Sup folks, I'm curious how the people of BT manage their storage requirements when it comes to portable storage like HDDs and flash drives. I use a lot of USB devices and I love USB3 when it comes to my external storage needs, however I have a problem when it comes to accessing the rear of my machine as 1) it's tricky to get there and 2) I'm quickly running out of ports because I have a gazillion devices connected. How do people circumvent this? I have my front panel connector from the Fractal case but it only gives me a single USB3 port, and I'd rather have easy access to the ports at the rear of my machine. TIA
USB 2.0 and 3.0 Hubs on the top of my desk for occasional connections. 2 USB 3.0 Docking stations next to my desk so I can reach down and slot a bare 2.5" or 3.5" drive in. The docking stations tend to be populated with the drives I use to backup media files.
Very similar. A powered USB 3 hub & a USB 3 docking station sit in front of my monitor (which also has a USB 3 hub built in)
Thanks for the replies guys. I've looked at powered USB 3 hubs and might get something along those lines, however I'm not sure I need powered. I also have two USB 3.1 ports at the back of my motherboard but I'll be damned if I can find the drivers for them... ASMedia ASM1142 powered USB 3.1 ports, whatever that means (the nomenclature of USB 3 is already lost on me because it's so confusing). Strangely there's no such driver to be found on the MSI website, which is most unhelpful.
You need a powered hub. Buying an unpowered USB3 hub is just purchasing more problems. Drivers can be found here, but if you have Windows 10 then the driver should have been installed automatically by Windows Update, and with ASMedia drivers it;s best not to mess with them unless something is actually broken, lest it become broken.
Agreed. If nothing else, a powered hub means being able to leave your phone charging while the PC's switched off. The one I bought has 7 normal ports & 3 "charge only" ones (not connected to the PC). This one, in fact:- https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/USB-Hubs/Anker-PowerIQ-Charging-Ports-iPhone-Samsung-Motorola/B00VE4UJD4
MSI website for Win 10 drivers : https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/X99A-GAMING-7.html#down-driver
Yep I installed the Win10 drivers and it works perfectly on Win7. Seems strange that they don't have them in all the applicable download areas of the site? Thanks for the heads-up!!
