VANTEC 4-Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCIe Host Card w/ Internal 20-Pin Connector Model UGT-PC345

Pros: Works with my PCI-E 1.0 1x slot pretty well. It's not the several hundred MB/s possible, but it's definitely still better than USB 2.0.

Cons: Device wasn't innately supported by Windows update.

Other Thoughts: I wanted to get some USB 3.0 functionality on my older motherboard (Abit IP35 Pro) and went with this product in conjunction with a USB 3.0 front panel connector (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817997053). Both have been working well with my also-new Patriot Rage Supersonic XT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-220-719). Read & write speeds hovered around 55MB/s & 47MB/s (respectively) pretty routinely.

Pros: No issues with legacy or newer hardware. Recent Linux kernels support the device perfectly. Works with VMWare Windows 8 x64 guests also. System running openSuse 12.3 (current as of this writing).

Cons: None thus far.

Other Thoughts: Older systems without USB 3.0 support seem like a good target for this hardware but for many mainboards there are three connectors for USB 3.0 on the back and a either no internal connectors or just one. These provide plenty of power with a dedicated connector and an internal port to add front connectors with. This is a good choice even for some newer hardware. My system had few USB ports over all and no USB 3.0 ports. Now I have two and a way to increase that to four.

Pros: Works out of the box in a PCIe-1.0 slot. I got this as the build I was working on ended up requiring 2 USP 3.0 (4 USB 3.0 connectivity) Header connections and the motherboard I had only had 1.

Cons: None so far.

Other Thoughts: The Build:
AMD FX-8350 Vishera 4.0GHz (4.2GHz Turbo)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin
BIOSTAR TA990FXE AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD
Rosewill ARMOR-EVO Gaming E-ATX Mid Tower
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA
2x Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200
OCZ Z Series Gold OCZZ850M 850W ATX12V 2.3/
XFX Double D FX-795A-TDFC Radeon HD 7950 3GB
ARCTIC Freezer A30 Extreme CPU Cooler - AMD, 320W Ultimate Cooling Power, Direct-Touch
ASUS Black Blu-ray Burner SATA BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS
VANTEC UGT-CR935 USB 3.0 Multi-Memory Internal
ICY DOCK MB971SP-B DuoSwap 5.25" Hot-Swap
Rosewill RC-225 PCI-Express 2.0 Low Profile SATA III

Pros: This small, inexpensive card, runs at the advertised speed, and uses the renasus (NEC) chip set.

Cons: Uses a Molex connector. When powered with that connector, would not work.

Other Thoughts: This review offsets a prior review where I could not get this card to work in an EVGA SR2. I was finally able to get this to work after adding additional power directly to the PCI bus and simultaneously removing direct power to the card. I can't blame the card any more than the SR2, which is temperamental, so I'd rate this card at a 3. My prior review was a 1, so the 5 rating here offsets that.

Pros: None that I can tell - wouldn't work at all with an EGA SR-2 motherboard.

Cons: Uses a Molex connector, would not work powered or unpowered.

Other Thoughts: Seems to be completely dead. Tried 5 different slots and pulled all other cards and devices on the Motherboard. Reset NVRAM just to be safe. Nothing I did made any difference. Neither the BIOS nor the OS saw the card in an slot. The EVGA SR-2 has 7 PCIe 2.0 x16 slots. Nothing was connected except the video card. Other PCIe SATA cards work and other USB 3.0 cards (StarTech) are recognized but not this one. Will RMA and try another brand.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,
We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you. We do provide a one year warranty from the date of purchase on your product, so feel free to get that exchanged for a brand new unit.
Please contact support@vantecusa.com
Best Regards, Vantec

Pros: I have an Asus P6T Delux V2 motherboard w/o USB 3.0, and this card provided a USB 3.0 header for add-on USB 3.0 front panel jacks, plus two rear jacks. I put it in a PCI Express x4_1 slot and it works just fine for backups to an external USB 3.0 HD. An inexpensive upgrade for an older board. Lots of room between the power and USB 3.0 header jacks.

Cons: none I am aware of

Other Thoughts: I have not done speed tests, but it seems faster than usb 2.0.

Pros: question about available pci slots below

Cons: question about available pci slots below

Other Thoughts: my board has a pci and a pci express 2.0 x 16 slot,, can this card be used in the x 16 slot or does it have to be a smaller one?

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,
We try hard to provide our customer with the best service. If you have questions about our products, please feel free to write to us for assistance at support@vantecusa.com. We will try our best to answer your questions. Thank you for looking into our products. We do value your patronage.
Best Regards, Vantec

Pros: Installed on PCIe 1 using VANTEC-supplied disk successfully. Attached VANTEC UGT-IH203 2-Port USB 3.0 Front Panel and I had 2 USB 3.0 ports on my case front panel and 2 more on the back. Gave me just what I was looking for.

Cons: For success at $20 how can I complain?

Other Thoughts: These two Vantec components solved a conflict I had with my first build: the only USB 3.0 port on the case front panel was based on a cable passthru and my MB had no USB 3.0 header.

This could beef up some older case/MB combos that didn't put enough USB 3.0 capability up front (I only go after the back panel ports when I have to).

Pros: works very well, I added two more front mount usb 3 ports to go with the rear, and for $20

Cons: misinformation by dreamer tech levels

Other Thoughts: some people just dont get it, works with pcie 1 OR 2

w8 x64, and get latest drivers from WWW, not vantec

Pros: Fast, easy, painless.

Cons: None