HighPoint RocketU 1022A PCI-Express 2.0 x1 Low Profile USB 3.0 HBA Controller Card

Pros: Small.

Cons: 3 major problems.

1. You need to have a molex power adapter available from your PSU. Fortunately, I had an adapter laying around but I'm guessing a lot of folks get this and don't have a way to power it on.

2. The power connector is flimsy. Just plugging the stupid thing in can easily dislodge the connector from the board. Others mentioned this in their reviews so I know I'm not alone on this.

3. It didn't work. Would not maintain a link to my USB 3.0 dock. Ended up shipping this back.

Other Thoughts: The real crime is HighPoint's tech support. It seriously looks like it was created 10 years ago by a high school kid who cut his teeth building geocities websites. You have an absurd process to create an account. Then they tell you to search through the unorganized forums for support (hundreds of pages with no category breakdowns - searching on this model number yielded 0 matches). Finally, I submitted my question 48 hours ago and have yet to hear anything back other than the autoreplies. Thank goodness this was bought with Shoprunner so shipping back to Newegg was free.

Pros: Great card especially when you consider the price compared to alternatives. I max out USB3 drives when I connect them via this card. Really nice to be able to use USB3 on a machine that was made before these ports were standard.

Cons: Needs a molex style power connector, so make sure you have one available!

Pros: Those experiencing low transfer rates or warnings that the device does not operate at USB 3.0 speeds, back when USB 2.0 came out, many were having same problem, donno if they fixed it, but when you put a device of slower rating on a USB 2.0 port, the other port of the controller drops down to the same speed (like USB 1.0).

Usually they are grouped in pairs, one over the other, so if you experience low transfer rates, try to use a different set of ports, in another area with different controllers for the different speed devices, ie, all USB 3.0 devices on the same controller.

Also check the cables and front ports of your case, they might not be rated for USB 3.0 as well.

Cons: I don't know why stuff like this is not brought out in advertisements. Another pet peeve is why don't they tell whether or not a monitor screen is glossy or matte? It is not a secret that would betray anyone. Oh well.

Other Thoughts: If this rings a bell, or helps, please put your two cents in here to help those like ourselves.

Pros: Works as designed, but wish it had internal connection for connecting your "front" case usb.

Cons: None.

Other Thoughts: Does the job if you need USB 3.0.

Pros: As fast as my UBS 3.0 port of my motherboard. I didn't need to upgrade the driver and the firmware to get that speed. It was easy to get the latest drivers and firmware from the HighPoint site.

Cette carte USB 3.0 est aussi rapide que le port USB 3.0 de ma carte-mère. Je n'ai pas eu besoin des dernières mises-à-jour du pilote et du «firmware» pour atteindre cette vitesse de transfert. Il m'a été facile d'obtenir les dernières versions du pilote et du «firmware» à partir du site de HighPoint.

Cons: If ever I need to upgrade the firmware, I must to boot from DOS!

Si jamais je veux faire la mise-à-jour du firmware, je dois «booter» mon ordinateur à partir d'un DOS!

Other Thoughts: I recommand that product.

Je recommande ce produit.

Pros: Standard implementation for this type of card, initially speed tested as expected and with my perfect record with Highpoint products, I don't expect to have issues down the road.

Cons: Minor: ATX power socket swung away from board when I was trying to seat the cable end. It was partially my fault but partially an issue with weakness of the plastic retention clips and the tightness of the socket. Fortunately, I was able to carefully move it back in place without any of the leads breaking.

Also, the Newegg description says "This connector type is the same used for standard SATA hard drives." If you look at the picture, you will know that that is not correct. It is the standard ATX connector type used on older IDE/PATA drives.

Other Thoughts: I kind of thought because it was a Highpoint card that it would have a Highpoint chipset, but I had no particular reason to expect that. It has an Asmedia chipset, which I also have onboard on one of my newer motherboards, and it has been fairly good & reliable. This one went into an AMD Phenom II system with the 790 chipset and several other PCIe add-on cards (including another Highpoint card). It plays nice with all of them, but does require driver install in Windows 7. Of course, I have not seen Win 7 auto-recognize USB 3.0 no matter which chipset (I have implemented Asmedia, NEC & VIA) but we won't fault Win 7 for that - it's Microsoft's finest OS ever ;) I ran CrystalDiskMark using a USB 3.0 HDD with which I knew what to expect as far as speeds go and this card ran within those parameters. I have done several large transfers since and it has been a champ. 5 eggs for Highpoint goodness, expected operating levels and the value (I got an awesome deal on it on Black Wednesday, under half of its current price).

Pros: Easy to install. Low-profile bracket included. Based on one of the better USB3 controllers.

Speed increase was as expected: Copying a 30 gig test folder from an external USB3 drive took 14 mins over the motherboard's USB2 controller but only 5 minutes on this USB3 controller. Quite an improvement.

Extremely cheap on Black Friday. Score.

Cons: Drivers on the CD are old so don't bother using them. Go to HighPoint's website for the latest firmware and driver.

Other Thoughts: Why all the complaints about this card needing power from the supply? From the pictures, it's blatantly obvious that it has a Molex power connector. Why would anyone, especially some other 'five star tech knowledge' people think that connecting it is optional? Do you really need to be specifically told to plug it in? IDE hard drives have the same connector. Is it optional to plug those in too?

Also, HighPoint has no idea what your case is wired like and what extra power connectors you may or may not have. Why would they include a power adapter that would increase the price but many people wouldn't need? You may not have a free Molex lead available, but others might and probably do. And the length of your power leads is out of their hands also. How about looking inside your case ahead of time and seeing what you need before you order a card like this, instead of not being prepared and complaining about it later?

And updating the firmware in a true DOS environment is a problem... how? Should be easy for a 'five star' user but apparently not. Yikes.

Pros: got on for $12.99 thanx to the tech level 5 guys who dont know DOS


ha ha

Cons: works perfect with the new firmware

do not need a floppy drive for my tech level one firmware update

Other Thoughts: so ez i laughed

Pros: None.

Cons: Like other reviewers, it worked at first, but degraded over time to eventually not responding to any device you plugged into it, no matter what updated driver you used. BIOS updating is impossible as it requires a pure DOS environment via a floppy drive (their own words) instead of an in-windows or custom boot CD which other manufacturers do. I went to RMA the device, but from their own website, they clearly state you pay the cost to ship TO & FROM!

" D-1. The Customer pays the costs for the RMA shipment to HighPoint.
D-2. The Customer pays the return costs of the RMA return package.
D-3. The Customer pays all custom tax and duties. (See below for payment options)"

Other Thoughts: It would be cheaper for me to buy a different USB 3.0 card, which is just what I plan to do. This is my second failure experience with HighPoint add-in cards, and I will never buy this brand again.

Pros: expansion card easily installs

drivers are easy to install in Windows 7 32-bit (from both CD or from website)

Cons: requires a SATA (male) to molex (adapter) adapter

Other Thoughts: It is stated in the product details but this product requires power from your computer's power supply. I is only capable of getting power through a molex connector (similar to an IDE piece of hardware).

Company should include the adapter (even if the cost goes up).

After the fact, I purchased the necessary adapter from NewEgg.com.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812530007