CPU usage is a hot topic with regards to USB 3.0, and whilst all three cards use very little CPU time, on average, there was a 2 per cent increase seen when using the Western Digital card. And if you want to be picky, the WD card was 1.6MB/s below Buffalo’s IFC-PCIE2U3 in the writing department.
Has the edge in some scenarios, but a tad pricey
Verdict
Until a choice of dual controller chip hits the mass market, it’s evident that USB 3.0 PCI Express adaptor cards are going to exhibit strikingly similar performance. So, apart from some powering options, USB 3.0 card buying decisions will surely be based on the cheapest offering. And while some PCI Express adapters are included with storage products, if you’re shopping for a card, the Buffalo IFC-PCIE2U3 certainly seems up to the task. ®
More High Speed Bus Gear Reviews |
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 Iomega
eGo USB 3.0 |
 LaCie
Rugged USB 3.0 |
 WD
MyBook USB 3.0 |
 Crucial
RealSSD C300 Sata 3 |
Buffalo USB 3.0 PCI Express card
COMMENTS
Question, + @Paul
@Paul - I saw that too, I'd bet there's a connector in the packaging to connect the FDD to a SATA... maybe...
Does anyone know how well these cards work under Linux?
Compaq...
...as I remember correctly, carried the first usb ports on their system boards. They, of course, didn't work because Windows 95 didn't have proper drivers yet. There was a patch which allowed a few USB devices to be recognized. Then came USB 1.0 and Windows 95 sr2. Software for USB devices (mostly Logitech webcams) became widely accessible. Software faltered and devices crashed numerously. Compatibility? Humbug!
USB 1.1 was more stable and hardware manufacturers used this standard to build their USB chipsets. External hard drives caddies were adapted to the plug and play hierarchy. In came the USB flash-drives (then called thumb-drives. Whatever happened to the name?)
512Kb, 1Mb, 2Mb, 4Mb, 8Mb, 16Mb, 32Mb etc.... etc...
Back then it was compatibility. Now it is speed. Me?
I care about data. I don't care at what speed it is transferred. As long as I can use it when I want to.
Video, audio or data, I want it to be Plug and Play. I struggled with drivers, compatibility and, heck, even not knowing if my data was still secure after plugging my USB device in an open slot of an unsavory machine , but I want to leave that behind me.
I'd better stop worrying now and look at Cloud. Nice expression to be used here is; silver lining.
Re: Turn up the Power
USB 3.0 contains a set of USB 2.0 pins, but these run at the standard USB 2.0 specs because they're a standalone USB 2.0 bus that runs alongside the separate USB 3.0 connections.
http://www.reghardware.com/2009/05/25/superspeed_usb_3_guide/
Turn up the Power
I'm more worried about this disturbing trend to offer 2 or 3 times the power output on USB3 ports.
The pins on USB3 are the same size as USB2 and that offers 0.5A .
Now USB3 is suppose to offer 0.9A. But with cards and Mobos (see Gigabyte) offering 3 times that, how on earth is 2.7A (13.5W!) going to flow through that same pin? It beggars belief!
Expect USB3 to develop a reputation of smoke, fire and melted plastic.
SATA
"Buffalo actually supplies an adapter to plug into a SATA power cable"
Looks more like a fdd power connection to me ;-)
