StarTech 4 Port PCI Express (PCIe) SuperSpeed USB 3.0 Card Adapter

The PEXUSB3S44V 4-Port PCI Express USB 3.0 Card lets you add four, dedicated 5 Gbps USB 3.0 ports to your PCIe x4-enabled PC. This independent port architecture improves USB 3.0 performance by transferring data on four individual channels to your computer, giving you faster file transfers. When multiple devices are connected, traditional single bus USB 3.0 cards share your maximum bandwidth between all ports. By employing four host controller chipsets, each port operates on a separate independent transmission channel. Dedicating up to 5 Gbps to each USB port reduces performance bottlenecks and effectively quadruples your total available to bandwidth to 20 Gbps.

Enhanced with UASP support (USB Attached SCSI Protocol), this USB 3.0 controller performs up to 70% faster than conventional USB 3.0 when paired with a UASP supported enclosure (Note: UASP requires a compatible operating system). Using a more efficient protocol than the traditional USB BOT (Bulk-Only Transport), UASP technology optimizes transfers by allowing multiple commands to be processed simultaneously, significantly increasing transfer speeds for less wait time on data transfers.

For high-power USB devices, this PCIe USB 3.0 card includes an optional SATA or LP4 power connector to connect to your system power supply and deliver up to 900mA of power per port to USB 3.0 bus-powered devices (500mA for USB 2.0). The USB 3.0 card also supports USB Battery Charging Specification 1.2 (Apple Mode only), letting you charge compatible Apple devices (iPhones and iPads) faster than a standard USB 3.0 port. The controller card is compliant with USB 3.0 standards while offering backward compatibility with existing USB 2.0 / 1.1 devices. For added versatility, the USB 3.0 PCIe card is equipped with a standard profile bracket and includes a low-profile/half-height bracket for installation in small form-factor computers. Backed by a StarTech 2-year warranty and free lifetime technical support.

• Provides four external, independent USB 3.0 Ports
• Supports up to 20 Gbps total transfer bandwidth - Up to 5 Gbps per port
• UASP support across all four ports
• PCIe x4 interface compliant with PCI Express 2.0 specifications
• Optional LP4 or SATA power connector provides up to 900mA per USB port
• Supports USB Battery Charging Specification 1.2 (Apple Mode only)
• Fully compliant with USB 3.0 rev 1.0 and Intel XHCI rev 1.0 specifications
• Backward compatible with USB 2.0 and USB 1.0/1.1 devices
• Includes a Low Profile/half-height installation bracket
• Hot-swap feature to connect/disconnect devices without powering down the system

Improved Performance with UASP
UASP is supported in Windows 8, 8.1, Server 2012 and Linux kernel 2.6.37 or later. In testing UASP performed with up to a 70% faster read / 40% faster write speed over traditional USB 3.0 at peak performance. At the same peak in testing, UASP also showed up to an 80% reduction in required processor resources. Test results were obtained using an Intel Ivy Bridge system, StarTech add-on USB 3.0 cards, a UASPenabledStarTech enclosure and a SATA III solid state drive.

Advantage
• Increase the efficiency of your USB 3.0 devices with four dedicated bus channels and up to 5 Gbps of bandwidth per channel - 20 Gbps total
• Time-saving file transfers, up to 70% faster than traditional USB 3.0 when used with a UASP-supported enclosure
• Power high-powered USB devices as necessary, with the optional LP4 or SATA power connector

Applications
• Upgrade an older PCIe-based system to USB 3.0 connectivity and UASP support to fully utilize USB 3.0 devices
• Expand the USB capabilities of your system with four external ports for connecting additional external hard drives, CD/DVD drives, MP3 players, printers, scanners, webcams, game controllers, digital cameras, etc. to a computer system