GRAUGEAR 3.5 Inch Front Panel USB C Hub, SD/microSD Internal Card Reader, 20Gbps USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, USB3.2 Type-E Key-A 20-Pin Header & USB3.0 Header & 15-Pin SATA Power Connector Required [G-MP01CR]

This unit is heads and tails above all the other front panel USB hub & card readers I've owned over the years.First, it's far more solidly built with the front bezel being solid metal so no chance of breaking those awful plastic tabs that most other units come with, being a part of the case itself which is also very sturdy and well-made.Second, perhaps earlier versions of this required you to insert the MicroSD card upside down, but I must have a newer version where they're inserted facing up.Also and more importantly, the faster of the two USB-C ports on the one I got was USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 so it goes up to 20Gbs, not 10Gbs as in the product page description and datasheet. This of course depends on your motherboard's capabilities and what you insert into it.Finally, it's fast. Not quite as fast as my X570S motherboard built-in ports, but just a hair slower. For example using CrystalDiskMark my Samsung 256GB USB-C flash drive tested at 433/118Mbs read/write on the MB's rear USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 port, and 399/118 on the Graugear's 5Gbs USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port and 403/119 on its 20Gbs USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 port. That's close enough for me.Installation took longer and was more difficult than I expected, but that was entirely because of the way that my PC is set up with cables, connections and such. But the device itself is very simple and easy to install if you know your way inside a PC.I can't attest to long-term regular use as I only got it a few weeks ago and haven't been using it much, but on build, performance and even looks, it's a winner. A bit more expensive than what I've usually paid for such devices in the past but justified by its much higher quality.

I wanted some USB-C on my computer case. Being that this case is from the early 2010s, it lacked these USB-C ports. Not only that, the included ports attached to the case were connected with unshielded wire. My wireless trackball was having trouble sustaining a connection to my computer due to this. This Graugear expansion is a must-have. It’s convenient and really renews my case’s functionality. I appreciate the steel construction and that this thing is built to last. Slide it in, screw it tight, plug everything in, and you’re good to go. 11/10 would recommend.

I cannot stand the look of most of the front USB panels available on the market. I don't need 35 different obscure card readers built in, I don't need 16 USB ports. This design is as close to perfect as I can find. Unfortunately it's absolute trash. I saw other reviews commenting on the slow transfer speed, I hoped they were mistaken, or maybe received a defective product. No such luck. Mine maxes out at 2 MBps, and it only sees that in intermittent spikes. I tested transfer speed with all four USB ports and the full size SD card reader - I don't have a micro SD handy to test that, but it's irrelevant anyway. All five tests show identical transfer speeds. I even tried transferring from different sources; internal HDD, internal NVMe SSD, and between thumb drives plugged into the two USB-A ports on this adapter. No difference in speed for any situation. All four ports are useless, as is the SD card reader - meaning the entire thing is useless from the ground up.Additionally, if you have a large ATX case, the cables could stand to be a bit longer. Mounting this in my top 5.25 bay, with USB connectors along the bottom of my motherboard, I can only just run the cable directly there, with no extra length available to leave any flexibility for clean routing. Otherwise pretty easy to install, the SATA power adapter seems to fall off a little too easily, but I think that's minor (assuming it's actually making contact, maybe that's why it's sloth mode?)

Everything works as expected. Speeds are satisfactory. Installation was easy and everything fit perfect. My only minor issue is with the design. It's not easy to see the card-reader slots since everything is black (maybe if they added a light internally to illuminate the open slots). Also if using a micro-sd (contact-side down) along with a regular SD card (contact-side up), you'll have to remove the SD-card first before you can pull the micro-SD since they're so close together to get a good grip.

Installed simply enough. I've tested it on Linux (and Windows) and it is working well. It is really nice having all of the USB connections near each other at the front of my case. As it is a 3.5" form factor I used a 5.25" tray adapter.This is important -- it REQUIRES a SATA power connection to power the USB-A, microSD, and SD card slots. This is a physically small device with the SATA power connector near the front so its power connector will likely be farther away from your P/S and from the position of the SATA power connectors for your other devices. I used a SATA power splitter (like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BZ8RYD59) and used a couple of them to provide plenty of cable length to reach the front of this device and still reach my other SATA devices.

Perfect solution if you want additional ports for your PC. A lot easier to reach vs. the back of your case. Also, it's nice to have micro-SD and SD slots for transferring photos and videos. Built very solidly and all materials, including the cables are of the highest quality.