two usb on motherboard, one on front

07
2014-07
  • Beautron7

    I bought a motherboard with two separate usb pinhead things (as in you need 2 cables to get two usb ports). The case I have (Cosair Obsidian 250d) has one big usb thing twice as thick to get two usb ports. What adapter would I need to use to get this working?

    To clear up confusion:

    I have the male counterpart to this cable on my motherboard: http://img.misco.eu/productmedia/htmlimages/cten/SRH/SRH-1/173711-front3.jpg

    On my case the cable has these ends: http://img1.buyincoins.com/gallery/motherboard-20-pin-to-usb-2-port_01.jpg

    Is there an adapter to fix this? Thanks!

    • Answers
  • Seasoned Advice (cooking)

    There are many different USB 3.0 to USB 2.0 converter cables out there you can buy.
    This Silverstone Tek Internal 19-Pin USB3.0 to USB2.0 Adapter Cable (G11303050-RT) from Amazon should work for you. It's only $10 too! enter image description here

    Note: You will not be able to get USB 3.0 speeds out of the USB connector. You will only get USB 2.0 speeds. This is because the adapter only allow the pins for USB 2.0 to be accessed (USB 3.0 uses more pins to carry more data).


    • Related Question

    Will cases with front USB port support USB 3.0?
  • Borek

    If a computer case has a USB port in the front, will it support USB 3.0 if my motherboard supports it? Or does the case vendor need to specifically mention USB 3 support? (BTW, I haven't seen such case yet.)


    • Related Answers
  • jpaugh

    USB3 requires new connectors, with more connections in them. These are backwards compatible, Therefore a USB1/USB2 device will plug into a USB3 host, but this means that unless your case has the new connectors, you can't in a USB3 device. You could still use these connectors for USB1/USB2 devices, or use USB3 devices in a USB1/2 compatibility mode.

  • KronoS

    I was discussing this issue today because I purchased an external USB3 hard disk. My motherbord supports USB3 and my case has two USB3 connectors in front. The other two in the back are those of the motherboard. When I connect my USB3 external disk to front ones, I get a message saying:

    The Device can perform faster if connected to USB3 port

    Finally we realized that the motherboard haw no extra USB3 plugs for connection to the front of the case. So,They connected the two USB3 in front with the spare USB2 connectors existing in the motherboard.

    Hope you understand that although the motherboad supports USB3 and the front of the case has two USB3 ports, those two of the motherboard are available in the back panel of the case only.