Question USB-C up front

Roy Batty

Junior Member
Aug 4, 2011
3
0
66
Hello all- I'd like to replace one of the 3.5" drive bays in my desktop case that holds a USB.2.0 port with a USB-C port. Would this Combo drive bay do the trick, or can you folks recommend something better? FWIW, the case is an Antec Sonata, circa 2010. TIA!
 

Tech Junky

Diamond Member
Jan 27, 2022
3,790
1,322
106
It should work as long as you have a header on the mobo to lug it into.

What's the goal of what you're plugging into a C port? Speed? Power?
 

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
2,381
310
126
Since this unit's description was written the labels have been changed, so I'll use the newest terms. All USB3 stuff now is called USB 3.2 Genn. The Gen1 version can do up to 5 Gb/s data transfer rate. Most devices actually perform slower than that. It can work well with either the USB3 version of the older Type A sockets and connectors, or with the newer Type C. That USED to be called USB3 or USB 3.0. The Gen2 version requires a different Controller chip on the mobo and devices designed for this speed, and can do up to 10 Gb/s data rate. It works well with the Type C connectors; it WILL work with the older Type A, but may NOT deliver that higher data rate with that connector style. Some called this the USB 3.1 system. The newest (well, there are more on the way!) is Gen 2x2 at up to 20 Gb/s data rate, and that REQUIRES using the Type C connectors and, of course, mobo Controller chips and user devices designed for this, to achieve that speed.

The mobo headers for the older USB2 and for USB3.2 Gen1 and Gen2 systems each actually contain TWO USB headers, so normally they are fed to two external sockets for access. USB3.2 Gen2x2, on the other hand, seems to have combined two channels into one so the header has only ONE USB3.2 Gen 2x2 port, and the mobo header is quite different - called Type E - so it uses a very different cable from that header to a single exterior Type C socket.

The particular device you have linked to is actually a USB 3.2 HUB. It is fed by a cable included with it from a mobo USB3.2 Gen1 header, so it appears to convert each of the header's two ports into two output sockets of the same Gen1 variety, giving you four Gen1 sockets. Of these, two are Type A and labelled USB3.0, now to be called USB3.2 Gen1. The other two are Type C sockets, also to be called USB3.2 Gen1 using the current labels. Note that the circuitry on this device does NOT work at the Gen2 or Gen2x2 speeds, so the fact that the sockets are Type C does not impact their speed. As with all Hubs, each pair of sockets shares the 5 Gb/s max data rate of a single USB3.2 Gen1 port from the mobo so you will not get 5 Gb/s on EVERY port at the same time, but that is not normally any problem at all. It is VERY rare that you might have two USB3.2 devices trying to operate at max speed at all times on the same mobo port.

The device you linked to WILL give you two Type A and two Type C front panel ports to use, all of the USB3.2 Gen1 variety. And it does that without being a stand-alone box sitting on your desktop. The unit does mount into a common case front 3½" slot (NOT the wider 5¼"). Its cable needs to plug into the USB3.2 mobo header common on all current mobos - it does NOT need the newest Type E mobo header. IF your mobo header(s) are of the faster Gen2 speed, I doubt this Hub can do that faster speed - its speed probably is limited by the unit's own circuitry. At a quick look around I did not find a similar product fed from standard mobo USB3.2 Gen2 headers with several Type C sockets and supporting the faster Gen2 speeds IF you need that, but I expect they are available.

NOTE in the user comments that this Hub ALSO requires a power supply. It has a connector on the board into which you must plug a common SATA power output from your PSU. This is needed, it appears, both to power the hub circuitry AND to provide proper power to ALL the Hub's outputs. A standard USB3.2 port can supply 5 VDC at up to 0.9 A to a connected device. Since this Hub splits each mobo port into two sockets, those sockets require more power than the mobo port can provide. Further, the Hub claims to "support fast charging", a popular feature that is not part of the original USB3.2 "Standard" that does need extra power.
 
Last edited:

Roy Batty

Junior Member
Aug 4, 2011
3
0
66
It should work as long as you have a header on the mobo to lug it into.

What's the goal of what you're plugging into a C port? Speed? Power?
All my mobile devices are Type C, so file transfers from my PC would be a lot easier. My mobo, while not new, does have a USB 3.1 header, but nothing newer. I'm gonna assume that without a 3.2 header I'm out of luck. It does have a Type C port in the back, so I reckon I'll have to rely on it with a cable. Thanks for the replies.
 

mindless1

Diamond Member
Aug 11, 2001
8,412
1,586
126
No, you can get a simple pin adapter sled for USB 3.1 to USB C and have it mechanically connect and transfer at USB 3.1's capabilities. You can simply do that and have data transfer between your USB-C devices. However you can also do that with a USB A to USB C adapter cable. You don't necessarily need the 3.5" bay sled to be USB C instead of USB A.

At the same time, yeah, if you already have USB C in back, can just get a cable for that, and/or, could also get a USB 3 bay for the front, or a hub. I like my system under my desk and a hub on it, accessible for *stuff*.
 

Tech Junky

Diamond Member
Jan 27, 2022
3,790
1,322
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USB 3.1 header
If it's black it will be slow, if it's blue it should work well.

Of course a type C would be optimal. I do most phone transfer over WiFi instead using cx explorer. OnePlus only does USB 2 over the cable since they do high wattage charging. Might change with the op11 though but I'm not holding my breath that the port speed will change since they bumped it to 80w charging and it's next gen.
 

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
2,381
310
126
Regarding mobo headers, there are really NO differences between USB3.1 and USB3.2. The name change has caused confusion.

The SAME header design (both physically and electrically) has been used for what WAS labelled USB3, USB3.1 and USB3.2. Keep in mind that the NAMES have been changed so that what is NOW called USB3.2 includes ALL previous versions of USB3. The distinctions are in the max SPEED of the several versions, and those are labelled with the "Genn" sub-label. Gen1 is the first version able to communicate at up to 5 Gb/s, and originally called just USB3, then USB3.1. Gen2 is able to communicate at up to 10 Gb/s, but SOME early items with this called them USB3.1; Gen2x2 can do up to 20 Gb/s. Because the data transfer rates of each of these are different, each requires a different controller chip on the mobo and different chips in the attached device. BOTH Gen1 and Gen2 use the SAME mobo header and the SAME cable from there to a front panel socket, although there are some cheap cables that may not support the 10 Gb/s rate. BOTH of these CAN be used with the older Type A sockets on the panel and connectors, although we are warned that Type A is not guaranteed to perform at the 10 Gb/s rate. BOTH can use the newer Type C sockets and connectors. Because of the confusion from name changes, the best way to know which version your MOBO and its controllers can do is the mobo' specs for max SPEED of the header and its ports; do not rely on the LABEL like 3, 3.0, 3.1, etc.

The actual mobo headers for the older USB2 system are quite different, and even their Type A sockets and connectors are different but subtily. To make this easier, they generally are colour-coded: Black for USB2, Blue for USB3.2. INSIDE a Type A socket there is a support "tongue" to one side that carries four contact strips. For USB3.2 those are still there PLUS a set of five additional contact points at the BACK of the connector. The overall system designs include backwards compatibility. Electrically the wires and connection pinouts are much the same, with the USB3.2 system merely adding wires that USB2 never had. All controller chips (on mobos and in devices) are able to negotiate with the other end of the communications channel exactly what each device can do, and settle on a working set of rules.

The headers for USB2 and for USB3.2 Gen1 and Gen2 all contain TWO separate ports and thus normally are used to feed two sockets for things to plug in.

USB3.2 Gen2x2 that can operate up to 20 Gb/s has a DIFFERENT mobo header called Type E (and hence a different header to a front panel socket). This version only supports ONE high-speed data channel per header, so the cable feeds only one Type C socket. This different header is required ONLY if your mobo has a Controller for this faster speed version. The only possibe confusiuon here is that it uses the SAME Type C socket and connector as slower USB3.2, so ideally the socket should have some note about which version (speed) this socket can support, according to the mobo header that feeds it.

Just a note that the performance of all of these systems is specified by the max DATA TRANSFER RATE of the communcations subsystem. The actual device you plug in may NOT be able to move data that fast, but the communication part of it should never be the limiting factor. For example, a mechanical hard drive can access and feed data at up to 3 to 4 Gb/s at best, limited by its ability to turn the disks and move its read heads. Fast SSD's can exceed 5 Gb/s, but not more than 10 Gb/s at present.
 
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jhansman

Platinum Member
Feb 5, 2004
2,768
29
91
Well, all I need is a way to easily connect a SMART card when needed (which is not often). I currently have a 3 ft. cable connected to the rear C port to connect my phone for file transfer; I reckon I can just get a female-> female adapter for the cable that I can plug the card reader into. I was just hoping for a more elegant solution that would replace the old USB ports (connected to the mobo header) I currently have in a 3.5" drive bay. Thanks for all the info; you guys are a wealth of information!
 
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