[SOLVED] Recommendation on USB Hub for USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10gbps) Type-A port ?

[AGoodOne]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to buy a usb-hub for my computer and I thought it will be best to split the fastest port on my motherboard. This port is a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port.
I've searched so much but I cannot find a usb hub for gen 2 that has a USB Type-A port. Plenty to find with a Type-C port but that is not what I'm looking for.
I've also seen some USB-A to USB-C adaptors but those are expensive (like €10 for Gen 2 speed, where I live) and those are another point of failure. So, I do not prefer to use those.

Anyone who can find a usb hub with native USB 3.1 gen 2 Type-A port for my needs?

 

[Paperdoc]

Simpler option might be to get a CABLE with USB3 Type A on one end, and Type C on the other - like this

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Type-C-Adapter-Charger-Cable/dp/B01GGKYR2O/ref=sr_1_1?crid=732O39FFZ128&dchild=1&keywords=usb+3+type+a+to+type+c&qid=1622128293&sprefix=USB3+Type+A+to+Type+C,aps,197&sr=8-1

I realize that's a USA seller, but you get the idea. Use that for the connection from computer port to Hub.

You should recognize that the USB3 system designers say that the Type A connector system is less reliable at speeds over 5 Gb/s (i.e., for Gen2) than the Type C connectors. So they recommend that you use only Type C for Gen2 devices if you expect to actually achieve those speeds. That is why the Hub you seek is hard to find. If you go ahead, though (maybe no choice if your computer has no Gen2 port with a Type C socket), you MAY find it only performs up to the Gen 1 specs of 5 Gb/s max data throughput.

 

[AGoodOne]

Simpler option might be to get a CABLE with USB3 Type A on one end, and Type C on the other - like this

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Type-C-Adapter-Charger-Cable/dp/B01GGKYR2O/ref=sr_1_1?crid=732O39FFZ128&dchild=1&keywords=usb+3+type+a+to+type+c&qid=1622128293&sprefix=USB3+Type+A+to+Type+C,aps,197&sr=8-1

I realize that's a USA seller, but you get the idea. Use that for the connection from computer port to Hub.

You should recognize that the USB3 system designers say that the Type A connector system is less reliable at speeds over 5 Gb/s (i.e., for Gen2) than the Type C connectors. So they recommend that you use only Type C for Gen2 devices if you expect to actually achieve those speeds. That is why the Hub you seek is hard to find. If you go ahead, though (maybe no choice if your computer has no Gen2 port with a Type C socket), you MAY find it only performs up to the Gen 1 specs of 5 Gb/s max data throughput.

I appreciate you responds,
But the thing with the USB 3.1 gen 2 hubs i've found is that they all have a male USB-C port attached (a non removable cable). So recommending another cable will not do the job unfortunatly. I'm looking for something like this:

https://www.amazon.de/-/nl/dp/B08JYVXZG3/ref=sr_1_4?__mk_nl_NL=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&crid=2ZQ3EK833ELCM

But instead of the type-C port, a type-A port. But this is impossible to find.

Another question, why do motherboard manufacturers even bother putting gen 2 type-A ports on motherboard? As there is no use for them? Only gen 2 type-C ports are usefull so it seems?

 

[Paperdoc]

Ah yes, I see your problem there. So you may have to go with an adapter to convert the fixed USB C connector form the Hub to a Type A USB 3.2 Gen2 connector to fit into your computer. Recognize that the Type A connector is the SAME for USB3, USB3.1, and USB 3.2 Gen 1 or 2. It IS different from the older Type A for USB2 systems, though. I found this item at a better price than you had cited.

https://www.amazon.de/-/nl/dp/B08C4...apter&qid=1622131333&s=computers&sr=1-33&th=1

I call your attention to another consideration based on the example Hub that you linked to. That is called a "bus-powered" Hub. That is, its ONLY power source is the host computer port it connects to, and that is limited, of course, to the max of 0.9 A current supply available from one USB3 port. So IF the only devices you plan to plug into that Hub are low-power users like keyboard or mouse, that is OK. BUT if you plan to use higher-power devices like a laptop portable drive or to charge up a phone, such devices need that much power EACH, and you cannot use them on such a Hub at the same time as other devices. To use several higher-power devices from a Hub, you need to get a different type - one that comes with its own power supply module ("wall wart") to provide that power level for EVERY Hub output - so that the Hub does NOT depend on the host computer's port for all it power. If that is what you need, and you want further details of how to select a Hub with its own power supply, post back here.

 

[AGoodOne]

Yeah going with an adaptor is what I feared for... The adapter you suggested is cheaper indeed, since it only does 5gig/s (gen 1) speeds.
It's so not logical... Why do motherboard manufacturers even put USB 3.1 gen 2 Type-A ports on their motherboards when there is no real use for them??
They could just as well put some more type-C ports on the motherboards. Since these are widely supported by USB 3.1 Gen 2 hubs.
Why are there no USB 3.1 Gen 2 usb-A port hubs? It's so strange to me...

I know what a powerd hub is yes. But that doesn't really matter when de things I want to plug into the hub are already wall powered 😉.

Thanks for your help! It was kind of a grey area on internet.

 

[InvalidError]

It's so not logical... Why do motherboard manufacturers even put USB 3.1 gen 2 Type-A ports on their motherboards when there is no real use for them??

Chicken-and-egg type problem: if nobody makes stuff for something new because nobody made stuff that works with the new spec, nothing would ever get made because everyone would be perpetually be waiting for everyone else to make the first move.

There are plenty of external SSD enclosures with USB-gen2 and even 2x2 support, though most of those have a modular cable that lets you use whichever host port type you prefer. For hubs, there doesn't appear to be many models with modular cables, at least not yet. They should come eventually.

If you have an internal type-C header, something like this may be an option depending on what you want to split a port for and where you need those ports to be:
https://www.newegg.com/p/0J2-0178-00HM7

 

[lvt]

The Type-A port is scheduled to disappear soon because it's slower and can't deliver as much power as USB-C, third-party manufacturers are likely to focus on the products for the next USB generation instead of making a product that has no future.

 

[InvalidError]

The Type-A port is scheduled to disappear soon because it's slower and can't deliver as much power as USB-C, third-party manufacturers are likely to focus on the products for the next USB generation instead of making a product that has no future.

For now though, most motherboards have 2-5 type-A 10G ports vs 0-2 type-C. My motherboard has only one type-C and it only goes to 5Gbps. Also, for a type-C port to support USB-PD, each port has to have its own DC-DC converter to support the full range or at least a couple of FETs to allow switching between 5V and 12V.

 

[lvt]

For now though, most motherboards have 2-5 type-A 10G ports vs 0-2 type-C. My motherboard has only one type-C and it only goes to 5Gbps. Also, for a type-C port to support USB-PD, each port has to have its own DC-DC converter to support the full range or at least a couple of FETs to allow switching between 5V and 12V.

Yes the Type-A is not over yet as it satisfies perfectly the need of most users. Notebook manufacturers are likely to be the first to abandon the Type-A ports before everyone else.

 

[Paperdoc]

Yeah, the Type A sockets that purport to provide USB 3.2 Gen2 connections are really there so that anyone who has only devices with Type A plugs on their cords CAN use the new socket, even if the device plugged in cannot use the full Gen2 10 Gb/s data rate. Plus, IF your connected device CAN do that higher speed, you may achieve that or may not using a Type A connector system -it's not guaranteed, but could happen.

Regarding the speed of that less expensive adapter I linked above, I have a problem - I don't read the language of that website. But I note it specifies that this is a USB 3.0 device. Now, that MAY imply a lower speed, but it may not. The details of the electrical connectors and conductors for the newer USB systems are identical, although apparently some aspects of the Type A connectors are not quite good enough to guarantee 10 Gb.s data rate. What really has changed is mainly the NAMES, and that can cause confusion when older devices (like this adapter) are using the OLDER naming system. There used to be only USB3, then renamed to USB 3.0, that could do 5 Gb/s max. Then it became USB 3.1, and quickly proceeded to USB 3.2 with "Genx" sub-labels. So now ALL of these are sub-parts of USB 3.2. The Gen1 version can do 5 Gb/s max data rate. The Gen2 version can do 10 Gb/s. The Gen2x2 version can do up to 20 Gb/s, although I don't think there are many (or even any?) devices currently sold that can feed data at that rate though such a fast communication system. All of these can work using fundamentally the same cables (although I expect fully that the fastest requires cables of better construction) and the Type C connectors. However, I do note that, at the mobo port end, the Gen2 system uses a very different cable and connector from mobo header to front panel socket. And in the background, the exact wires in the cable used and the signals they carry are different to allow separate input and output channels, differential signalling, etc.

Bottom line, the fact that the adapter is described as "USB 3.0" does NOT necessarily mean it is limited to 5 Gb/s. It likely DOES mean that it was designed and sold before the Gen 2 10 Gb/s system was deployed. So it MAY be limited, but may not be - not known, and not guaranteed.

I see that you already have the issue of power capacity of a Hub figured out on consideration of the actual devices you will plug in.

 

[InvalidError]

The Gen2x2 version can do up to 20 Gb/s, although I don't think there are many (or even any?) devices currently sold that can feed data at that rate though such a fast communication system.

There are many external enclosures for NVMe SSDs out there that should easily be able to max out a g2x2/20G USB port. That is at least one thing that exists today.