Looking For The Right USB 2.0 Pci Card

Okay well I bought a "Mutant Mods Acrylic Pc Case" recently as you can see here:

http://reviews.pimprig.com/cases/images/mmods-review01.jpg

It has a USB 2.0 port at the lower front of the case as you can see in the picture below:

http://reviews.pimprig.com/cases/images/mmods-review17.jpg

I have an old "HP Vectra VL400" model motherboard in it, which has no way to connect the little USB 2.0 port that comes on the front panel of this case directly to the motherboard since it's old. My motherboard still uses the old USB 1.1 at the I/O plates on the back of my pc. LOL!~

Anyways I want to buy a "USB 2.0 Pci Card" with lots of external ports. I've actually found two USB cards I'm very interested in which are:

1. http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1215759&CatId=511

2. http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1519284&CatId=511







I need a "USB 2.0 Pci Card" so I can use my new webcam, external hard drive, and I Pod Mini. I have a few problems choosing the right one out of my two selections.

1. I don't know how to but I want to be able to connect the front USB 2.0 on my case (as you can see again below in the pic), to the "USB 2.0 Pci Card". I don't know if this is possible because if you look at the photos below you will see that the end of the cable is weird. I mean I don't know myself but does'nt it have to look like a USB end cable plug in order for it to connect to the internal USB port on the card? & on top of that I have two USB ports on the front of my case so would'nt I need a pci card with two internal ports in order to connect it if at all possible?

http://reviews.pimprig.com/cases/images/mmods-review15.jpg

http://reviews.pimprig.com/cases/images/mmods-review17.jpg

2. I read a review on a different "USB 2.0 Pci Card" (none of the ones I chose), where a man said this:

"However, disturbingly this card does not advertise the fact that it is a ''Low power'' USB 2.0 compliant card. Only the belkin and D-link cards seem to advertise that they are in fact high-powered. Forget about plugging your iPod-mini (2nd Gen) into one of these"

I want to be able to plug in my I Pods or I Pod Mini, and do not know if either one of the two pci cards I choose are high powered. I guess from what he says that means I Pods won't work on certain cards that are not high powered no? I hope someone can help me determine if either of the two I choose are high powered because I will be plugging in high powered devices.


Please help... I know nothing about USB pci cards!!!

 

like the review said, Belkin and D-link make good, high-powered cards. I have a belkin USB card and it works fine. i think u may be putting too much thought into a simple part. however, i dont think that there is any way to hook up the front ports.

i guess u could make something though:

most good cards have an internal USB port as well as the external ones. you could get a USB extension cable, plug it into the internal slot and run the wire to the front where u could figure out a way to secure the cable. voila! front USB port lol

 

Good idea... I think it would look too weird and be to loose to do.

On another note The "HP Vectra VL400" pc I have has the same name for the motherboard. I took the motherboard out of the old original case and put it in the new clear case I bought. It's a totally new pc now and I have no worries that the usb card can go on the motherboard. All I need is to get the right card.

I never knew that the NEC type cards are better than the VIA ones. See it's information like this that saved my hard earned dollar and kept me away from making a terrible mistake (and future headaches). So thank you for the information. I understand a bit more about USB cards now. What I'm still stuck on now is how I can attach the cables from the front USB port on my pc case (it came with the new case), to the pci USB card. That's my main focus, and I need to know how to do that. Because as described if you look at the pictures above in my first post you will see the way the cables look on the front USB port of my case. They do not look as if they can attach to an internal connection on a USB card. I think the front USB port on my case was ment to connect to motherboards that have "pins" for that sort of connection directly on the motherboard.

So yes basically my main issue is connecting the front USB that came with my new case onto a USB pci card. I am sure that it's ment connect to pins on a motherboard, but I have no idea if they make USB pci cards that have an internal pin connections for such a situation. That is my main focus! We've now come to agree that NEC high powered pci cards are better than the VIA chipset ones. Well now this is the final problem I have to solve. So if anyone can shed light on this issue please help.

One thing I noticed was that I went on a website for a random USB pci card and found this picture:
(This is a 5 port USB pci card using 4 external and 1 internal. But the diagram shows that there is a 2nd internal connection which I believe to be a "Pin" connection)

http://www.ppa-usa.com/product_pages/product_images/pins/IOC062.jpg

Here is yet another random picture I found using google, of a random USB pci card. Notice how this one literally has pins sticking out of it!!!

http://www.germes-online.com/direct/dbimage/50298348/PCI_USB_2_0___Firewire_Combo_Card.jpg


Could this be the kind of card I need to be able to connect the front USB of my case? I have no idea if those pins on that kind of card is for what I'm exactly trying to do. Someone with expertise please help and if possible recommend a USB 2.0 pci card that can satisfy my needs. (Remember I just got these random pictures off google so I dunno where to get the right card)



Thank You.

 

Yes those pins are what type of connection you need.

 

Thank heavens!!!

Is there any USB 2.0 card out there that any of you know of that has those pins on the pci card so I can attach my front USB on my case? Please recommend one if possible!!!!


Thank You!!!!

 

yup, thats right. usually mobos have those pins on them, i never knew that there were cards with them.

 

Wow I hope someone can help me find a card like that! I'm dying here searching.

 

Update:

I just found a card here:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1003993&CatId=511

& well I can tell it has pins on it. I emailed the company that makes the card and they said those pins are for internal usb use. So I guess I can plug in the jumpers on the front USB of my case!!! I hope so.

Anyways there reason why I am saying this is so I can get a second opinion just to be 100% sure. But what I really would like to know is this. The guy from the company told me it uses "ALi M5273 Chipset". Some of you told me the VIA chipset was bad and that the NEC was good. So is the "ALi M5273 Chipset " any good or bad?