Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

bigboss10

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 4, 2013
15
0
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
If you don't have a USB3.0 port on your MBP, which you won't if it's a pre-2012 MBP, then a USB3.0 hub will have no advantage, everything will run at USB2.0 speed.

If you do have a USB3.0 port then a USB3.0 hub will let you connect both USB3.0 and USB2.0/1.1 devices up to it, it's backwards compatible.

I've used a Belkin USB2.0 and a USB3.0 hub with my Macs without issue.
 
I use an Orico 4-port USB 3.0 bus-powered hub (i actually use 2, one per port on my rMBP) for extreme portability and another Orico 7-port powered hub at home. Both were really cheap (~$10 for the 4-port and ~$40 for the 7-port) and so far have caused no problems. If you have a USB 3.0 equipped Mac I'd suggest using a USB 3.0 hub over a 2.0 one (even if you only use 2.0 devices) due to being future-proof with your purchase and the increased power provided by USB 3.0 (900mAh vs 500mAh for USB 2.0). I've had 4 bus-powered portable drives running with no problems on a USB 3.0 hub and usually mix USB 3.0 with 2.0 devices.

One thing to look out for with USB 3.0 hubs is to attach a USB 3.0 device before any USB 2.0 device - doing so in reverse would initialize the hub down to USB 2.0 speeds making your USB 3.0 devices operate at only 480Mbps.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.