expanding the amount of USB ports on my PC?

[darklisruthven]

Do any of you know if it would be as simple as buying an extra PCI board and slotting into the motherboard (I have slot space free) just checking before I do it!

[kreativebargains]

You can just get an external USB that plugs into a single USB but can have lots of USB ports. Found one on Amazon when I Googled to check what they are called. That one is "Pocket Hub Mini Usb 4 Port " and extends a single USB to four and costs £8.54.

[kreativebargains]

Obviously eBid have them, now that I know what to search for. Put USB hub in the search and there are plenty, including 80209268 that has 10 USB ports and costs £4.85 + £2.20 shipping.

[MelmacALF]

If you have a spare slot, Think I would use that, and if you are using usb to transfer a lot of data Id get a USB3 card, these are much faster than USB2 if you have USB3 ext hard disks etc

[TiasTreasures]

I bought a USB Octopus. There are several offered on eBid right now. I like it because I can move it from my computer to my charging station as needed, very easily.

[suesjools]

Not too tech savvy here but I use and have used a small hub for some years now, have 6 extra ports and it works great, got it at Wally fairly cheap. You might want to check around eBid and/or locally, hubs are pretty inexpensive and quite useful IMHO.

Best wishes for many sales to all,

[darklisruthven]

I have a hub, but it is meant to be USB2, does not connect sometimes, and when it does, it runs very very slow. Hence thinking a PCI board might be better.

[ButtonJohnLuke]

I have a hub, but it is meant to be USB2, does not connect sometimes, and when it does, it runs very very slow. Hence thinking a PCI board might be better.

A powered hub is probably the the way to go then. Not expensive (although not quite as easily portable). I've always found they provide decent performance when running printers / scanners etc, even from a lappie.

[MelmacALF]

I have a hub, but it is meant to be USB2, does not connect sometimes, and when it does, it runs very very slow. Hence thinking a PCI board might be better.

Any usb external hub will slow down to the speed of the slowest usb device attached to it. If any of your devices connected to the hub is only USB1 ALL other devices conected via the hub at the same time will have to operate at USB1 speeds.

[darklisruthven]

aha, then, that may be the problem. thanks for that