How common is it to use front panel USB's

[jjcz5]

My current PC chassis has one type-A port and one type-C. I'm wondering, are any situations or products where I would need more USB ports?

 

My previous PC chassis had four USB type-A ports but I never had to use more than maybe two and that was for controllers and USB sticks.

[Dedayog]

I use one of my front USB ports for the headphone cable to charge it.  Another for popping in USB flash drives.  Type C for charging my phone.

 

Yeah, people use USB ports.  Get more shit, and you can too

 

 

[IkeaGnome]

I really only use mine for USB drives. My back panel is easily accessible and I have an 11 power powered USB hub tucked away under my monitor for anything I'd like to plug in right there.

[Pixelfie]

I usually use 1 for charging my headphones, watch, etc. The other one for controller or USB flash drives, sometimes also my phone if I need to copy something.

[Middcore]

Varies person to person. There is no answer to this question. 

[mariushm]

usb sticks

 

backup net connection ( phone tethering over usb) .. or just separate net connection on phone for vpn

 

phone charging / transfer files from phone faster

 

some use usb accessories ( usb desk fan , usb heating plate or chiller etc)

 

[Heliian]

When I'm doing some av work, I can use up all my ports with a cardreader, drive enclosure, wigo2 mic packs x2, wigo receiver, audio mixer, mouse, kb, phone, webcam.  

 

It is very easy to run out of ports, especially high speed ports.  Not to mention getting the ports to all work properly at the same time.  

 

I have a stand-alone 110v USB charging hub for charging all the other stuff.  

[Chiyawa]

As for me, I use 2 external HDD most of my time, with another 1 or 2 USB flash drive occasionally and a USB card reader. I do buy a few USB extender cables so I can connect the using the extender cable to the rear USB ports since I put my PC on the floor and accessing the rear USB port is difficult. Not pretty, but it's the only way I can think of, unless I get a PC case that has a lot of 5.25 inch drive bays so I can buy additional I/O ports (USB 3.0 type A and Type C and eSATA) with SD card reader.

[Rusty Proto]

I use front panel USB almost constantly, as there is always either a storage device, phone charger, controller, headphones, or something that I want to connect for a bit, use, and then take with me. However, I could always use more back end USB as well, instead of depending on a spider web of hubs for my I/O, printers, scanners, add on drives, and the like.

[Spotty]

My case has 4 USB ports on the front (2x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0). I use one of the front panel USB ports for my wireless mouse dongle. I also use the front ports any time I'm plugging in USB storage drives.

 

If you find you don't have enough accessible USB ports grab a USB hub. There's plenty of basic ones that will split 1 USB port in to 4 ports starting around $10.

[Chiyawa]

50 minutes ago, Spotty said:

If you find you don't have enough accessible USB ports grab a USB hub. There's plenty of basic ones that will split 1 USB port in to 4 ports starting around $10.

Do be careful. They'll share the bandwidth and power, so if you plug in 2 devices with high power draw like external HDD, they may not be getting enough power from the hub and may not operate. You can get something where the hub has external power input or barrel jack for power if you want to use USB hubs.

[Erioch]

My PC has 2 USB 3.0 and 1 USB C ports in front and I rarely use them.  I only use the USB C one if I want to transfer a bunch of stuff to/from my phone.  My keyboard has a USB 2.0 port and I tend to use that when doing stuff with USB sticks.

[wolfmcbeard]

My last pc had two usb2 and two usb3 ports up front, and I used one to power some led blacklights for a while, this pc has two usb3 ports, but aside from popping in a flash drive to install windows, they've gone unused thus far.
I do have a usbC on the back of my motherboard and I've got a header for a front type c, but that will probably never actually get used any time soon if ever.
My front audio gets far more usage.

[it_dont_work]

I don't use mine very often, but it all just depends on someones use case. I've a loose usb extension cable next to my keyboard which i use when needed mostly just for my 3dprinters sd card, since my case is under my desk and the ports are on the top. 

 

 

 

 

[Arika]

i find i rarely use them, but if i had a case without them, i'm sure i'd be annoyed that i didn't have them

 

[rikitikitavi]

Front case ports are there for your convenience of occasional/rare usage, since most people don't like unnecessary (visible) clutter... unless you are running out of ports of course.

 

If I often plug/unplug stuff (like external drives), then I usually have a cord always connected in the back and tucked away for when needed, otherwise I don't think I've ever had more than 3 USBs longterm.

[Sarra]

I use mine to charge my smartwatch, that's about it.

[baronvonsatchel]

My case has one or two front type A ports and a type C. I use them occasionally to plug in a flash drive or sync my phone, but I don't like to leave stuff plugged in there long term. It makes my already cluttered desk look even messier, and there's a greater chance of accidentally whacking them while moving around and causing permanent damage. Instead I keep all my peripherals plugged into a USB hub on the desk behind my keyboard because it makes for neater cable management. Plus it's got its own power button, so I can turn off all the blinky lights in one press, while leaving the PC itself on to update games etc. Isn't technology amazing!

[WhitetailAni]

I have 6 front USB ports. At any given time, I'm using at least two to three, probably more.