I need USB 3.0 ports but I've no available PCI slots for a card.

Hi,
I'm looking to upgrade my desktop to be usb 3.0 capable. The only option I can see since my motherboard doesn't have any is PCI and PCI-e card adapters. Problem is, I have none available. I expected there to be a version where the usb 3.0 port would connect to a sata port. I don't see any. There are also plenty of USB3.0 etc front bays, but unfortunately these products don't give much info on how these are connected internally.

Any wise folks got any info that would help me?

Yea, thanks. I know all that though. It seems that PCI card is the only way to get USB 3.0 (at USB 3.0 speeds) on a motherboard that doesn't have any.
I would have thought it was possible to find an adapter to use sata connections too and keep roughly the same speeds. But I can't find any such adapters.

It's very rare that people are using their internal slots these days, so are you absolutely certain you have no available, slots, even the small PCI-E 1X slots?

I don't know where you got the idea that there would be an SATA adapter, as those two protocols are vastly different, however, if this is for an external hard drive, you could get an adapter to turn an internal SATA port into an eSATA port.

What kind of MOBO are you using (full part number, not just the brand name)? What cards do you have plugged into your PCI slots (besides the graphics card)?

You know what, maybe there is a pci-e. Just googled it, its shorter yea? I'm not at home right now, so I'll look later. Thanks!

Yes, they are much shorter than PCI slots and PCI-E 16x graphics slots. I'm going to ballpark them at about an inch in length or so, and they can be easy to miss if you have other add-in cards blocking your view. Someone else would be better suited to tell you if a 1x card is fast enough for USB 3.0, but it's an option.

PCI-e cards won't work in PCI slots (they are different standards) so, without knowing the part number of your MOBO, we will just be guessing.