upgrading from usb 1.1 to 2.0

[chunkstyle]

hi guys

i'm thinking about upgrading the usb on my pc from the 1.1 that came on my mobo to 2.0, due to having gotten a new external hd for backups & discovering that transferring .wav files is painfully slow under 1.1.

is switching to 2.0 as simple as installing a new pci card? do these cards generally have connectors for hooking up the usb ports on the front of the case? is it a problem if some devices, such as the mouse, are left connected to the old integrated usb 1.1 ports on the back of the mobo while also having other stuff connected to the new 2.0 ports on the pci card?

can any of you please recommend a good card of this type & advise me as to approx how much this upgrade'll cost?

thank you!

drew j.

[glc]

Yes, all you have to do is install a 2.0 PCI card. I have not seen any cards that have front panel connectors. There is no problem leaving devices on the onboard 1.1 ports. Cards cost less than 20 bucks from online vendors. A good inexpensive brand is Koutech.

[XenaWP]

...
is switching to 2.0 as simple as installing a new pci card? do these cards generally have connectors for hooking up the usb ports on the front of the case? is it a problem if some devices, such as the mouse, are left connected to the old integrated usb 1.1 ports on the back o...
I got one from Zonet for about $5 with rebate, but $10 - $20 is more in the normal range. To get "ports in the front" I just added a USB 2.0 hub ($15) that sits atop the pc, cabled to a new USB2 port on the rear.

[alfie2]

some motherboards allow you to upgrade your USB port from 1.1 to 2.0 via a new driver or BIOS update. MY ASUS P4B motherboard is 1.1 by default, but under XP SP1 and above USB drivers, the ports become 2.0 .

[ogrerocks]

I just bought a USB PCI card from newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16815124002

That card has two(2) sets of headers for front USB ports and things. For $20 you can't go wrong.