Not Enough USB Ports

K

KenDRhyD

Registered
One complaint that I have about the iMac systems compared to many of the new PC systems is the number of high speed USB ports that are provided. On my iMac (17" G4 LCD) there are only three (3) USB ports, one of which is consumed immediately by the keyboard. Yes, the keyboard adds two (2) ports, but one is consumed by the mouse, and the other is not a full-powered port. On my system the two remaining USB ports are used by the UPS and printer.

I recentlt purchased a USB 2.0 micro drive unit to permit the transfer of files between Mac and PC systems (I had used a USB memory stick before, which worked fine being plugged into the keyboard). The new drive is 120GB nominal, and it seems to be quite a fast drive.

The problem is that the drive draws its power from the USB connection, and the connection on the keyboard does not work for this drive! When I plugged it into the keyboard it reported that there was insufficient power and that it was shutting the port down. My son had also seen this on his system before with another device.

In addition to being too few in number, the main USB ports on the iMac are located on the rear of the unit, making it awkward to plus new devices in for temporary use. My old USB memory stick and my digital camera are convenient to use on the keyboard connection, but having to remove the printer connection to use the micro drive is a pain (but it does work).

So, I guess that I am looking for a USB hub. I do not want to spend a lot of money, and I only need a 4-port hub (or even a 2-port unit), but the ports need to pass enough power to permit the new micro drive to work. This will be the only USB device I plug in that draws significant power, so I do not believe that I need a powered hub.

Any units that people would suggest?
 
Yeah, I feel your pain. Even with my iMac G5 I feel the crunch of not having enough USB ports. I should see about getting a USB hub, but right now money is in short supply, so I have to make due with the I've got. :eek:
 
Do yourself a favor, don't scrimp on ports or power. You'd be suprised how fast you fill up ports. What if you get an iPod, a GPS, an iWhatever? I would go for at least four. Also, make sure it is powered. Seems like all my devices just simply perform better if the USB hub is powered via adapter versus the computer.

With Black Friday right around the corner, you should have no problem finding a powered 4-port hub for 20 bucks.
 
I would probably only go with a powered hub anyways....I've seen too many problem with the non-powered ones.

And as for Black Friday, it's still not enough to get me out there on the roads....remember that I live in Miami....nuff said. :D
 
my mac has 9 usb ports on it, and all are filled. so ports will fill up fast. and i don't think that there are any ports that will pass power from the mac to the device. so if you have a bus powered device, you have to get a powered hub. so i would get a 4port powered hub. and i can find them cheap all over.
 
It would be nice if devices would come with the ability to daisy-chain them, like it used to be with SCSI. I know you can plug some things that way (like a USB stick on the Mac keyboard USB ports), but not all devices have that ability or like being used in that manner. :(
 
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