Mobo Rear Panel USB 2.0 Ports In 2025

[nomdeplume]

Noticed that despite having both "blue" and "teal" USB 3 variants I've only recently started to need them. Obviously this is a singular case involving legacy 2.0 era devices that didn't like however the USB 3 spec was implemented on a particular board. It goes much further with kbm (wired) and various sporadically used pluggable devices habitually used in what are both most accessible and offer longest cord reach USB 2.0 ports located on the topmost row. There is also the issue of tranceivers overheating more easily in higher power/bandwidth ports.

Would be curious to hear others thoughts on their continued existence. Current crop of mobo about to be succeeded have a very defined split between full rank of four USB 2.0 in highest position or complete absence of them anywhere on the back panel.

 

[datnoz]

Personnaly i never used USB 3.0 and higher by choice, only because it was my only option. and only felt the need of more bandwidth when installing an os from a usb key.
I also feel a bit sad that on current mobo all the bandwidth goes to m.2 and 20gb/s ports.
Nothing left for other pcie slots or usb at reasonnable speeds.

 

[AsRock]

I like having USB 2 on the back for compatibility reasons, and use them for keyboard and mouse anyways so.

 

[Lost_Troll]

The real question is why are the still putting PS2 ports on the I/O panel of motherboards? USB2 ports I can see for USB UART and printer port cables, which USB 2 is still good for.

 

[jak_2456]

The real question is why are the still putting PS2 ports on the I/O panel of motherboards? USB2 ports I can see for USB UART and printer port cables, which USB 2 is still good for.

I personally don't think that having PS/2 ports harms anything. It's handy if you like using older peripherals. On the subject of USB 2, the overwhelming majority of keyboards, mice, printers, and other low-speed devices use it; having it can be quite useful. I think it's good to have since some peripherals misbehave with USB 3.0 or faster, too.

 

[nomdeplume]

Personnaly i never used USB 3.0 and higher by choice, only because it was my only option. and only felt the need of more bandwidth when installing an os from a usb key.
I also feel a bit sad that on current mobo all the bandwidth goes to m.2 and 20gb/s ports.
Nothing left for other pcie slots or usb at reasonnable speeds.

That is the meat of it with now increasingly mandatory inclusion of phone and tablet charging ports. USB 3, and likely USB 4 will follow, was such a mess I never bothered spending actual money on thumb drives to save entire 30 seconds out of the multiple hours required to actually install a usable copy of W11. Even a freebie 3.nothing gen drive gets the files onto a SSD fast enough to be unconcerning.

Out of the convoluted and highly artificial product and gen differentations. Devoting lanes to NVMe drives should've been hard set under mandated guidelines per balance with number of SATA present. Leave the fudging and sharing to small print on limits of filling every internal USB port. Not PCIe slots!

I personally don't think that having PS/2 ports harms anything. It's handy if you like using older peripherals.

Modern combo ports take up very little space. There are certainly classes of mobo they make a lot more sense on than others.

 

[jak_2456]

What I'd like to see with PC USB ports would be a USB-C PD port for charging your phone, handheld PC, etc. I want to keep my USB 2.0 ports, too!

 

[nomdeplume]

What I'd like to see with PC USB ports would be a USB-C PD port for charging your phone, handheld PC, etc. I want to keep my USB 2.0 ports, too!

In fact this is what I was referring to above. Trend towards mandatory inclusion on higher end boards about to enter market. Good luck finding USB 2.0 on them though.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Maybe I'm buying Mobos too far on the cheap side but it seems I've not been able to access USB3 and faster ports when booted to BIOS on at least some of my machines, while the USB 2.0 ports are always active in BIOS. That could certainly be user error though.

 

[gurusmi]

I like having USB 2 on the back for compatibility reasons, and use them for keyboard and mouse anyways so.

Me either.

Additionally I use USB2.0 for my OfficeJet and my USB-Sticks for my 3D Printers. The external drives, my DAP and DAC are using USB 3.0.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

I have a USB stick and a m.2 caddy that are USB3 so..............

 

[nomdeplume]

I have a USB stick and a m.2 caddy that are USB3 so..............

Unless you use a test bench that allows zero access to the back panel... your case probably has at least a couple USB 3.something ports immediately accessible.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

Unless you use a test bench that allows zero access to the back panel... your case probably has at least a couple USB 3.something ports immediately accessible.

I have 1x USB C, 2x USB 3x and 2x USB 2x on the front(7000D) but can kinda still do a reach around if i have to

 

[Lost_Troll]

I personally don't think that having PS/2 ports harms anything. It's handy if you like using older peripherals. On the subject of USB 2, the overwhelming majority of keyboards, mice, printers, and other low-speed devices use it; having it can be quite useful. I think it's good to have since some peripherals misbehave with USB 3.0 or faster, too.

True, but I do have a few of these floating around for just such case.

 

[nomdeplume]

I guess the larger question here is viability of buying a new mobo with back panel USB 2.0.
Especially for a build that won't be replaced in the near future, i.e. multiple years.

 

[R-T-B]

True, but I do have a few of these floating around for just such case.

Those are passive converters that run the keyboard or whatever in usb mode despite looking like ps/2 (almost all devices today can do both). Thus, in a true legacy situation without usb drivers they aren't very helpful.

At least I think. Maybe its active, taking another look.

 

[TheLostSwede]

These things are still present on mother motherboards afaik. Just get a bracket and connect them up, two ports per pin-header. Problem solved.

Not enough pin-headers on your board? You can get internal hubs. Try to avoid the ones with Genesys Logic hubs.

 

[datnoz]

Try to avoid the ones with Genesys Logic hubs.

Why ?
Are those notoriously bad ?

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

Let me get this straight. You are complaining about having a higher speed interface, because some ancient pieces of tech don't like playing with some USB 3.# control chip? I believe that you're the reason that I needed a USB to DB-9 connector for years to deal with factory talk. If anyone out there actually understands this, know that both you and I are old.

Self insulting aside, I see the value in switching everything to USB 3.#. I don't have a heck of a lot plugged into my computer beyond a keyboard, mouse, and DAC. All three go into my back panel. The computer itself provides a USB 3.0 set of front panel connections, pulled from a single motherboard header. I can plug in whatever thumb drive matters, and keep al of that wiring hidden behind the computer. The couple of legacy 2.0 ports serve no real purpose, as the last device I purchased that didn't work on the faster connections was designed for Windows 7...a now dead operating system with its successor dying and the cursed every-other version of windows basically looking to finally put its progenitor out to pasture.

I look at this from the perspective of someone who went from socket 2011 to AM4. Not being bound by SATA, having stable high speed USB, and having only enough PCI-e for a GPU and some baked-in goodies (sound, ethernet, wireless, etc...) was both a slight step down and a huge leap up.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Why ?
Are those notoriously bad ?

Let's just say that the GL850 is the worst USB 2.0 hub ever made. It's also the cheapest USB 2.0 hub, so it's used in a ton of products, it's even found on some expensive motherboards.
It went so far the VLI made a pin-to-pin compatible USB 2.0 that they're now trying to convince companies to swap to, as it doesn't suffer from the same issues as the GL850. In other words, they made a brand new USB 2.0 hub in 2024.

 

[eidairaman1]

No issues using usb 2/1.1/1.0 devices in 3.* ports.

 

[nomdeplume]

Let me get this straight. You are complaining about having a higher speed interface, because some ancient pieces of tech don't like playing with some USB 3.# control chip?

If that was your takeaway there is little point in defending against a closed verdict.

Most respondees seized upon the conversational nature of taking a pulse. Imbalanced designs stretching utility was hardly a blip interrupting the passivity.
If you would like an OT response it would have to be a reminder plenty of modern pieces of tech don't like some (many) USB 3.# chip.

Edit: I get this was probably a good humored self aggrandizing comment - with a point behind it.

These things are still present on mother motherboards afaik. Just get a bracket and connect them up, two ports per pin-header. Problem solved.

You are addressing a side topic bound to come up. In theory if your mobo lacks 2.0 and only 2.0 an easy solution is available. Unless you are already lane constrained or...

I'm very flexible on the wide range of related spatial/technical/manufacturing choices, but equally ready to steer things back towards anyone being able to comment on back panel USB 2.0.

 

[chrcoluk]

Noticed that despite having both "blue" and "teal" USB 3 variants I've only recently started to need them. Obviously this is a singular case involving legacy 2.0 era devices that didn't like however the USB 3 spec was implemented on a particular board. It goes much further with kbm (wired) and various sporadically used pluggable devices habitually used in what are both most accessible and offer longest cord reach USB 2.0 ports located on the topmost row. There is also the issue of tranceivers overheating more easily in higher power/bandwidth ports.

Would be curious to hear others thoughts on their continued existence. Current crop of mobo about to be succeeded have a very defined split between full rank of four USB 2.0 in highest position or complete absence of them anywhere on the back panel.

I couldnt use a keyboard in proxmox until it was plugged into a USB2 port or a PS2 port.

A USB3 only system might have yielded me powerless to use any of my wired keyboards on the system.

The only devices I know off in existence that require USB3 levels of bandwidth are capture devices and fast external storage devices, so we have to be careful to avoid making everything USB3 just because it looks good on paper, the vast majority of USB devices dont need USB3 levels of bandwidth.

 

[DirtyDingusMcgee]

I like having a broad array of I/O. Never know what or when you may need in this line of work.

I never bothered spending actual money on thumb drives to save entire 30 seconds out of the multiple hours required to actually install a usable copy of W11. Even a freebie 3.nothing gen drive gets the files onto a SSD fast enough to be unconcerning.

Really? takes like 45 min start to finish on most configs for me. 25 to 30 of that is updates. Treat yourself to a nice flash drive sometime. You're worth it, and you'll like it.

 

[azrael]

There's a reason to prefer USB2 connectors to USB3 connectors, at least when it comes to USB Type A connectors. The USB2 ones are simply more durable. One of the reasons is that they had to split the contact pads to make room for the extra lanes, so there's a lot more wear on those contacts. I honestly do not know how durable USB Type C is compared to USB Type A, however.