If I connect the hub to a USB 2.0 port on a Win7 tower, & two seagate 4tb external drives, will the two external drives run as if on USB 3.0?
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To run in USB 3.0 mode, the hub must be connected to a USB 3.0 port in the computer. If it is connected to a USB 2.0 port, the speed will be the slower USB 2.0 speed.
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If no one has mentioned this if you have only USB 2.0 ports on your computer and you have a free PCIe slot you can purchase a USB 3.0 add-on card that will give your older USB 2.0 only computer USB 3.0 capability. Hope this helped some.
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Other answers are correct and also, each usb port "divides" the available "speed" amongst connected devices, so if you have 2 drives connected to one port at motherboard level, you will be splitting the available bus speed between the 2 devices (i.e. expect 1/2 bus speeds (real-life will be lower) from each device when connected/used at same time).
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No - this hub is backwards compatible with 2.0 and 1.0, but it can only pass data as fast as the slowest USB component. In your case, the 2.0 port on your Win7 tower is the limiting factor.
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The device is USB 3.0 equipped, so as long as (in the case of two separate enclosures) they're both connected via USB 3.0, yes. If you're asking whether it can copy between the drives in its own bays via USB 3.0,the answer is also "yes."USB 3.0 is backward-compatible with 2.0, so it will copy via either.
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I have two installed under Win7 with a USB 3.0 connection. They are both working fine after 3 months.
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Yes, it works fine in USB 2.0 ports. That said, the main advantage of this drive is its fantastic speed, so I'd consider it a bit of a waste to purchase for use specifically with a 2.0 port.
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Does the USB 2.0 port provide enough power for the external HDD? Or should I make sure to use an external HDD that has its own power source?
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The device is USB 3.0 equipped, so as long as (in the case of two separate enclosures) they're both connected via USB 3.0, yes. If you're asking whether it can copy between the drives in its own bays via USB 3.0,the answer is also "yes." USB 3.0 is backward-compatible with 2.0, so it will copy via either.
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This is strictly USB hub. I have been able to use the ports for both power and data using a Windows computer. I have been very happy with this hub.
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The Hard drive has dual functionality. It works for both usb 2.0 and 3.0. It just works more efficiently with 3.0.
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I have two external drives, and there doesn't seem to be a problem thus far. I've only had this hub for one month, however.
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Yes it will work in a USB 2.0 port, however you will only get USB 2.0 speed out of the drive when it is used in this way. To get 3.0 speed, the drive must be plugged into a 3.0 port.
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This is a USB 2.0 hub. It is compatible with any version of Windows that supports USB (including,of course) Win 7. Let me know if you've any other questions.vchorney@verizon.net
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Sorry, I haven't had a chance to try on USB 3.0, but, I know it's faster compared to my other WD Passport 2.0.
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Do the external drives to be connected to the hub have their own power source? If they are intended to run off of the power of the hub, you may have problems. This is my speculation based on the note under the product description stating the product should not be used with WD passport hard drives. I have several of those, each 1TB, and they run off the power of the hub. Currently, they are plugged into USB 2.0 ports, but they are USB 3.0 compatible products used as "backwards compatible," and run very slowly with USB 2.0, but they run. With USB 3.0, there is evidently a reason they are not supposed to be used. So, I would say it depends on whether the external hard drives have their own power source and, specifically, if they are WD passport drives, the product information I saw said they should not be used with this hub.
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MANUFACTURER ANSWER: Thanks for asking! You can connect two self powered external hard drives to this hub. This hub will not be able to power two host powered external hard drives. USB 2.0 has limited performance overall, however, you should not see any noticeable drop when comparing this hub to using several USB 2.0 ports directly on your computer.
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My similar drive (5TB) is also equipped for USB 3, but it works great on my 2.0 ports. I assume it could transfer faster on 3.0, but there's no incompatibility.
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Has been so far. :-) We upgraded to Win7 a couple months ago and things kept rolling along. I have a hub plugged into this one and installed in a drive bay so that I have four ports on the front as well, and everything is good. I did blow the internal port by plugging the second hub into that one, but I didn't need it when all was said and done.
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I have Seagate 3TB external HD USB 3 and it works with this ok it just takes awhile on reboot or start up for Windows 7 to pick it up.