PC builders, I feel your pain. These days, there are an awful lot of components and accessories that quickly steal your motherboard's USB headers. If it isn't a swanky new AIO cooler that comes with a display on its pump header, you probably have an RGB hub or fan control system for your gaming PC that will also need a parking spot on the side of your motherboard.
And that's not even thinking about the USB connections for your case that you might actually need to plug into these motherboard headers for basic connectivity. In fairness, a lot of regular-sized motherboards will come with plenty of USB headers these days, but I have an ITX motherboard, which means I'm a bit more limited in my devices. When I recently rebuilt my gaming PC due to thermal throttling, I knew I'd need to expand somehow, and Corsair had the solution.
I have to admit, I was sceptical about whether or not this would work. My motherboard, the Asus ROG Strix Z790-i, comes with only one USB 3.0 type-A connector that's 5GBps in speed, one Type-C header, and then some rather quirky USB-C looking slots. The main USB device connectivity comes from an expansion card, which slots into those funny-looking USB-C ports. The card gives you 2x SATA ports, then 2x USB 2.0 headers, as well as your front panel connectors for power buttons and the like.
All in all, that means I can connect a USB-C and USB 3.0 port for my PC's case into the motherboard, but I'm left with only 2 USB 2.0 headers to play with, which isn't a lot when you're someone who likes a funky AIO cooler and some fan/RGB control.
Corsair's Internal 4-port USB 2.0 hub essentially works as a splitter for one of those headers. Since I was technically already plugging it into an expansion card that works sort of like a divider, you can see why I was worried - it feels a bit like daisy-chaining too many multiblocks together, which can sometimes cause a fire risk.
With a few Corsair fans in my machine, as well as an NZXT Kraken Plus RGB, I knew I'd need more than 2x USB headers, though. Without going for a solution like Corsair's hub, I'd have had to opt for an entirely new motherboard just for the sake of the cooler and fans I was already committed to.
My suspicions were unnecessary though. I've been using this build for around two months now, and I haven't had a single issue from too many USB devices being hooked up to the motherboard, and from what I can tell, there are no issues with it demanding too high a voltage - the tech specs from Corsair say it only uses 5V / 4A of power.
I also really admire the design of the hub, since it comes with a 450mm runoff cable length, a sticky pad to help you mount it to the backplate in your case, and doesn't take up much room either. Its dimensions are only 84.5 x 53.5 x 15.5mm, so it's hardly going to steal much real estate from the messy cable management that's going on in the back of your PC (I'm not judging you).
In fairness, most folks aren't going to be as limited in their motherboard headers as I am, but this expansion card could be really handy for anyone who's looking to upgrade their build without seeking out an entirely new motherboard. I didn't realise hubs like this even existed until I found Corsair's, and a lot of the alternatives at Amazon are unbranded dividing cables, which didn't have the same assurance for me.
- Shop for Internal USB hubs at Amazon
- NZXT Kraken Plus RGB: $149.99 at Amazon
- NZXT H3 Flow: $69.99 at Amazon
For more on PCs and components, check out the best RAM for gaming, the best graphics card, and the best Alienware gaming PCs.
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