USB 3 card Advice Needed

[Pfos86]

Looking to get a USB 3 card on desktop, which ones have you had best success with? Mac Pro 3,1 if anyone has experience with that. Looking for 3 usb A 2 C ports or about that. Any input appreciated.

 lspci
00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset Memory Controller Hub (rev 20)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset PCI Express Port 1 (rev 20)
00:05.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset PCI Express Port 5 (rev 20)
00:09.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset PCI Express Port 9 (rev 20)
00:0f.0 System peripheral: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset QuickData Technology Device (rev 20)
00:10.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset FSB Registers (rev 20)
00:10.1 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset FSB Registers (rev 20)
00:10.2 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset FSB Registers (rev 20)
00:10.3 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset FSB Registers (rev 20)
00:10.4 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset FSB Registers (rev 20)
00:11.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset CE/SF Registers (rev 20)
00:15.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset FBD Registers (rev 20)
00:15.1 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset FBD Registers (rev 20)
00:16.0 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset FBD Registers (rev 20)
00:16.1 Host bridge: Intel Corporation 5400 Chipset FBD Registers (rev 20)
00:1b.0 Audio device: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB High Definition Audio Controller (rev 09)
00:1c.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset PCI Express Root Port 1 (rev 09)
00:1c.1 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset PCI Express Root Port 2 (rev 09)
00:1c.2 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset PCI Express Root Port 3 (rev 09)
00:1c.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset PCI Express Root Port 4 (rev 09)
00:1d.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset UHCI USB Controller #1 (rev 09)
00:1d.1 USB controller: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset UHCI USB Controller #2 (rev 09)
00:1d.2 USB controller: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset UHCI USB Controller #3 (rev 09)
00:1d.3 USB controller: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset UHCI USB Controller #4 (rev 09)
00:1d.7 USB controller: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset EHCI USB2 Controller (rev 09)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 82801 PCI Bridge (rev d9)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset LPC Interface Controller (rev 09)
00:1f.1 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB IDE Controller (rev 09)
00:1f.2 SATA controller: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB SATA AHCI Controller (rev 09)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 631xESB/632xESB/3100 Chipset SMBus Controller (rev 09)
02:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Ellesmere [Radeon RX 470/480/570/570X/580/580X/590] (rev e7)
02:00.1 Audio device: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD/ATI] Ellesmere HDMI Audio [Radeon RX 470/480 / 570/580/590]
03:00.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6311ESB/6321ESB PCI Express Upstream Port (rev 01)
03:00.3 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6311ESB/6321ESB PCI Express to PCI-X Bridge (rev 01)
04:00.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6311ESB/6321ESB PCI Express Downstream Port E1 (rev 01)
04:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6311ESB/6321ESB PCI Express Downstream Port E2 (rev 01)
04:02.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corporation 6311ESB/6321ESB PCI Express Downstream Port E3 (rev 01)
07:00.0 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 80003ES2LAN Gigabit Ethernet Controller (Copper) (rev 01)
07:00.1 Ethernet controller: Intel Corporation 80003ES2LAN Gigabit Ethernet Controller (Copper) (rev 01)
0b:00.0 PCI bridge: Texas Instruments XIO2213A/B/XIO2221 PCI Express to PCI Bridge [Cheetah Express]
0c:00.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments XIO2213A/B/XIO2221 IEEE-1394b OHCI Controller [Cheetah Express]
0d:00.0 Network controller: Broadcom Inc. and subsidiaries BCM4321 802.11a/b/g/n (rev 03)

[rubi1200]

Welcome to Ubuntu Discourse

You used the tag ubuntu-mate but mention a Mac Pro; so, are you wanting to install Ubuntu MATE on the Mac or something else?

Please clarify what is currently installed, what you would like to install.

Thanks

[Pfos86]

sorry for the tag mix up. It would not let me use ubuntu 2404 as a tag, so I chose MATE. Under MATE flavor discussion, it would not let me add a discussion to MATE for this was specified for Support and Help by the ubuntu discourse message that came up. So under Support and Help for Ubuntu, I tagged ubuntu-mate. I have ubuntu-mate-24.04.4 LTS installed. I have a Mac Pro 3,1. Some specifics come into play with the Mac Pro, depending….. Here is more information to specify my system exactly to be more specific. So, this is what I have, and am looking exactly for what people have had luck/success with ( USB 3.0,3.1, 3.2 PCI cards) either on Ubuntu 24.04.4, or Ubuntu MATE 24.04.4 LTS. What companies, drivers, and Cards. Any other specifics needed, let me know!! If It is suggested to post this information about my system every time I ask or post in Ubuntu Discourse, please let me know rubi1200. If it is suggested that I move this discussion or tag in some other way, I just did what the system suggested for me to do. Thanks

lscpu
Architecture: x86_64
CPU op-mode(s): 32-bit, 64-bit
Address sizes: 38 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
Byte Order: Little Endian
CPU(s): 8
On-line CPU(s) list: 0-7
Vendor ID: GenuineIntel
BIOS Vendor ID: Intel(R) Corporation
Model name: Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5462 @ 2.80GHz
BIOS Model name: Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E CPU @ 2.8GHz
BIOS CPU family: 179
CPU family: 6
Model: 23
Thread(s) per core: 1
Core(s) per socket: 4
Socket(s): 2
Stepping: 6
CPU(s) scaling MHz: 86%
CPU max MHz: 2800.0000
CPU min MHz: 2400.0000
BogoMIPS: 5585.68
Flags: fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge m
ca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 h
t tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs
bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor
ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm dca sse4_1 lah
f_lm pti tpr_shadow flexpriority vpid dtherm vnmi
Virtualization features:
Virtualization: VT-x
Caches (sum of all):
L1d: 256 KiB (8 instances)
L1i: 256 KiB (8 instances)
L2: 24 MiB (4 instances)
NUMA:
NUMA node(s): 1
NUMA node0 CPU(s): 0-7
Vulnerabilities:
Gather data sampling: Not affected
Itlb multihit: KVM: Mitigation: VMX disabled
L1tf: Mitigation; PTE Inversion; VMX EPT disabled
Mds: Vulnerable: Clear CPU buffers attempted, no microcode;
SMT disabled
Meltdown: Mitigation; PTI
Mmio stale data: Unknown: No mitigations
Reg file data sampling: Not affected
Retbleed: Not affected
Spec rstack overflow: Not affected
Spec store bypass: Vulnerable
Spectre v1: Mitigation; usercopy/swapgs barriers and __user pointe
r sanitization
Spectre v2: Mitigation; Retpolines; STIBP disabled; RSB filling; P
BRSB-eIBRS Not affected; BHI Not affected
Srbds: Not affected
Tsx async abort: Not affected
Vmscape: Not affected

inxi -Fxz
System:
Kernel: 6.8.0-88-generic arch: x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 13.3.0
Desktop: MATE v: 1.26.2 Distro: MATE 24.04.4 LTS (Noble Numbat)
base: Ubuntu
Machine:
Type: Unknown System: Apple product: MacPro3,1 v: 1.0 serial:
Mobo: Apple model: Mac-F42C88C8 v: Proto1 serial: N/A UEFI: Apple
v: MP31.88Z.006C.B05.0802291410 date: 02/29/08
CPU:
Info: 2x 4-core model: Intel Xeon E5462 bits: 64 type: MCP SMP arch: Penryn
rev: 6 cache: L1: 2x 256 KiB (512 KiB) L2: 2x 12 MiB (24 MiB)
Speed (MHz): avg: 2400 min/max: 2400/2800 cores: 1: 2400 2: 2400 3: 2400
4: 2400 5: 2400 6: 2400 7: 2400 8: 2400 bogomips: 44685
Flags: ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 ssse3 vmx
Graphics:
Device-1: AMD Ellesmere [Radeon RX 470/480/570/570X/580/580X/590]
vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: amdgpu v: kernel arch: GCN-4 bus-ID: 02:00.0
temp: 41.0 C
Display: x11 server: ``X.Org`` v: 21.1.11 driver: X: loaded: amdgpu
unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa dri: radeonsi gpu: amdgpu
resolution: 1600x900~60Hz
API: EGL v: 1.5 drivers: radeonsi,swrast platforms:
active: gbm,x11,surfaceless,device inactive: wayland
API: OpenGL v: 4.6 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: amd mesa
v: 25.2.8-0ubuntu0.24.04.1 glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: AMD
Radeon RX 580 Series (radeonsi polaris10 ACO DRM 3.57 6.8.0-88-generic)
API: Vulkan v: 1.3.275 drivers: N/A surfaces: xcb,xlib devices: 2
Audio:
Device-1: Intel 631xESB/632xESB High Definition Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
v: kernel bus-ID: 00:1b.0
Device-2: AMD Ellesmere HDMI Audio [Radeon RX 470/480 / 570/580/590]
vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel bus-ID: 02:00.1
API: ALSA v: k6.8.0-88-generic status: kernel-api
Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.5 status: active
Server-2: PulseAudio v: 16.1 status: off (using pipewire-pulse)
Network:
Device-1: Intel 80003ES2LAN Gigabit Ethernet driver: e1000e v: kernel
port: 1020 bus-ID: 07:00.0
IF: enp7s0f0 state: down mac:
Device-2: Intel 80003ES2LAN Gigabit Ethernet driver: e1000e v: kernel
port: 1000 bus-ID: 07:00.1
IF: enp7s0f1 state: down mac:
Device-3: Broadcom BCM4321 802.11a/b/g/n vendor: Apple AirPort Extreme
driver: wl v: kernel bus-ID: 0d:00.0
IF: wls6 state: up mac:
IF-ID-1: tun0 state: unknown speed: 10000 Mbps duplex: full mac: N/A
Bluetooth:
Device-1: Apple Bluetooth HCI driver: btusb v: 0.8 type: USB bus-ID: 4-2:3
Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 2 state: up address: bt-v: 2.0
lmp-v: 3
Sensors:
System Temperatures: cpu: 53.0 C mobo: 50.5 C gpu: amdgpu temp: 42.0 C
Fan Speeds (rpm): cpu: 505 gpu: amdgpu fan: 210
Info:
Memory: total: 16 GiB note: est. available: 13.64 GiB used: 1.87 GiB (13.7%)
Processes: 319 Uptime: 46m Init: systemd target: graphical (5)
Packages: 2670 Compilers: gcc: 13.3.0 Shell: Bash v: 5.2.21 inxi: 3.3.34

[rubi1200]

No, that’s fine where it is, thanks for clarifying.

I edited the title so users are clear on what help you need and added some more tags.

Thanks

[Actionparsnip]

Do you want PCI or PCI Express or PCI-X?

[Pfos86]

I have 1 PCI-express 2.0 available and both 4-lane PCI express 1.1 available. Either that have good driver’s that will work that are stable is fine by me.

[Actionparsnip]

https://amzn.eu/d/08OGh1Iu

Something like that. I just searched for

linux pci express usb 3

This isn’t something I use myself but maybe others can chime in with cards they’ve had successes with

[Pfos86]

“For a Mac Pro 3,1 running Ubuntu MATE 24.04.4 LTS, the most reliable option is a USB 3.0 PCIe card based on the Fresco Logic FL1100 chipset, as this hardware is natively supported by the Linux kernel without requiring proprietary drivers.”- is what I am being given from the interwebs. Putting some feelers out on what I may find here as of what has been useful for people running ubuntu. I could care less whether it works with MacOS or not. I do not use Mac side of software unless I have to for phone backup, that’s it. If it never works with MacOS ever in a day of its life, i could care less. I’m not looking on Mac sites for this reason, because all I read about is MacOS (not interested). I have been running Ubuntu MATE since 18 as a daily. Do you have a card installed that is working well with 24.04.4 with this type of chipset? I do not want to go buying a card and go through the process of returning it or having to post it online for sale when it wouldn’t work in the first place.

-Ubuntu 24 or Ubuntu MATE 24

-IF someone has a 3,1-5,1 Classic Mac Pro with success that’s a huge plus

-Dont care about MacOS compatibility whatsoever
-Drivers that work well that people have had success with
-Cards with chipsets that have worked well

[graymech]

I cannot meet your stringent standards. That is your problem not mine.

For anyone else who is interested this is what I have found

MacPro 3,1

The early-2008 Mac Pro 3,1 features extensive legacy connectivity, including 5 USB 2.0 ports, two FireWire 800 and two FireWire 400 ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and optical digital audio (TOSLINK) I/O. It does not have USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, or HDMI, relying instead on DVI ports on the graphics card for display connectivity. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

External Ports:

• USB 2.0: 5 ports (two on the front panel, three on the back).
• FireWire 800: 2 ports (one front, one back).
• FireWire 400: 2 ports (one front, one back).
• Ethernet: 2 Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45) ports.
• Audio (Input): 1 Optical TOSLINK, 1 Analog Stereo minijack (back).
• Audio (Output): 1 Optical TOSLINK, 1 Analog Stereo minijack (back), 1 Front-panel headphone minijack. [1, 2, 3]

Display & Internal Connectivity:

• Graphics: Dependent on card, usually 2x dual-link DVI ports (e.g., ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT).
• Internal Storage: 4x 3.5-inch “cable-free” SATA 3Gb/s bays.
• PCIe Expansion: 2x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots and 2x PCIe x4 slots. [1, 2]

Optional/Legacy:

• Modem: Optional external USB Apple USB Modem (RJ-11).
• Wireless: Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (standard), optional AirPort Extreme

Firewire

Yes, Linux has robust support for FireWire (IEEE 1394) devices, often functioning better than modern Windows. The Linux kernel includes a dedicated firewire-core subsystem. Support is maintained until at least 2029, with Texas Instruments chipsets offering the best compatibility. Audio devices often use the FFADO (Free FireWire Audio Drivers) project. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Key Details on Linux FireWire Support:

• Audio Interfaces: FFADO is commonly used for FireWire pro-audio, and many ALSA drivers are built directly into the kernel for automatic detection.
• Hardware Compatibility: Texas Instruments (TI) chipset PCIe cards work best, often plug-and-play.
• Video/Storage: Legacy FireWire cameras and hard drives are supported via the kernel’s IEEE 1394 subsystem.
• Modern Status: While FireWire is legacy, Linux kernel updates (such as in 6.5+) have continued to improve the firewire subsystem. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Common Troubleshooting:

• You may need to install ffado-mixer for specific audio device routing.
• If hot-plugging fails, try rebooting with the device attached, or check if the firewire-sbp2 module is loaded for storage devices. [1]

PCIe

Yes, Linux has robust, built-in support for PCIe (PCI Express) devices, typically included directly within the kernel. Most PCIe cards work “out of the box” because the Linux kernel provides a comprehensive PCI subsystem and native PCIe port bus drivers that manage device enumeration, hotplugging, and power management. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Key Details regarding PCIe support in Linux:

• Kernel Modules: PCIe drivers are usually implemented as kernel modules (drivers/pci in the kernel source).
• Automatic Drivers: Standard PCIe devices (network cards, graphics cards, USB controllers) are supported automatically by existing kernel drivers.
• Driver Development: The kernel provides a pci_register_driver() interface for developers, allowing drivers to probe and manage PCIe hardware.
• Endpoint Support: Since kernel v4.11, the PCIe Endpoint framework allows Linux to support PCI devices like modems and WLAN chipsets on the device side, not just as a host (PC). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

While most devices are supported, some specialized hardware might need manufacturer-specific drivers, though this is rare for standard desktop/server components

What else ? Oh, yes. USB

Yes, Linux has robust, built-in support for USB devices, with most drivers included directly in the kernel, meaning they work automatically upon plugging in. It supports almost all USB classes, including keyboards, mice, storage, webcams, and networking devices, through generic drivers like usbhid and usb-storage. [1, 2, 3]

Key Aspects of USB Support in Linux:

• Automatic Support: Unlike Windows, which often requires separate driver installations, Linux drivers are usually pre-installed in the kernel.
• Kernel Modules: Drivers are often built as modules (.ko files) that load automatically when a device is connected.
• Detection Tools: Use lsusb to list USB devices and lsusb -t to view which drivers are currently managing them.
• Support for Standards: Linux includes EHCI (USB 2.0), XHCI (USB 3.0/3.1), OHCI, and UHCI (USB 1.1) drivers for hardware controllers.
• User Space Access: Developers can use libusb to manage USB devices from user space without writing custom kernel drivers. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

If a USB device does not work, it is rarely due to a missing driver, but rather a lack of support in the current kernel or a very rare, proprietary device

This is from me.

The operating system will communicate with any device connected to any port using the hardware drivers provided by the Linux developers.

If Linux has drivers for the electronics either on the motherboard and connected to through motherboard expansion slots then, why should there be problems?

[Pfos86]

Thank you for your reply. I started with a question and it seems to have gotten off topic. Also, thank you for your extensive research on the computer sitting next to me!! I am so very thankful for this I have not once within this discussion mentioned that I am looking for a Mac Pro, OR about the Mac Pro1,1-5,1. I have specified what I am currently typing from with ls commands about the object I use daily for your information. What seems to have gotten confused, or misunderstood, or read is not what I have ever asked. Yes, I did start with a vague question, as I wanted to see in this forum what kind of support there might be. I corrected my vague question with commands so that others reading this would be able to see what I am working with. I am in return corrected with information about my own computer, and an understanding that I have “stringent standards”. (Thank you for that btw). I am well aware of the object next to me, its capabilities, and its specifics. I am a capable person to figure that out. Thank you very much.

As of this current time I have found certain things online, I am asking a community that has knowledge directly with software and hardware types. I am asking for peoples personal experiences with usb cards and this type of linux distribution. My “stringent standards” are not much of that I am only asking just that. Its not that I dont trust the software, again I just dont want to get something that says its going to work and does not. I am doing this because things are sold online that say they will work with such and such software, and do not. (this will become a ME problem I am trying to avoid) If you can help in this area, this would be great. If you have no further information about cards that have worked, or are working for you on this distribution or anyone for that matter please carry on your other tasks. Thank you.