PC tech help please?

[swee'pea99]

I'm trying to get USB3 onto my PC, and was attracted by the listing for this card, which said it was PCI-e, and I knew my PC had vacant PCI-e slots, but now it's turned up, it doesn't look to me like they're compatible. The slots I was counting on look like this:

But the card seems to have much smaller tabs than the slots:

(The card altogether looks like this...and although there seems to be an appropriate power connector hanging around, I can't see anything that would correspond with the blue connector.)

So, would that 'tab' work in the slot (albeit with a lot of the slot left unused), and is the lack of a blue-plug connector an issue? (Or could I get a 99p cable off ebay that would solve the problem?)

As you'll have gathered, I'm in way over my head here. Any advice much appreciated.

 

[User33236]

Yes it will fit with most of the socket unused. It fits in the front section with the cutout fitting the separator in the socket.

The blue socket is most likely to connect a lead from any front panel mounted sockets you have fitted. If there are none then you can leave this out.

 

[swee'pea99]

Yes it will fit with most of the socket unused. It fits in the front section with the cutout fitting the separator in the socket.

The blue socket is most likely to connect a lead from any front panel mounted sockets you have fitted. If there are none then you can leave this out.

Thanks a lot. So....if there's nothing to plug into the blue socket it doesn't really matter? As long as I can power it (with a spare HD lead) I can plug it in the slot & Bob will be my cross-dressing aunt?

 

[User33236]

Thanks a lot. So....if there's nothing to plug into the blue socket it doesn't really matter? As long as I can power it (with a spare HD lead) I can plug it in the slot & Bob will be my cross-dressing aunt?

That's correct.

The power lead is to allow USB powered devices to draw more current than can be supplied via the PCIe socket.

 

[LetMeEatCake]

What User33236 said.

the blue socket it doesn't really matter?

Pretty sure the blue block will be a standard '20 pin USB 3 header' - so you could always add something like this if you wanted front panel ports in the future.

 

[swee'pea99]

Thanks very much! I shall get plugging and report back when it all goes tits-up!

 

[swee'pea99]

.

'course the real test will come when I try to do something with it, but so far so good, eh?

 

[User33236]

Looks good. Important thing is that there are no question marks indicating unknown hardware.