So I've decided to buy a USB3.0 external hard drive for backup purposes.  My motherboard (and PC in general) is about 5-6 years old, and it does not have built-in USB3.0.  So in order to boost up transfer/copying speeds, I need USB3.0.
 
OK, so buy an add-on card, 2:43AM!
 
So while that seems like a simple suggestion, the Internets and storefronts (Newegg in particular) are riddled with horror stories of add-on USB3.0 cards frying their devices! Apparently, either the cards are faulty or their Molex, 4-pin power port is backwards!!!  Something definitely isn't right, and that's some scary sh*t, especially when dealing with high-end synths with USB and/or moderately priced HDD's.
 
So anyone have any luck with a particular brand and model and DID NOT end up frying their devices?  If so, post some information to help me out in my quest.  Looking to keep the price tag ≤$30 and it should have at least 2 external ports.  Thanks in advance.

Like you I was using a 5 year old machine so I ordered a PCIe USB 3.0 card for $ 20, It put my DPCLAT latency through the roof! So I had to remove it. It was not a brand name, I just looked at the box,, It say's nothing , no name at all... just some Chinese POS I guess. Anyhow it would seem a simple add on if it works. But in the end it's one of the reasons I decided it was time to build a new rig. 

Having USB 3.0 will not increase USB speed.  It will ONLY increase speed if you have a USB 3.0 device (e.g. USB 3.0 external hard drive). 
 
Connecting USB 2.0 devices to a 3.0 port, the 2.0 devices will run at 2.0. speed.
 

fireberd
Having USB 3.0 will not increase USB speed.  It will ONLY increase speed if you have a USB 3.0 device (e.g. USB 3.0 external hard drive). Connecting USB 2.0 devices to a 3.0 port, the 2.0 devices will run at 2.0. speed.

Correct.  I would be utilizing the 3.0 speed for a 3.0-capable, external HDD.  Anything else would operate at 2.0 speeds.  But if the result would be fried devices, or a fried motherboard, then no devices will be installed!

Hmm. It seems that the majority may not be using add-on USB3.0 cards?  Not many replies, but I will give the thread a little more time.

These types of devices are typically made by no-name companies and have terrible support if any at all. One of the reasons being that every board made these days comes with 3.0 as a standard now and there is very little market for companies to spend money on making addon cards when our society cycles through electronics every 2-3 years.
 
My suggestion is with a computer that old to bite the bullet and either buy a new computer or upgrade the mobo you're using. With Black Friday sales started/coming, you can get some pretty amazing deals on sites like NewEgg. I typically build my computers once every two years and cycle them out throughout my house as I do but I save a buttload by buying Black Friday weekend. The newest computer I've built is about 2 years old now and I would be upgrading this year but with the new processors coming out in Jan, I'm holding off because I've hit a wall with upgrading in the Ivy Bridge family and the next step would be Haswell but it's simply too expensive at this point to justify it. The RAM alone was going to cost me about $1800 for 64 gigs. With Broadwell coming out in Jan, Haswell should drop a bit in price and hopefully DDR4 RAM will as well.
 
Being yours is so old, you could probably get a very good deal on parts for an Ivy Bridge processor which would likely fit your needs quite well.

Great, TerraSin...you have planted the itch. Thanks a lot!
 
So with that itch, I started scratching. It may be a good idea to upgrade the necessary parts. Haswell processors, right now, are at an OK price, and it's doubtful they'll go on sale.  Processors don't fall into the "sale" category very well, but you never know.  The i7-4770K is $334.99.  I imagine this is a beast of a processor. Or the i7-4790K...I'm still trying to figure out the i7 part numbers!
 
Basically, if I upgrade, it would consist of the following: CPU, Mobo with as many USB ports as I can get plus ultra-low DPC latency, RAM 16GB would suit me fine, silent CPU cooler (as my current, Artic Freezer 7 won't fit the LGA1150).  Everything else in my current setup would be used in the proposed, new rig.

Again...thanks for planting the itch!
 
That still doesn't solve my immediate dilemma, however.  At this time, I am still stuck with USB2.0 with the intent to connect a USB3.0 backup, HDD.  I guess I can live with the slower transfer speeds. It's not like I'm moving massive amounts of data back and forth anyway.
 
Also...on a side note...at least upgrading will [hopefully] solve my stupid latency issues that I've enjoyed for the last 2 years. I've had nothing but problems and frustration over the years.  Because I spent more time troubleshooting, I spent less time being creative.

You're welcome. :D
 
Like I said, wait till about Black Friday to do the majority of your shopping. I save a ton of money, especially on the processors, by waiting it out. I wanted to see if the x99 stuff would drop in price but I don't think that will happen yet. The biggest expense for me is going to be DDR4 because I need to jump to 64gigs from my 32. >_<

I have been look as well.
 
Found 2 on amazon with good reviews:
For this one, even the bad reviews are good:
http://www.amazon.com/KDLINKS%C2%AE-Extension-Internal-Connector-Desktops/dp/B00DSXG4YW/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
 
this was has 291 reviews, 20 unhappy ones
http://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Superspeed-Ports-PCI-E-Expansion/dp/B00B6ZCNGM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
 
Prolly the only way to know is to try one. As others have written audio performance may suffer.
 

^^^
Thanks!  Those reviews look very promising.  All others I have seen have quite a few 1 star reviews that note fires, smoke, melted boards, defective devices, etc.