Silverstone brings USB3 to laptops, slimlines and front panels

Tony Ou and the folks at Silverstone have been busy designing useful add-ons for existing systems. The result? A new team of USB3 upgrades. KitGuru prepares to download the specs faster than ever before. And in more places. And without the need for knee pads.

The annoying thing about USB3 is how few ports there are. Once the world plus dog realises that they can transfer files faster and, more importantly, recharge their phones etc quicker, then the nice blue ports get clogged up quicker than John Prescott's arteries.

OK, the names are not going to set the world alight, but the EC01 (around €18/£16), EC02 (~€24/£22) and EC03 (~€24/£22) are all aimed at very specific markets. Also, at those prices, they are not expensive. Here's a quick breakdown on what they are and what they do:-

EC01
Works in any system chassis, even low profile, by plugging into a PCI-Express 1 lane slot it gives you the option for 2 additional USB3 connections

EC02
ExpressCard adapter for your laptop device, giving you a single USB3 connection

EC03
Arguably the most useful for KitGuru readers, this PCI-Express 1x card comes with a 2x USB3 front panel in black – giving you easy access to your faster connections – without the need to face the horrible dust monsters you've built up under your desk

Without actually ringing up Taiwan and asking, from the pictures alone, there seems to be a good chance that you can combine an EC01 with an EC03 and get 4x front mounted USB3 connections. We'll ask and report back.

While you're contemplating USB3 goodness from Silverstone, we'll leave you with some pictures (including insertion close-ups where appropriate).

KitGuru says: If you're the kind of person who downloads some films overnight, forgets to put their phone on charge and, in the morning, wants to plug the phone into the PC, run a ‘convert & copy across' program – while at the same time getting a half decent charge on their battery, while running around the apartment showering, packing and looking for a passport – then this could be perfect for you.

Comments below or in the KitGuru forums.

Become a Patron!