SPCR

After reading through the USB article at Wikipedia, link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_ ... us#USB_3.0

I realized that the front USB ports of my Solo won't be able to work at the high speed of USB 3.0, when I'll upgrade to a USB 3.0 capable motherboard.
In fact, USB 3.0 Standard A plugs probaly won't fit into the USB 2.0 Standard A receptacles located on the front of the Solo.

Quoting from the Wikipedia article:

'To accommodate the additional pins for SuperSpeed mode, the physical form factors for USB 3.0 plugs and receptacles have been modified from those used in previous versions. Standard-A cables have extended heads where the SuperSpeed connectors extend beyond and slightly above the legacy connectors. Similarly, the Standard-A receptacle is deeper to accept these new connectors. On the other end, the SuperSpeed Standard-B connectors are placed on top of the existing form factor. A legacy standard A-to-B cable will work as designed and will never contact any of the SuperSpeed connectors, ensuring backward compatibility. However, SuperSpeed USB cables, with their extended plugs, will not fit into legacy receptacles.'

I think this sucks and we (with a little help from SPCR) should ask case manufacturers to provide (sell, not for free) USB 3.0 SuperSpeed (case internal) cables.
I believe (but I'm not sure) they should fit in the front case openings, since they seem to have the same sizes, please correct me if I'm wrong.
Of course, we could use a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed extension cable (external) from the receptacles located on the mobo, but IMO this would be a nuisance.

In most cases I think this would require a new front panel PCB. You could route/etch one yourself if you were super-enthused.

It would be kind of neat if case manufacturers offered USB 3.0 compatible front ports for some of their more popular models. You could just remove the old one (I think usually they're just screwed on) and replace it. Probably isn't going to happen, though.

Once it catches on, you could get a USB 3.0 hub and just extend it from the rear ports. A bit less elegant than having the ports available on the front of the case, though.

One of the reasons I hate front ports. I would much rather have a 3.5" drive bay so I can put the ports I want in.

i went to a cheap hub recently and haven't looked back, the main benefit for me is easier access and, well, i don't have any front usb ports . the main downside is the limited power, though i've found this only matters for portable hdds, perhaps this will be eliminated by the higher output of usb3?