usb hub confusion, do they work?

[Flinkly]

so i was searching around about how well usb hubs work and what i should be looking for when buying one.  overall, the returned posts showed me that hubs stink, but at the same time, they all came from 2004.

has anything changed?  i guess my real question is to start the debate again to get some answers.  what should i look for to best fit all my usb devices?  how much will i have to spend for 4 more ports?

at the moment, i have to run 2 gpwiz's, a minipac, and an aki.  but, i hope in the future to add lightguns, or anything else, so what should i be looking for for a few extra ports?

[rdagger]

Some hubs are better than others.  I had a cheap unpowered no-name hub and it was worthless.  I replaced it with a self-powered Adaptec USB2 hub and it works flawlessly.  Your motherboard can also make a difference.  I have a newer computer with USB2 ports which you can tweak in the BIOS setup.  I'm running an I-PAC, 2 Dual Strike hacks, a USB trackball, a Tornado spinner and 5 LED's off the hub.   I'm also running a USB keyboard, USB mouse & a USB BlackBerry off my computer's other USB ports.  It is also helpful to have all the USB components in the cab earth grounded using heavy gauge wire.

[cholin]

Ahh come on, 95% of them work just fine!

I bought a 10 dollar one that has 4 ports and is OPTIONALLY powered.  I ran my MP3 player on it and a digital camera....  remember though, USB supplies 500mA, which is split into 4 ports, 125mA each, therefore, if you dont power the hub, your devices might not get the amount of power they request in the USB descriptors.

MEANING:  If you use a device that might require alot of power, make sure to plug the hub in!

I also bought another one from Futureshop on sale for 19.99, never failed me w/ 3 mp3 players and a USB nes controller........ plugged in of course....