New
#41
@EKwag
The short righteous tubing combined with black matched EK Acetal Waterblocks makes it real nice looking.
I get my gear from Umart Online. They're headquarters is in Brisbane, but they've got stores on the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast (where I go), Melbourne and have just opened one in Sydney. I think they're looking at setting up in north Queensland in the not too distant future as well...
I don't bother with shipping. It's an hour drive to the sunshine coast, there are WAY more, and WAY better shops down there than there in Gympie (the nearest large town to me). And when picking it up I know it won't be damaged, 'lost' or interfered with in transport, and I don't pay postage (I still pay for fuel, but going to the coast and getting things I can't get up here make it worth while)
Koutech took their sweet time responding to my query only to ask me much of what I had already told them. By that time, I had already made arrangements to ship the thing back to NewEgg.
I ordered another card reader from Amazon, a weird little bugger from an outfit with a weird name: HooToo. Instead of working of the USB 3.0 header on the mobo, it works off a PCIe 2.0 1x slot. I just got it today and benched it by setting it on top of the computer case, running the cable from the reader to a PCIe 2.0 x4 slot (it's x16 in length but has only four lanes) since the MOBO doesn't have any x1 slots and connecting a temporary four pin Molex cable from the PSU. After I installed the driver, it worked fine. Both the USB 3.0 ports were working (I don't have a way to check the actual speed yet) as well as the SD slot in the card reader (I only have SD cards right now). I hated to give up that PCIe slot because I wanted to reserve it for a possible USB 3.0 in the future should I ever need more USB 3.0 ports on the back (the MOBO has only two back there). To compensate for that loss, I got a USB 3.0 cable that runs from the header on the MOBO to two sockets on a PCI slot cover. I seriously doubt I will ever need more than four USB 3.0 ports on the back.
After benching the card reader, I went to see a movie so I'll lug the aircraft carrier boat anchor back to the washing machine tomorrow...oops...later today to properly install the reader and the added USB cable thingie. Getting the four pin MOBO connector plugged into the back of the reader is going to be a bugger since those connectors are seriously tight and there isn't a whole lot of room for my hands. I might have to pull the GPU card to route the two cables.
I have ten USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 ports on the rear and two USB 2.0 ports on the front. The card reader will give me three USB 3.0 ports on the front so I will have plenty there (eventually, as I replace my USB 2.0 thumb drives with USB 3.0 thumb drives, I won't be using the 2.0 ports anymore).
I'll also be adding two USB 3.0 ports on the rear for a total of four on the back. Right now, all I have connected to USB ports in the back are the UPS, two scanners, and my keyboard (which also has the mouse receiver connected to it; I might need to move the mouse receiver to a port on the rear of the case in the future). All use USB 2.0. I might add a USB sound card in the future. I seriously doubt I will ever have any external HDDs since I have room for five or six HDDs inside the case and use internal type HDDs for backups using the two swap bays. It will be a long time before I will need those USB 3.0 ports in the rear but I like being future proofed as much as is reasonably possible.
Yep mate I think it is at Parramatta and I have seen it once but being a creature of habit and living way out in the country (near Orange ) impossible to get gear nearer than Penrith or Sydney about three hours for me me. Actually PCCG is quite good with their shipping prices and the pack REAL well. Plus they know me well enough to ship before they get payment which is a plus. :)
Pity you cannot get this in the US it is a really handy tool ICY BOX 5.25in Multiport Panel with Card Reader [IB-863-B] - $39.00 : PC Case Gear and no scrambling around the back either
Pity you cannot get this in the US it is a really handy tool ICY BOX 5.25in Multiport Panel with Card Reader [IB-863-B] - $39.00 : PC Case Gear and no scrambling around the back either [/QUOTE]
The way you keep pushing that puppy, I'm beginning to believe you own stock in it. All seriousness aside, it seems like a nice reader (there are several similar readers available her in the US) but it's overkill for me since I have no headers to plug in the USB 2.0 and audio ports (non-functioning ports, especially ones on the front panel, are anathema for someone as anal as I am) and I already have a front e-SATA port. Also, the description doesn't say if the card reader works off USB 2.0 or USB 3.0. We've been through this already.
The rear USB ports on my rig are for use on permanently connected devices, such as my scanners, keyboard, and UPS since permanent cables hanging off the front are also anathema. The front ports are for temporary connections, such as camera cards and USB thumb drives; no scrambling around involved.