Thinking ahead to if Outpost.com ever ships my new motherboard, I had a question about USB ports. The Asus A7N8X supports 6 USB ports. Two are built in to the back, and two are on the board. I have 4 ports at the front of my computer, therefore two of them will be useless.

Is there a PCI card that has USB port pins on it? Do you have any other suggestions for what I could do?

See this

You may (probably not) have to adjust the wires to match your mobo, but that is what you want.

Thanks, but my problem is that there are two remaining ports on my mobo, but four ports allready built into my case. With that product it would be six ports for 2 on the mobo

So, there are the usual 2 USB ports on the ATX backplate.

Then, there are two extra USB headers on your motherboard making a total of 4 extra ports. Your case has 4 front USB ports, so you will hook those up to your 2 headers (each supporting 2 ports). But, you would also like more USB ports on the back.

Is that right? If so, get this.

Exactly. Effectively, you already have an extra one of those built into your case.

Unfortunately, I can't find a card that has a motherboard-type USB header on it at all.

Actually, there are four ports presented on the back of the motherboard. Then there's another header that will provide another two. But he has four ports in his case, and the motherboard will only support two of them. He wants another USB HBA so that he can attach those other two remaining ports in his case to something.

That's right. Headers. My terminology was lacking. Sorry, Rob. But yes, that's the problem.

Is there any problem using a hub?

If there's a hub that has header pins on it.

I was told elsewhere that there exists what (I gathered) is basically a Y-splitter for mobo USB headers. Has anyone heard of such a thing?

I doubt that that's the case, as it would have to have a USB hub built into it. But I suppose it's possible. Just remember that it'll have to have some intelligent circuitry in it. If someone tries to sell you a simple Y-cable, I imagine that he'll also have a bridge to sell you.

Honestly, I looked around for a while yesterday, and I couldn't find a single USB product that had mobo-style USB headers on it beyond an actual motherboard.

It's only 4 pins per port. Nothing 2 minutes with a soldering iron can't fix.

I'd get one with the internal plugs and then just desolder them and put a header on it.

Hmm. Well, thanks for that anyway. I do think it's odd, though, since so many cases these days have a number of USB ports built in, and presumably most of the people ordering a board like that are building their own machines. The number of supported USB ports is determined by the chipset, right?

I might have suggested that, but the header on his motherboard is a 9 pin deal, which I don't understand (maybe one is just a key), so I didn't.

I believe it's a key or just an extra ground...

The 8 pins would be for two ports...

EDIT: just checked some motherboard manuals and the 9th pin is marked NC

I'm pulling at strings here, but might this be what you want?

Oh no! Soyo!

But really, that's interesting. I basically want half of that. I'd like the PCI card. I wonder if the card would work with any ports or just the ones in that bay...

NC meaning ``not connected'', I'd guess. So it probably is used as a key, so you don't plug the cable on to it backwards.

ahhhh-HA!

Woohoo!

Thanks for the link Rob. I zoomed in on Newegg's photo of it and got the serial number. Interesting. it has a VIA chip on it.

Excellent!

It is! and now I have headers for two more ports if I wanted them!