SilverStone SST-EC04
A 4 port internal and external USB 3.0 expansion card using PCIE Express 1x slots. The official specifications are as follows.
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Model No.
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SST-EC04 |
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Power requirement
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5Vdc via peripheral 4pin power connector |
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Operating system support
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Windows XP, Vista, 7(32bit/64bit) |
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Form factor
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Low profile single lane (X1) PCI Express 2.0 |
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USB 3.0 controller
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TI TUSB7340 |
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USB Ports
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Dual port USB 3.0 support (one internal connector) |
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Enclosure Interface
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USB3.0 (Max. 5Gbps) compatible with USB 2.0 |
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USB bus power output
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5Vdc / unlimited current |
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Transmitting Speed
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USB 3.0(5Gbit/s), USB 2.0(480Mbit/s), USB 1.1(12Mbit/s) |
The specifications are identical to EC03 listed above with only a change in the USB 3.0 Controller to the Texas Instruments 4 port USB 3.0 controller. The specifications do not mention the 2 rear mounted USB 3.0 ports (but they are there!)
A simple clam shell style clear plastic package displays the card quite prominently. A multi-colored insert behind the card carries all information on the maker, and model, and has multi-language features printed on the back. Viewable through the clamshell we can see that Silverstone has also included a low profile bracket for this card as well. A miniCD is included (presumably for drivers and manuals). Once again the best course of action is downloading the drivers directly from Silverstone.
As seen on the EC03, the new design of the controller card has the same advantages. The front facing 19pin header and 4pin peripheral power port are both forward facing to enable low profile mounting solutions as well as providing a more secure connection for the internal 19pin Super Speed cable.
The Controller in this case is the Texas Instruments TUSB7340. Texas Instruments provides a full explanation of their products, in this case a 116 page PDF file on the controller and its predecessor the 7320. Comparing the PCB layout to the NEC based controller we notice two things are different, there is no Serial Flash ROM on the 4 port card. There is a reason for that, it is a design implementation of the TI controller. Listed under features on page 12 of their PDF “no serial Flash ROM is needed”. The second thing is the supercap has not only changed marking configuration but has changed from a 2 leg pin through mount to a SMT design. It reads N48 000 AD20PN. The difference in pin through and SMT is not a large one pin through is a more antiquated design, not less worthy, but the doubling of the first number we can conclude is directly proportional to the fact this is a 4 port card over the 2 port EC03.
