 Jan 2015
  4. PocketDemon

    PocketDemon Modder

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    No - the molex connector is simply to provide power to USB devices that need it; with the pcie slot providing the power that the card itself needs... So 'if' you had no devices that needed power from the USB port you wouldn't need to connect the molex power cable.


    As to the card, it has nothing at all to do with any USB 2.0 ports on the motherboard (or case ports connected to pins on the motherboard)... instead it adds the (completely separate) capability of 4x USB 3.0 ports - by connecting devices directly to the card.

    Now, as simply as possible, USB 3.0 is significantly faster than 2.0 for transferring data - however you need BOTH 3.0 support at the computer end (which the card will provide naturally) AND a 3.0 device to get the EXTRA speed...

    But it's backwards compatible so that you can connect USB 2.0 devices, but they'll still only run at the slower speed.


    Now, as to your motherboard's ports, given that you've apparently ruled out the Toshiba device itself being faulty, there's only really 4 choices -

    1. your USB cable is faulty - test with another one.

    2. one or more of the USB ports has physically failed or become disconnected - test by trying them all; especially the couple on the back as they connect directly to the motherboard - not via a cable as the front case ones do.

    3. there's a fault with the operating system &/or drivers - test by reinstall the operating system from scratch & see.

    [NB i'm not telling you to reinstall the OS - i'm just telling you how to test it.]​

    4. the USB controller chip on the motherboard is failing - test the device on another machine (which you've done) & then try 1-3... & either replace the board OR add a USB card & use that instead.


    Anyway, i hope that makes better sense to you.
     
  5. nichos

    nichos Minimodder

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    Thanx again,

    SOLVED
    Thanx again,

    Just found how to make the ext.HD show up.

    Computer management>HD management>right click the Toshiba & chose change letter, gave it aletter K & it showed up in the win explorer. .....nick
     
  6. PocketDemon

    PocketDemon Modder

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    Ah, if you'd said it wasn't showing up at all, i'd have suggested this - instead it sounded as though you had an intermittent fault.

    Not to worry though, & great that you've got it sorted. :)
     

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