Why would you need so many onboard USB ports?

K

kdfresh09

New Member
when it says that it has 8 internal usb ports, or the like, it is saying that the motherboard has 4 headers, that support 2 usb devices each, for a total of 8 ports. these are whats used to plug in things such as the usb ports that are on your case, a memory card reader, ect ect. when the description says "rear panel prts" it is talking about the back plate of the board, where you can actualy see the usb ports, video out (if supported) and audio outputs. so if it says 8 usb undet this section, it refering to 8 actual ports that you can see. if its under the description that says "internal i/o connectors" it is refering to the usb headers on the motherboard, in which you will plug a usb header from the device that you are anting to use, such as a card reader, or yur cases usb ports. if it says 8 usb under this section, its refering to the 4 usb headers on the motherboard, which mind you, support 2 usb ports each, for a total of 8
 
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JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
kdfresh09 said:
when it says that it has 8 internal usb ports, or the like, it is saying that the motherboard has 4 headers, that support 2 usb devices each, for a total of 8 ports. these are whats used to plug in things such as the usb ports that are on your case, a memory card reader, ect ect.
Click to expand...

I think I understand now. For a while I was thinking if it said 12 ports there were somehow really only 6 to use, but now I think I understand the difference between a header and a port.
 
wolfeking

wolfeking

banned
okay. well it is harder to know exactly what you mean without looking at the board specs myself.

But anyway, yes. The header powers up to 2 USB ports.
 
A

ayan

New Member
You must be kidding me..
-External cooler,
-mouse
-keyboard
-power source for your non-professional speakers
-power source to charge phone/mp3/4
-on-desk small lamp
-usb stick
-external hard drive

And I've already got 8. Search google for USB devices, and you'll find many more.
 
JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
ayan said:
You must be kidding me..
-External cooler,
-mouse
-keyboard
-power source for your non-professional speakers
-power source to charge phone/mp3/4
-on-desk small lamp
-usb stick
-external hard drive

And I've already got 8. Search google for USB devices, and you'll find many more.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if you've missed the point of my question, or if I am missing something obvious. What I am asking about are the INTERNAL USB ports that are located on the motherboard. NOT the EXTERNAL USB ports that are located on the back of the motherboard that stick out of the computer.

Obviously all of the things you listed can be plugged into these external ports, but how do you plug a mouse or keyboard or USB stick, etc. into the internal ports once the PC is built and the case is closed?
 
K

kdfresh09

New Member
jon...ha ha...what is it that you still dont understand. the headers on the motherboard are there for your cases usb ports, and if you have a card reader or something. you plug thse thihgs into the header on the motehrboard, and then you plug your devise, (flash drive ect) into the port, which is the usb port on the case. so on the outside of your case, you see usb ports. when youlook on the inside of the case, you see wires coming from the usb ports. this is the plug, that plugs into your header on the motherboard. now, tell me what y ou dont get?
 
JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
kdfresh09 said:
jon...ha ha...what is it that you still dont understand. the headers on the motherboard are there for your cases usb ports, and if you have a card reader or something. you plug thse thihgs into the header on the motehrboard, and then you plug your devise, (flash drive ect) into the port, which is the usb port on the case. so on the outside of your case, you see usb ports. when youlook on the inside of the case, you see wires coming from the usb ports. this is the plug, that plugs into your header on the motherboard. now, tell me what y ou dont get?
Click to expand...

I understand all that. What I was saying in my last reply is that I don't understand why people are responding to my question (about why you'd need so many internal USB ports) by giving the examples of mice, keyboards, USB sticks etc. as things you can use. How can all of these things be used with the INTERNAL ports?
 
K

kdfresh09

New Member
because, the internal ports get connected to a wire which runs to the front of the case, where your usb ports are, making the cases usb ports functional. by the sounds of it you still have no clue as to what im talking about. if your not getting it now, your not going to get it till you build yourself a computer. this thread should be closed admin.
 
JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
kdfresh09 said:
because, the internal ports get connected to a wire which runs to the front of the case, where your usb ports are, making the cases usb ports functional. by the sounds of it you still have no clue as to what im talking about. if your not getting it now, your not going to get it till you build yourself a computer. this thread should be closed admin.
Click to expand...

yes, I get that. But my question was why would you need 8 or 12 of these internal ports? What could you possibly connect that many internal ports to?
 
Geoff

Geoff

VIP Member
JohnJSal said:
yes, I get that. But my question was why would you need 8 or 12 of these internal ports? What could you possibly connect that many internal ports to?
Click to expand...
Let's say 4 ports for the case, you add an internal card reader which uses another one, or perhaps you get a multifunctional device that sits in the drive bay which uses 1-3 USB headers. They also make add-on cards that sit in an empty expansion slot that lets you add additional USB ports by connecting them to the internal headers.
 
Virssagòn

Virssagòn

VIP Member
WRXGuy1 said:
Let's say 4 ports for the case, you add an internal card reader which uses another one, or perhaps you get a multifunctional device that sits in the drive bay which uses 1-3 USB headers. They also make add-on cards that sit in an empty expansion slot that lets you add additional USB ports by connecting them to the internal headers.
Click to expand...

Yep, cardreaders (with usb, sd,...) can require 1-5 usb connection on the mobo. (Also firewire conections and other stuff)
 
JohnJSal

JohnJSal

Active Member
Thanks guys. That's what I didn't know which prompted me to ask the question in the first place. I wasn't thinking of things like all the additional hardware you can manually add to the front of a case that needs yet more internal ports. 12 internal ports just struck me as excessive, not that I would complain. :)
 
F

Fira

banned
JohnJSal said:
I'm comparing a couple of motherboards that are roughly the same:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130660
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131819

and I noticed that they both have a ton of onboard USB ports (8 for the first one, 12 for the second one). Why exactly would you need so many? Aren't these just used for connecting the built-in USB ports in the case? What else uses them? It seems much more useful to have this many ports on the external portion of the motherboard instead.
Click to expand...

People do use many USB ports so he or she or they can use stuff like flash drives (including more than one), to insert flash drive part of camera to upload data, put in flash drive look like internet router (or whatever it is called) etc.
 
Geoff

Geoff

VIP Member
Fira said:
People do use many USB ports so he or she or they can use stuff like flash drives (including more than one), to insert flash drive part of camera to upload data, put in flash drive look like internet router (or whatever it is called) etc.
Click to expand...
Yes, because we all put in flash drive to look like internet router.
 
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