Do I need USB 2.0 ports?

JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
I saw at least one motherboard that only had USB 3.0 ports. Are these compatible with older keyboards and mice that use 2.0 ports? Even if they are, are there problems using them instead of a 2.0 port?

Just curious, since I'm sure whatever mobo I decide on probably will have at least a couple of 2.0 ports as well, but since I saw one that had none, I wanted to make sure something like that wouldn't cause problems.

Also, since the front of my PC case has two built-in USB ports (which are obviously 2.0, because it's an older case), how does this work for the mobo selection? Does the mobo need to have a specific (older) type of connection for these ports, or can they be connected using whatever new slots the mobo has?

Thanks.
 
3.0 is backwards compatible. However, they don't work at all until a driver is installed for them, so you'd want at least 2 usb 2.0 ports for your mouse and keyboard.
 
byteninja2 said:
Yup, fully backwards compatible. For the USB2 header issue, what is the board you have in mind?
Click to expand...

The board is the last big piece I haven't really started searching for yet. I've more or less settled on everything else, so soon I will post a list of everything to get some feedback on them. I'll try to remember to ask about the USB thing again once I have a specific board in mind.
 
Get the Gigabyte hands down. You would need a case that supports extended atx if you get the first one you linked.
 
johnb35 said:
Get the Gigabyte hands down. You would need a case that supports extended atx if you get the first one you linked.
Click to expand...

Why that one over the MSI? I like the look of the MSI board, but I suppose the physical appearance doesn't matter.

I just made a new post about motherboards, asking about how to view ALL of my options in one place. The motherboard I linked to has a model number with a "4" in it, but then on Amazon I found the same model number with a "5". How can I tell what the newest is, and what the difference is, between all these choices, when I have to search for them all manually?

Edit: Here's the other one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128559 More expensive for not much of a difference, although I did notice, ironically, that the UP4 model is one that has no USB 2.0 ports, which is what prompted me to make this post to begin with.

I also found this one, which seems the best of both worlds: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128545
 
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What you need to do is pick the cheapest board that has the specs that you want/need. How many video cards are you going to use? If only one, then you don't need a board that has 3 video card slots. Wasting money for nothing.
 
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