Hardware USB Hub Recommendations?

[godreborn]

hello. I'm looking for a good usb hub. I'm wanting one with maybe 5 ports and up. I'm also looking for one that can manage a few non-powered hdds. after the fiasco of two hdds dying, I've backed up everything on to a few hdds, and I'd like to keep my eye on things just in case.

 

[Scarlet]

Personally used this one for just over a year with no issues. Seven ports, with three extra exclusively for charging. It's a powered hub, and I can attest to it being able to handle at least two non-powered HDDs, since I have two in most of the time.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00VE4UJD4/

 

[godreborn]

I actually the 9 port version of that. I believe it can only handle two unpowered. that may be enough. the issue is that I have a wireless hdmi dongle to my tv, and the hdmi dongle is next to a usb port. the dongle needs to go into a usb port as well, and the cable for the usb dongle goes out at a right angle at the side of it, so you can't plug anything in to the usb port right next to it. also, I have a laptop cooler. it requires a usb port. it has a usb port as well, but it's not powerful enough to power an hdd. I guess I just want to remove the clutter of too many cables. I had that entire usb hub filled with various things including an iTouch charger which I don't even use. I have an iHome for that. I think that hub can do two unpowered and one+ powered. so I should stick with this hub?

 

[Scarlet]

I actually the 9 port version of that. I believe it can only handle two unpowered. that may be enough. the issue is that I have a wireless hdmi dongle to my tv, and the hdmi dongle is next to a usb port. the dongle needs to go into a usb port as well, and the cable for the usb dongle goes out at a right angle at the side of it, so you can't plug anything in to the usb port right next to it. also, I have a laptop cooler. it requires a usb port. it has a usb port as well, but it's not powerful enough to power an hdd. I guess I just want to remove the clutter of too many cables. I had that entire usb hub filled with various things including an iTouch charger which I don't even use. I have an iHome for that. I think that hub can do two unpowered and one+ powered. so I should stick with this hub?

It's hard to say. I can tell you the Anker one should do you well. To give you an idea of what I use it for, I always have 2x USB 3.0 external hard drives, a USB 3.0 external disk drive, a microphone, 2x 3DS capture cards, a USB 3DS charger, and usually a phone charger. It's never struggled with performance or power distribution on any of these; but it's to be expected with it being externally powered from what I hear. When I was buying one last year, I was recommended to go for externally powered ones, since USB powered hubs apparently struggle after so much.

 

[godreborn]

iirc, I had two unpowered hdds and one powered hdd plugged into it. it's hard to say since I had an hdd fail, and I'm not sure which ones were plugged into the hub I know 3 hdds were, but out of the four, I'm not sure which ones were. I had two powered hdds as well. I was wondering how it would handle 5 hdds with only one being unpowered? is that risky?

 

[godreborn]

it may actually be a 10 port usb hub that I have. I found the purchase via ebay iirc. it says 10 port. I counted them and there were only 9. maybe there's a port on the back. I'm too tired to look atm.