Whether you’re sporting an older computer without a single USB 3.0 port or you’d like to expand and improve the roster of USB 3.0 ports on your newer computer, we’re here to help. Read on as we outline how to pack in all the USB goodness you crave with back, front, and case ports.
Why Do I Want To Do This?
If you already have a USB 3.0 port or two on your computer, you can pretty much skip this section: you already know how great USB 3.0 is and you’re here for more. If you’re thinking about upgrading an older computer to support USB 3.0 you might not realize just how many improvements USB 3.0 offers over USB 2.0.Note: This tutorial will cover the upgrade process for desktop computers. This tutorial will not cover the upgrade process for laptop computers as laptops are difficult to upgrade to USB 3.0. While there are, in fact, USB 3.0 expansion cards for laptops with expansion card slots, those cards perform poorly, consume large amounts of power, and are generally not worth the hassle.
If you have a laptop that has a USB 3.0 port or two and you wish to expand upon that we would encourage you to check out The HTG Guide to Purchasing the Perfect USB Hub for Your Needs. The external powered USB 3.0 hubs found therein are an excellent way to expand the port capacity of a USB 3.0 capable laptop.
What Do I Need?
Normally we have a cut and dry list of the hardware you need for a given tutorial. This tutorial is slightly different in that there are several ways you can go about upgrading computers both old and new to support USB 3.0. Rather than list off every potential combination of hardware add-ons and their permutations, we’re going to highlight two very common upgrade paths.For the purposes of this guide we upgraded two computers with several different USB 3.0 related upgrades to showcase the different upgrade paths you can take. Depending on your needs you can mix and match the hardware we used in the two machines to achieve your desired outcome.
The first computer has a dated motherboard (purchased in mid-2006) that has neither USB 3.0 ports on the back port panel nor USB 3.0 pin headers on the board itself. The second computer has a modern motherboard (purchased in late 2013) that features both USB 3.0 ports on the back port panel as well as USB 3.0 pin headers on the motherboard to support USB 3.0 ports on the front of the case and/or via expansion bay hubs.
- The HooToo HT-PC002 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 2-Port +19-Pin Header PCI-E Add-on Card, ~$17
- The HooToo HT-PC001 SuperSpeed USB 3.0 4 Port PCI-E Add-on Card, ~$16
- The Rosewill RDCR-11004 Multi-Port USB and Card Reader Bay Expansion, ~$30
There are two important considerations when purchasing a USB 3.0 expansion card. Let’s take a moment to look at the hardware specifics to ensure you pick the right card for your needs.
First, you always want to purchase a card that includes a power connector of some sort (some cards have an older molex 4-pin power jack and typically come with a molex-to-SATA adapter and some have a SATA power adapter onboard). You should never purchase a USB 3.0 expansion card that lacks a power adapter as the PCI expansion slot cannot supply enough power to meet the demands of a fully loaded USB 3.0 card. In the photograph below you can see the molex power port, the 4-pin/milky white port on the right, on the HooToo-PC002.
Now let’s take a look at the actual process to highlight when you would want to use each piece of hardware by walking you through the upgrade process for the two computers.
Upgrading an Older Computer
The first computer we’re upgrading is an old machine that’s still going strong. We recently transplanted the motherboard from it’s original case (a media center PC case) into a new mid-tower case. The new case sports a USB 3.0 port built right into the front port panel but, alas, the circa-2006 motherboard doesn’t support USB 3.0 and has no 19-pin header for the case cable to plug into.
Installation is a breeze. Remove the slot guard from the case (the perforated piece of metal that protects the opening when a card is not inserted; seen white and at left in the image above). Gently insert the expansion card and secure the metal bracket to the case with the same screw that previously held in the slot guard. Plug in the power cable and the internal USB 3.0 male cable. The resulting configuration should look like this.
Your older motherboard now sports USB 3.0 ports on the back and interfaces with any USB 3.0 ports on the case via the header on the USB card.
Expanding a Newer Computer
In the previous section we added USB 3.0 functionality to a computer that had no capacity for USB 3.0. In this section we’re expanding the USB 3.0 capabilities of a computer that already has USB 3.0 support. The motherboard in our second computer is a late 2013 gaming-oriented motherboard that has both USB 3.0 ports on the back and a USB 3.0 header on the board.
Just like in the previous section you’ll need to open the case, locate an empty PCI-E slot, and, of course, obey the same rules for protecting your computer from electrostatic discharge. As the PCI-E slot and the process for insertion is identical, you may reference the photos in the previous section.
Unlike the previous card, however, the HooToo HT-PC001 does not have an onboard pin header for an internal USB 3.0 cable; you’ll only be required to hook up a single cable, the molex power cable, to the card.
Once all the appropriate ports have been hooked up, it’s time to put the case back together and admire our handy work.
Unlike the previous upgrade where we installed a new USB 3.0 host, this time around we simply added more USB 3.0 functionality to a machine that already had it; no driver installation needed.
That’s all there is to it! The hardest part of the entire USB 3.0 upgrade process is simply taking the time to figure out what hardware you need. You’ll spend more time checking the specs on your motherboard and selecting the appropriate hardware than you will actually installing the expansion card and/or USB 3.0 hub in your machine.