Rosewill RHUB-310 - Seven USB 2.0 Ports to Go
by Gary Key on May 13, 2008 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Peripherals
Considering the vast amount of USB peripherals available and the seemingly limited number of USB ports on today's notebooks and budget desktop systems, a USB hub seems to be the perfect solution for those who are port challenged. With that in mind, Rosewill is offering an inexpensive and compact solution for those needing to expand their port capabilities without breaking the bank. How well can a cheap USB hub perform compared to a built-in motherboard port, and are there any other concerns? That's what we'll find out today.
The Design
The RHUB-310 Hub is rather unique in its design. Featuring a mirrored faceplate embossed with the manufacturer's name and port numbers, the unit measures just 94.5mm x 45.5mm x 15.5mm without the removable stand. The stand itself is rather heavy and ensures the unit stays in the vertical position with most cable configurations. We did find that removing the stand and laying the unit flat was the best way to go with all seven ports populated. However, there are not any rubber feet to keep the unit from sliding around on the desk in this configuration.
The unit features four USB 2.0 capable downstream ports on the front side and three on the rear section of the unit. The rear section also features the upstream port with a mini B-type cable connection and a DC adapter plug. The top of the unit features a power-on LED, but the port numbers on the faceplate do not light up. Rosewill offers the unit in white, red, and black at this time. The plastic is high quality and defies the $24.99 price tag.
Rosewill includes a short manual, mini B-type cable, and power adapter with the kit. Really, the only design issue we could find here is the mirrored faceplate that attracts and keeps fingerprints - something that may be useful for a CSI team, but we found it annoying as keeping it clean became a priority with us. [Ed: So what if Gary's a bit OCD?]
Let's take a quick look at the performance of this budget wonder hub.
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plonk420 - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - link
google. are YOU lazy?possible query: "usb devices running slow (on) hub" or "why is [device x] slow (on) usb hub"
ninjit - Wednesday, May 14, 2008 - link
Reply to wrong post much?crashem - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - link
It was short and sweet and got to the point. It Let us know about a new product that some one might use. Not everyone has a new system. I have been a member since this site started and I come back to it all the time. It was because of this site that I was able to learn and build my first computer(way back when). This site use to have articles for every level. I for one think this site needs to have a few more articles for the newbies so that they can learn and become advanced.bakerzdosen - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - link
Well, I personally would have liked two things:1) Test it with a bus powered scanner (like a Canon lide). That's the only problem I had when hooking up my mother's USB hub, was that her scanner wouldn't do full scans (previews were fine) via her D-link USB hub I just bought for her - even when powered.
2) A picture/description of the power brick. Smaller is definitely better here, and it seems that they're all out of control in size taking up 2-3 outlets if you use a UPS or surge protector.
mars2k - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - link
Cool review, I just bought another hub with fewer ports and no power source for just as much money. My bad...impulse buy.Most important about the review is getting a little attention to the Rosewill brand. I have bought serveral of their products and have always been amazed at the value. These guys seem to launch one good product after another. I have several external disk enclosures that work, are well built of high quality materials, are beautiful as objects, and were releativly cheap compared to other lesser products. Even the least exspensive of their product range has always impressed me with high perceived value.
You don't see this brand marketed widely, if you do find something they make give them a chance I think you might be pleased.
strikeback03 - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - link
I purchased one Rosewill external enclosure for personal use, it has been fine. I purchased another for the lab, and two Samsung hard drives have died in it. Suppose the drives could have issues, but seems a big coincidence.RamarC - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - link
a usb hub? i could understand a wireless usb hub since they're somewhat leading edge, but a run-of-the-mill wired usb hub?there are already plenty of sites that do 'reviews' of mundane components. stick with hardware reviews for the enthusiast and the IT community.
Sunrise089 - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - link
My assumption is that Gary needed a USB hub at the lab, and that since companies send AT hardware all the time, he decided to do a three-page write-up on the hub he selected. I don't object to that, so long as the next great GPU or CPU review isn't delayed.Visual - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - link
How about test with multiple ports used at once? Like two drives, a drive and something low-bandwidth, or even all 7 ports used at once?Also I'd like to see results not in seconds, but in kbps, just to show how close to the theoretical 480kbps the thing gets. Well yeah, I can recalculate it myself, but... you could too.
DigitalFreak - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 - link
u r lazy