Product reviewsProtronix 4-Port SuperSpeed USB 3.0 PCI-Express Controller Card

3.73.7 out of 5 stars

51 product ratings

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Would recommend70% agree

Good value74% agree

Good quality71% agree

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46 reviews

by currietp16 Dec, 2016Most favourable review

Good Product - Great Price

The Protronix 4-port USB 3.0 PCIe card works. And at the price, that is saying a lot. I have not bothered trying to test the transfer speed. My desktop had a mix of USB 2.0 and original USB ports, and I never bothered paying much attention to which were which, although Windows would nag me with the useless "This device can perform faster" popup if I plugged a USB 2 or 3 capable device into one of the legacy USB ports.

I didn't but the card to get faster transfer speed - I just needed more USB ports without the bother of yet another USB Hub. Most of my USB devices stay plugged in all the time, so adding four more USB ports on the back of the computer seemed like a good idea (especially since I didn't have an empty drive bay at the front to use for the USB ports).

So, I didn't need to choose USB 3.0, but here was a 4-port USB 3.0 card selling for less than many 4-port USB 2 cards, that made the choice easy.

When the card arrived it was in a pretty sturdy little box inside an envelope. Neither the envelope or the box showed any obvious damage, but when I opened the box I found that the bracket was slightly bent -- I had no trouble straightening it (the metal is both thin and a bit soft).

The card came with a mini-CD that was supposed to have the drivers. It had lots of drivers for lots of different cards, but none of them were the right drivers for this card. I had no trouble identifying most of the drivers on the card based on the folder names and file names, but none of the folders matched the folder name that the seller's listing said contained the drivers and none of the drivers on the disc matched the card.

The listing also said that some newer versions of Windows might not need drivers - I have no idea what "newer versions" that meant, but Windows 7 certainly needed drivers and could not find any through Windows Update.

I emailed the seller on Saturday evening and I got a reply first thing Monday, with an apology for the wrong disc and a link to the correct drivers on the Protronix website. With the correct driver, the driver loaded easily and the card works fine. I did suggest to the seller that instead of just giving the folder name in their listing it would be better to add the link to the proper driver on their website. Apparently the kiddies loading the discs into the boxes at the Chinese factory just put the wrong disc in the box. Once I had the right drivers, I have been completely satisfied with this card.

One other thing that buyers should consider... This card (like almost all USB cards) requires a power connection in addition to the limited power provided by the PCIe slot. You need to have a 4-pin Molex plug available inside your computer (the same plug used on older hard drives) and the plug needs to be able to reach the card. I had a free plug available, but I had to re-route the wires to reach the card. If you don't have a free 4-pin Molex power plug available you may need an adapter or a Y-cable. Better to take a look inside the computer before ordering ANY multi-port USB card so you can also order any extra cable cable you might need.Read full review...