Question 1

I have 3 x 2.0 usb ports on my Gateway laptop, purchased 3 yrs ago.  If I install this device will it place the two ports where I already have 2 x 2.0 ports side by side already?  If not, how will I access the ports without having to cut holes in the side of my laptop?

Accepted Answer

This card is for desktop. There is no way to install this on any laptop.

Question 2

Will the internal USB connector work with a USB 3.0 front panel extender? Specifically, with this product at NewEgg:

DEEPCOOL ROCK MASTER V3.0 Fan Control Panel 5.25" Bay 4 Channel Fan Controller with Multi-functional Card Reader and 2 USB 3.0 Ports

Accepted Answer

Purchased an earlier version of this card a 2 years ago to make an old USB 2.0 native machine support high-speed backups on new external USB 3.0 drives which it did incredibly well. Unlike other similar cards at that time, BOTH ports supported two large and power-hungry USB 3.0 drives reliably and consistently together. Other cards claimed that both ports would support mounted external drives (and I tried several others) but often one or the other of the connections would fail during a session, which never happened with the EC04-P. My interest at that time was solely in the addition of the rear two ports.
         From the installation experiments I conducted with other PCI-E cards, I found the ECO4-P to be the most reliable for adding USB 3.0 ports to a system. However, success with it depends on several factors like the overall resources on your machine and the power requirements of the panel. I have since upgraded to a new machine that is USB 3.0 native with two front ports already available. I am considering eventually adding a multi-function panel like the one you described but even then as it is a native USB 3.0 machine, the issues will be different.
        Further specifications and description about this card are available at the ‘Silverstonetek’ website. See: Products > Accessories > Expansion Cards > ECO4-P for details.  The posted description says it adds four (4) total USB 3.0 ports to your system: two external standard Type-A ports and one dual port internal connector. People at their USA headquarters are very responsive and helpful. Go to Silverstonetek > Contacts and fill out their email webform or call the number posted for their Chino, CA offices.

Question 3

I want to add an external HDD for back-up on my HP dx2300 PC but only have USB 2.0 ports that won't take advantage of the read/write speeds the new HDD can accommodate. I know I can physically add a PCI-E card but wonder of my particular PC is capable of actually realizing the potential of a 3.0 device given the age of my desktop. Will adding a card be beneficial? If so, what are some recommendations?

Accepted Answer

EC04-P is a great device, I recommend it for anyone that has front USB ports. The dx2300 is well equipped with a 2007 3.2-GHz Pentium 4 processor, a gig of system memory, and an 80GB hard drive. I think the driver is Vista compatible. I don't think you will see the true potential of 3.0 with your motherboard, processor and RAM, but you might.

Question 4

What is the connector i need to give this more power ? a link anyone?

Accepted Answer

Just a standard 4 pin. Your power supply should have some extras hanging out. If not you might need to pick something like this up: http://ow.ly/ASVSS

Question 5

I am considering purchasing this to allow use of USB 3.0 ports on a new micro atx case. My motherboard ASRock 880GM-LE FX and as I am going to run Linux (either Steam OS or Fedora). Is there any issue with drivers, or will it be automatically recognized?

Accepted Answer

Most Linux builds have awesome driver support.. This card has an NEC chipset and I've used them just fine on my Ubuntu and Mint with no problems

Questions & Answers