The hub itself does support full USB 3.0 speed with only one device connected and even seemed about 25% faster than the drive plugged directly into the laptop (9 GB test file copied in 1.5 to 2 minutes). Still the ports should be able to provide the full current specified by the USB 3.0 standard at all times. With more typical use, this would be no problem except for devices which draw higher than typical current (motor activity: scanners with frequent motor reversals, disk drives during start, cameras with lens zooming, etc). A quick speed test with all four connected seemed noticeably slower than USB 3.0 to me (68 GB was going to take 31 minutes to copy so I aborted it).
This was the result of the power adapter not being able to provide sufficient current for all four drives going through their highest current activity (motor spin up from stop) all at one time. As soon as I connected the third drive, the second drive unmounted with the usual "improper eject" warning. All four showed they connect in USB 3.0 mode. So after connecting the hub and starting up the laptop it is to be used with, I connected four USB 3.0 portable hard drives in quick succession. Given the problems I had with my previous hub, the first thing I wanted to check when I took it out of the box was to see if it could support USB 3.0 on all ports simultaneously. But the power adapter provided with this hub is only a 2 amp adapter. The USB 3.0 standard specifies that each port is to supply 900 ma of supply current simultaneously as opposed to the USB 2.0 standard of 500 ma per port.
However the StarTech engineers were obviously not thinking when they designed this one or else they got pressured into skimping on the power adapter to cut costs. The more well known brand USB 3.0 hub I currently use that this hub is replacing only works in USB 3.0 on one or two of the four ports (it may be defective). Overall Review: This is a nice little hub that does indeed connect in USB 3.0 mode and supports USB 3.0 speeds on all ports. Pros: Small, USB 3.0 actually works on all portsĬons: Wimpy power adapter detracts from a great product.
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