USB Hub - which to get?
 

i'm thinking of getting a USB 2.0 hub as i don't have enough usb ports on my mobo.

the questions are:

1) which one is good enough / best for my needs;
2) do i need to get one powered from the mains?

i'm going to use it to plug in my mouse, keyboard, ram stick / pen drive and wireless adapter.

further, i'm going to plug in my laser printer and then perhaps my scanner.

so, can you recommend any make/model of USB hub to get?

and would i really need a mains powered hub or would a bus powered one do the job?

cheers.

or, instead of getting a usb hub, should i just get a new pc case?

the one i have currently is frankly a shambles - having been recycled for 15 years.

so a new, simple, case with inbuilt USB 2.0 ports will do the job, right?

which sounds better to you?

The case isn't the source of the USB ports -- the motherboard is. The motherboard just connects with the case connections. So I'd ask what brand/model motherboard this is, specifically. If you don't know, use CPU-Z to find out. Some cases have built-in hubs, so you'll get more than the standard 2 ports.

No, you don't need an externally powered USB hub. There doesn't seem to be any correlation to quality of powered vs non-powered USB hubs. I have one here that randomly freezes up about once a week if I plug/unplug the flash drives a lot. On the other hand, I have a cheap $4 hub on a laptop that performs without fault.

This is one of the very, very few cases where it helps to read user reviews at the site where you're planning to buy it. Or if shopping local, be sure it has a customer-friendly return policy (no restocking fees).

Antec cases tend to be extremely nice. For example: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...SIN=B0017Q8IAA
That's priced pretty fairly. Most Antec cases start at about $75 USD for the good ones, in stores like Microcenter or Fry's, or even online from Newegg. (Disclaimer: This particular cases is $60 from Amazon USA, so I'm betting there's some costs added on EU import.) The Antecs run almost completely silent, yet very cool. The secret is the large 120-140mm slow-moving fans, combined with all-aluminum construction (which is where the costs come from). It also helps that they often have vents on top, and heat rises. Just don't drink or store liquids nearby -- that wouldn't end well.

I've had great experiences with D-Link hubs: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...SIN=B0002AFZVM
I've had on for almost 10 years now, and it looks identical to that one, and has 7 USB2 ports. (Maybe it's the same model, all these years later?)
For any USA readers: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B00008VFAF

I need to trash my cheap hub. Maybe I should pick up another one of these in the near future. I'm almost surprised to see the exact same (visually compared, at least) known-working hub still available. Better grab one while it's still able to be bought!

i secured a 2nd hand nzxt hush silent black case.
it has 2 front usb ports.

the mobo, forgot the model number, does have 2 usb port connections.

so, i simply took out the mobo from the old case and placed it into the new case, connected up the extra usb ports and booted-up.

no probs.
everything worked in two ticks.

your suggestion about the d-link hub is useful.
i may get one of those in the future.

thanks.

Get the 4-port D-Link and not the 7-port. I have a 4-port, and it's great. I see valid complaints at Amazon on the 7-port. It might be a 4-port design with 3 extra slots, hence why it doesn't work very well. That's just my guess.