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Also, the card is compatible with all leading operating systems. Windows 8 or higher operating systems automatically install the drivers to make installation easy. Our Take
The installation is easy, and you will not require drivers when installing on Windows 8 or higher. It is also compatible with macOS and Linux. Most computers use a regular USB-A port while devices such as smartphones or tablets use the USB mini connector for charging and data transfer. The new USB-C port hasa similar size to USB mini, and in the future, we’ll see the same port on PCs and mobile devices. USB offers a native output power of 0.9A per port. The devices you connect to these ports draw this power for their operations.ASMedia’s ASM3242 controller has become a sort of necessity with USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 PCIe cards. IO Crest is no exception to using it. The ASM3242 controller helps provide the function that ensures the rated speed of 20Gbps. USB 3.1 (which is electrically compatible with thunderbolt 3) has more options, but is only starting to roll out. I'm not aware of any commercial 3.1 products that have general pcie support. Continuing with the similarities, Orico’s USB-C card also uses the PCIe 3.0 slot on the motherboard. You can use any of the x4, x8, or x16 slots. However, additional lanes do not mean that you get extra speed. It would be better to use a PCIe 3.0 x4 as you may require the 8-lane and 16-lane interfaces for graphics cards or similar components. It does this by offering transfers of up to 8 GT/s per lane. That roughly translates into a little less than 4GB/s, which is far more than the USB prescribed standard of 2.5GB/s (or 20Gbps). But just because PCIe 3.0 supports such a high data rate does not mean you get to avail them. At least not for the time being. It also uses the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface and pairs that with the ASM3142 host controller. This ensures that all four ports offer the USB 3.2 Gen 2 rated speeds. And integrated circuitry ensures the card does not require an additional power source. Hence, the card gives the SATA port a miss.
All the cards on our list are compatible with PCIe 3.0 x4 interfaces. Hence, keeping the x8 and x16 lane interfaces free for components like GPU cards that cannot use x4 lanes is worth saving. It uses FebSmart Self-Powered Technology, a series of minuscule transformers for the device’s power management. Doing this also ensures that you get 15W (5V/3A) of output power per port. Further, the USB ports support Battery Charging v1.2 (BC 1.2). This enhances the 0.9A native current of USB ports to 3A, ideal for charging batteries of portable devices.
Additionally, you have the option to power the card using a 15-pin SATA port. This has its advantage when you use high-powered devices. Apart from these, some ports offer up to 3A (i.e., 15W). That is enough to power the device’s operation or provide similar devices with a charging source.
StarTech 2-Port USB 3.1 Card is an amazing device and with USB-A and USB-C ports available you won’t have any compatibility issues. The obvious advantage is the added connectivity with a dedicated charging port. Thus, you can charge your phone on one port and use the other for bulky data transfers.
This card is simple to set up and it works with Windows, Linux, and Mac computers. The device comes with PCIe x4 interface with PCI Express Base Specification Revision 3.0. In addition to USB-C and USB-A connectors, there’s also a SATA Power 15pin plug for high-consumption devices. Plugable claims you should get over 800MB/s read/write speeds with the USBC-NVME USB 3.1 Gen 2 Tool-Free NVMe Enclosure. Of course, depending on your NVMe SSD drive, system, and set up, your speeds will vary.
The number of output ports controls the number of devices you can connect to the USB-C card. However, that is not the only consideration to keep in mind. Plenty of cards offers USB-C and USB-A ports on one card. Thus, choosing the right one involves understanding your need. The simple answer is yes. But this only means that you can use these cards with operating systems from Windows, macOS, and Linux. However, not all versions of these operating systems might be compatible. Regarding compatibility, the card is compatible with Intel Extensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) Specification 1.1. The USB-C card also comes with a 15-pin SATA port to draw its power. Thus, you get a stable power source, which ensures that your USB-C card works smoothly. Further, there is enough power onboard to ensure that each USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port delivers 15W output.
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Super-Powered Ports—Supports USB-C bus-powered SSD, SSD RAID, and hard drive devices with up to 15W (3.0A) power per port Like the Orico USB-C card, the IO Crest card also uses a 15-pin SATA port to provide power. This helps to provide a stable power supply during peak data exchanges that ensure zero errors. Although USB-C port sounds great, it has few limitations. Due to its small size, you won’t be able to connect your old USB devices that have Type-A connector directly to your PC. The newest version will automatically detect the card and install the relevant driver. An older version may require you to install the drivers manually. How is USB 3.2 Gen 2 different from USB 3.2 Gen 1?
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