I’ve got a spare USB 3.0 connection on my pc motherboard and want to fit an internal card reader with fast read and write speeds for raw files and video so thought a USB 3.0 multi card reader would be ideal. 3.5″ would be best and it needs to take high capacity compact flash and SD and micro SD would be good too. A USB 3.0 hub would also be a good idea.

I’m not sure if there is one avaialble. My search has shown a couple of possibilities but I’m not sure if they just have a USB 3.0 hub in a addition to USB 2.0 based card reader.

I’m not that great at IT so would appreciate some help in getting the right thing or confirming there isn’t one if that’s the case so I don’t waste more time looking. The only connections I have free are the USB 3.0 and one spare SATA hard drice connection.

Thanks

If it has a USB3 hub inside it should also have a USB3 connetion to the motherboard. Post up what you have found.

Two results on amazon

1st is a USB 3.0 Hub – Icybox IB-AC610 4 Port USB 3.0 Hub – £38 with £5 delivery

2nd is a Internal Card Reader – Icy Box IB-864 Front Panel for 3.5 inch Bay with Card Reader and Multiport Hub – USB 2.0 / 3.0
(which has 3 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0 and eSATA) – £15.49 with free delivery

Hope that helps

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/icy-box-ib-864-b-35-6x-slot-card-reader-with-3x-usb-20-1x-esata-and-1x-usb-30

Basically the above and similar. My thinking is that this probably allows you to connect a usb 3.0 cable to the hub and motherboard but also usb 2.0 cable to link the usb 2.0 hubs and motherboard and also a eSATA to the SATA but all separately whereas I want an internal card reader with the speed of USB 3.0 and ideally a hub as well so I can fit USB 3.0 accessories if I want to in future.

The other option is to get something like this and get an external lexar one that fits CF and SD but they’re expensive and not as neat.

Presumably cables need to be bought separately for the internal ones too?

Simon, I posted before reading your post. I guess my question is whether the card reader is linked to the USB 3.0 motherboard connection or if this is effectively just a front panel with 3 connections on the back – 1 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0 and one SATA?

I really want high speed read/write capability due to dealing with 20 Mb raw files and possibly video if I get a cam for my bike at some stage.

The Icy box one would connect to the motherboard so it be the same, as with the card reader, the data transfer will depend on the read/write speed of the media – sd, memory stick, etc and depends what media the cam would take, if sd. Then go for class 10 as being the highest read/write speed (10mb/sec)

Is there any point? Can your memory cards transfer data fast enough to justify USB3?

I currently use a lexar expresscard CF reader along with UDMA CF cards when using the laptop and it is much faster than using USB 2.0. Basically my USB 2.0 motherboard connections are already in use so I have a choice of SATA or USB3.0

I figured getting one with USB 3.0 would make use of the motherboard connection leaving the SATA one free for future use plus the panel limked to above includes a USB3.0 hub so I would not only be able to transfer at the maximum card speed but also have an external usb 3.0 socket.

I’m just uncertain as to whether the panel has just one connection internally which is to the USB 3.0 motherboard terminal which ‘powers’ the USB 2.0, uSB 3.0, card reader and esata external ports and was suspecting it doesn’t.

Is there any point? Can your memory cards transfer data fast enough to justify USB3?

You beat me to it.

A USB2 host will have a real-world throughput of about 40MB/s (after overheads). An SD card typically reads and writes at (class)MB/s, so your USB2 is still four times faster than even a fast class 10 SD card.

it is much faster than using USB 2.0

How are you connecting the SD card to USB? By plugging the camera in? I’d guess that’s the bottleneck rather than the interface.

http://www.lexar.com/products/lexar-professional-expresscard-compactflash-cf-reader?category=213

That’s the reader I use for CF with my laptop and the card is a 60Mb /s UDMA.

With the other pc I only have a basic USB card reader that is CF only. This is probably the bottleneck as you say and it may in fact only be USB 1.0.

That said, cards are always getting faster and I don’t have a USB 2.0 connection free on the motherboard though I could replace or disconnect the existing 5″ bay (that has the audio sockets in too so discounnecting the USB hub would probably be the best option).

It’s just that the pics of the above panel just show a few wires out of the back. If I could see exactly what they are I could decide. Maybe I should call a stockist (tend not to think of that these days!)

Is USB3.0 not backwardly compatible? So you could plug a 2.0 device into the 3.0 port perhaps?

It is externally but I don’t know about internally. I’m hoping you can just use the internal USB 3.0 motherboard conection all the external ports go through that but just want to clarify it that’s the case otherwise it’s a shame to lose the USB 3.0 capability.

When I wired up my PC the mobo connector was just four pins corresponding to the four pins of USB. The back plate with connectors on it was just an extension, no leccie bits inside it. So I’m almost completely certain that it’ll work 🙂

I’ve actually just found a pdf data sheet which although not completely clear would suggest it probably links usb 2.0 internal to the usb 2.0 external, SATA internal to eSATA external port and usb 3.0 to usb 3.0 external port so all separate.

I’ve just managed to check the spec of my old card reader and it’s USB 1.1 so it seems that unless there is one with just one USB 3.0 internal connection then this will probably be best and I’ll just disconnect the existing USB connectors. I have a drive I use for back ups of my laptop so the external eSATA port will be handy too.

Thanks for the clarification and for pretty much confirming that what I would ideally like probably isn’t yet produced.

I’ve decided to go for this and replace the existing one (which as two audio sockets and 4 usb 2.0).

http://www.icybox.com.tw/pdf_spec/datasheet_ib-863_e.pdf

What cables will I need to connect up to the motherboard SATA and USB 3.0 connectors? I just don’t want to order the wrong things or not order all that I need and end up paying the £5 odd postage twice.

Thanks