I've heard of powered USB hubs possibly backfeeding power into a PC's motherboard, which could lead to some problems. How common is this actually? And is there an easy way to test for it? Would using a USB meter help?
5 Answers
It definitely happens, though I might do some questionable things with my setup!
I've used a few powered hubs for work without any issues. Just make sure you're not going for the cheapest options out there; I've had good luck with higher-end models.
I haven't seen this issue either. I've used many powered USB hubs over the years, especially for VR setups, and haven't run into problems. Where did you hear about this backfeeding? I'd like to see some sources.
Honestly, I've never encountered this in my 30 years of building PCs. It seems pretty rare from my experience.
My cousin ran into this issue. He had a powered USB hub that backfed power into the motherboard. His PC wouldn't turn on; the motherboard lights were on but it just wouldn't boot. Once he disconnected the hub, everything started up fine again.
That's wild! Were there any warnings that came with the hub, or did he find this out the hard way?