Joined on 07/04/07
It's in the USB3 Drivers!
Pros: USB3 Speeds are FAST and don't hit any bottle necks. USB2 ports are actually faster than typical usb because it's going through a faster bus so that was a nice surprise. I've got 50-100mbps transfers for USB3 depending on the device. I get 20-40mbps on USB2 depending on device speed.
Cons: Doesn't do my laundry?
Overall Review: So this is a follow up review of the other one that I posted as N/A that the SYBA rep responded to - which is great that the company has a team for replies on reviews. After testing this on one more computer I borrowed with GREAT success, I tried some different drivers on my desktop machine. Sure enough... BAM, after I reinstalled windows (to make sure everything was clean) and installed the older USB3 driver, this bad boy was blazing fast and USB2 worked without any problems. Also keep in mind I had VMWARE installed which has a usb arbitration service that might be messing things up. It did until I reinstalled Windows and now everything is happy. Just goes to show you, USB3 drivers are not all the same! I'm on Windows 7 Ultimate x64 and a Etron usb3 chip on a Z68 Gigabyte MB
Works - But Read the Reviews!
Pros: Flush mount. Usb 3.0. Read and Write speeds are super fast... WHEN IT WORKS StarTech RMA process is very very good. Paid shipping both ways. The device itself deserves 5 eggs, but I'm knocking off 2 for the poor drivers and lack of tech support knowledge.
Cons: Drivers off website are wrong! Comes with a MiniCD which is ridiculous cause a lot of laptops don't support these. Tech Support is Horrible with actually fixing your problem. I needed to read the other reviews to get this thing to work properly. Poor manual, poor driver availability
Overall Review: Here's the story: Purchased this card a while back and worked originally. Started to have problems with only 1 slot working. RMA'd with StarTech and got a new one. Downloaded drivers off website, device was not recognized. Hmm... submitted support ticket and they were little help. RMA'd the thing again... got another card back... same issue. Was about to start using it as a frisbee and then......... THANK G O D I READ THESE REVIEWS! After installing the 72021_2/RENESAS-USB3-Host-Driver-30160-setup.exe on the Mini CD the thing worked like a charm! I'm on Windows 7 x64 with a Dell E6420
Slower than expected - works however
Pros: Connects as expected.
Cons: Speed through the extension adapter is 40mbps vs 75mbps with the devices connected directly to the MB port. I tested file transfers with two different devices. Not sure if it's the circuitry or what, but unfortunately it's going RMA.
Overall Review: USB2 works fine and the power port is a nice add-on, but unfortunately the speed is not up to par. The speed is faster than usb2 but not full usb3 throughput.
REALLY wanted to like it... BUT
Pros: Solid base, good design, power only usb is nice for my apple stuff. USB3 works really well and is fast.
Cons: USB2 does not work with my Etron chip z68 gigabyte MB. It shows up without the proper drivers installed in windows 7 x64 and flashes in and out of device manager.
Overall Review: Might contact Syba about this and get another unit because I want to like it. But I think it's RMA newegg style. USB3 is still a newer technology and not all the hubs are perfect. This one works and works well, I just wish they had a usb3 ONLY version cause it obviously works great with the usb3 ports.
Works
Pros: It works. Straight up works and used the drivers off the SIIG website. No issues.
Cons: Box did not come with a 54mm slot adapter :-(
Overall Review: You'll need the power cable to plug into the card and then another usb slot to power higher powered usb 3.0 devices.
Don't waste your time
Pros: It looks fancy
Cons: Well here's the gig on this card. First off, I have no clue where the other reviews went for this product. Maybe newegg is having issues, but the other reviews actually told people how to get this card working. All I can say is install only the drivers on the CD that comesm with it. The ones off their website don't work for x64 windows 7. I got this thing to work eventually and it works for a usb 3.0 key but nothing else... no hard drives, no peripherals. Tried the usb power cord and it doesn't work. Also RMA'd this thing twice already and each one has it's own little different issue. I would save your cash. I'm trying a different manufacturer that hopefully uses a different chip. This one is junk.