USB ports, hubs and gaming gear - a few questions

[Arya]

I have a lot of peripherals tht I'm using. My keyboard uses two USB slots, my mouse uses one, my audio uses one, my flight stick uses two and my Xbox One controller uses one.

With all that my USB sockets are all full and I have a tangled mess of cables. I want to neaten it up and part of that is using a USB hub. Would a hub effect the performance of any of those devices, and if so which ones?

Thanks.

[Arya]

Originally posted by フル メタル アルケミス:

I dont think youd notice a lag on any of those.

That's good. I want to fit the peripherals - the keyboard and mouse and maybe the flight throttle onto a small hub, it'll make it much easier to manage the mass of cables and free up some actual USBs for other use.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Why a Hub? Just add more ports via USB brackets.
Motherboards generally have a good # of ports, via headers.
https://www.pcper.com/images/reviews/1066/14.png

then to gain those ports, add a header bracket
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usb+header+bracket

[Arya]

Originally posted by Bad-Motha:

Why a Hub? Just add more ports via USB brackets.
Motherboards generally have a good # of ports, via headers.
https://www.pcper.com/images/reviews/1066/14.png

then to gain those ports, add a header bracket
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=usb+header+bracket

I had no idea such a thing even existed!

Thanks a lot Badmotha, I'll get one of those when I'm in Melbourne next week.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Back in the day, all the higher-end Motherboard used to come with those; most of the more expensive boards from say ASUS, Gigabyte, usually shipped with a 4-port USB 2.0 expansion bracket. But yea it is an easy way to expand. As most motherboards, especially ATX / Full-ATX 7-slot boards, generally have Chipsets and enough headers to support upwards of 10-12 or even more, USB 2.0 Ports in total.

I would also suggest that when it comes to Game Controllers (Gamepads, Sticks, Wheels) that you only ever connect what you will actually use at that given time. Like connecting it prior to a game launch. As many games love to "hiccup" when multiples are connected, since Windows can only ever have one Game Controller as the default at any given time.

[Arya]

Will do. I'm a little limited, my main MMO at the moment is a flying game and needs two USB peripherals to work properly. A throttle cluster and a flight stick.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Originally posted by 狼 Wolfey ☯:

Will do. I'm a little limited, my main MMO at the moment is a flying game and needs two USB peripherals to work properly. A throttle cluster and a flight stick.

Why not get the proper throttle stick device that goes along with your flight stick?

[Arya]

Originally posted by Bad-Motha:

Why not get the proper throttle stick device that goes along with your flight stick?

A mixture of things. The stick I have is a Thrustmaster T16000M. It's one of the best sticks currently on the market and only costs $85 locally, but all you get is the stick. They do make a Throttle/Stick version called the HOTAS Warthog, but that costs a ridiculous $808 and has a lot of things I don't need or want.

The easy solution is to buy a standalone throttle and use that. It works perfectly well, only downside is the second USB cable.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Yea I had a cheap way of doing that as well; connecting and using both
Microsoft SideWinder Precision Racing Wheel
Microsoft Sidewinder Precision 2 Joystick

I would setup the Wheel + Pedals normally, but use the Joystick for actual flying.
With the way I had it setup, I could use the Pedals for other things, and even while using the stick, within easy reach were the buttons on the Wheel.

[Arya]

Having the T16K is worth the hassle of a seperate throttle rig. It's the bargain of the century - many of the important parts come from the vastly more expensive HOTAS Warthog.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

I have tried theThrustmaster T16000M though; it wasn't any better than a Logitech Extreme 3D Pro which is like half the price. But to each-is-own