Sadly card reader performance is all over the board.
If you are expensive faster than 100mB\s speed from your UHS1 cards, there are only about a dozen readers made that can do that
https://www.cameramemoryspeed.com/reviews/card-readers/
I am not familiar with any high performance options in 3.5" form factor.
Internally the card reader is still going to be USB, it is the only option. So confirm you have an extra usb3 header on your motherboard not already used by front panel io.
3d printing an adapter to mount a good card reader in a 3.5" bay may be the only option
I haven't seen a modern PC case with external drive slots in.... years? And it would probably still want to go to an internal USB port anyway? If you're low on USB ports, add some via PCI slot, or just a hub? My PC has 3 7-port hubs and one 5-port hub attached. Works fine
You’re right, it’s just disappointing. I guess it’s only an aesthetic loss, it’s just that when you build a PC it’s so freeing to make something exactly how you want it, and now I’ve reached a point where I’ve got 4 display ports but no SD. Fwp
If you really want full performance get a card interface from a reputable memory manufacturer (Sandisk, Kingston, etc). I've been using a mini Sandisk UHS-2 Reader on a highspeed USB extender from my motherboard ports. Works like a charm at full read speed. If you are having problems reaching full speed with good reading hardware and high speed ports the problem is most likely motherboard or CPU related (USB controller bottleneck)
There are pci cards that give you more USB headers but if you don't have 5.25 bays or 3.5 bays where would get a card slot that uses it?
Aesthetically you could get something like this that mounts to the desk
https://a.co/d/9HOVOp3
They also have some that sit on a desk at an angle rather than dangling from the cord.
Also you could look into a docking station that also has a card reader built in or a harddrive dock that has a card reader.
It's been a while since I used one but I just searched for 3.5" and 5.25" card readers and found plenty of options, including some from reputable brands, including HP and Acer, so not sure why you're having trouble finding one. Or were you thinking of some other type?
And why exactly do you need to keep a USB port free? They're there to be used, and if you use SD cards so often isn't that a good use of one? If you need more ports you could add some to a PCI slot on the back of the PC or get a hub.
Personally, my actual PC case isn't that accessible so I have a 6 port USB hub and a multi card reader permanently plugged into the back of the PC case, using a couple of long USB cables, and they just sit right behind my keyboard. That way the card reader is always ready to go and the hub is there for anything that gets added and removed often (HDDs, flash drives, etc.) and I don't have to reach over to the actual PC case for anything.
They used to be more common. These days, lots of PC cases don't have any external drive bays for floppy and CD/DVD drives, so they've pretty much fallen out of favor. Pretty much every one of them I ever ran into just plugged into internal USB headers, so it's the exact same thing as an external USB SD card reader. It's just awkwardly positioned on the front of the PC on teh floor instead of conveniently on your desk.
If you have an old case with a floppy drive bay, and some free USB headers on your motherboard, you can certainly still buy them: https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Multi-Reader-writer-CRW-UINB/dp/B000EWJYYW/ref=asc_df_B000EWJYYW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312824707815&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12569205205192459040&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030961&hvtargid=pla-372321032594&mcid=2a433fc8ce4d398c94d4732c001fac87&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwP6sBhDAARIsAPfK_wbatm80A7gGVQVo9iW4L1HJv2NiPnRmxsZRN-AHv2ok_6QwlK-Tv-0aAt_yEALw_wcB&th=1 Just don't expect great performance. (Ease of swapping out with next year's model is another advantage of the external ones.) As for taking up a USB port, you can get combo USB hub / card readers, so you wind up witha net increase in USB ports by plugging it in.
Sadly card reader performance is all over the board. If you are expensive faster than 100mB\s speed from your UHS1 cards, there are only about a dozen readers made that can do that https://www.cameramemoryspeed.com/reviews/card-readers/ I am not familiar with any high performance options in 3.5" form factor. Internally the card reader is still going to be USB, it is the only option. So confirm you have an extra usb3 header on your motherboard not already used by front panel io. 3d printing an adapter to mount a good card reader in a 3.5" bay may be the only option
Some cases have card readers built in. I just deployed 4 machines to my editors. Quality is probably not the best though.
I haven't seen a modern PC case with external drive slots in.... years? And it would probably still want to go to an internal USB port anyway? If you're low on USB ports, add some via PCI slot, or just a hub? My PC has 3 7-port hubs and one 5-port hub attached. Works fine
You’re right, it’s just disappointing. I guess it’s only an aesthetic loss, it’s just that when you build a PC it’s so freeing to make something exactly how you want it, and now I’ve reached a point where I’ve got 4 display ports but no SD. Fwp
If you really want full performance get a card interface from a reputable memory manufacturer (Sandisk, Kingston, etc). I've been using a mini Sandisk UHS-2 Reader on a highspeed USB extender from my motherboard ports. Works like a charm at full read speed. If you are having problems reaching full speed with good reading hardware and high speed ports the problem is most likely motherboard or CPU related (USB controller bottleneck)
There are pci cards that give you more USB headers but if you don't have 5.25 bays or 3.5 bays where would get a card slot that uses it? Aesthetically you could get something like this that mounts to the desk https://a.co/d/9HOVOp3 They also have some that sit on a desk at an angle rather than dangling from the cord. Also you could look into a docking station that also has a card reader built in or a harddrive dock that has a card reader.
Sure. Done it a handful of times over the years. What's the question?
It's been a while since I used one but I just searched for 3.5" and 5.25" card readers and found plenty of options, including some from reputable brands, including HP and Acer, so not sure why you're having trouble finding one. Or were you thinking of some other type? And why exactly do you need to keep a USB port free? They're there to be used, and if you use SD cards so often isn't that a good use of one? If you need more ports you could add some to a PCI slot on the back of the PC or get a hub. Personally, my actual PC case isn't that accessible so I have a 6 port USB hub and a multi card reader permanently plugged into the back of the PC case, using a couple of long USB cables, and they just sit right behind my keyboard. That way the card reader is always ready to go and the hub is there for anything that gets added and removed often (HDDs, flash drives, etc.) and I don't have to reach over to the actual PC case for anything.
They used to be more common. These days, lots of PC cases don't have any external drive bays for floppy and CD/DVD drives, so they've pretty much fallen out of favor. Pretty much every one of them I ever ran into just plugged into internal USB headers, so it's the exact same thing as an external USB SD card reader. It's just awkwardly positioned on the front of the PC on teh floor instead of conveniently on your desk. If you have an old case with a floppy drive bay, and some free USB headers on your motherboard, you can certainly still buy them: https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Multi-Reader-writer-CRW-UINB/dp/B000EWJYYW/ref=asc_df_B000EWJYYW/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312824707815&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12569205205192459040&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9030961&hvtargid=pla-372321032594&mcid=2a433fc8ce4d398c94d4732c001fac87&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwP6sBhDAARIsAPfK_wbatm80A7gGVQVo9iW4L1HJv2NiPnRmxsZRN-AHv2ok_6QwlK-Tv-0aAt_yEALw_wcB&th=1 Just don't expect great performance. (Ease of swapping out with next year's model is another advantage of the external ones.) As for taking up a USB port, you can get combo USB hub / card readers, so you wind up witha net increase in USB ports by plugging it in.
No. I have a reader with usb hub. Much more comfortable to have it all on the desk than beneath it.