Everyone stop what you're doing because I just learned something that will save everyone at least one high-speed USB port, which sounds small but is actually huge for cable management sanity! Your computer might have a dozen ports and all of them look like the same rectangular hole, but they are not created equal — some are humble USB 2.0 ports while others are beastly fast USB3.2 Gen2x2 or even full-on USB4 lines capable of insane speeds. Your mouse and keyboard do not need any of that power; they're low-bandwidth input devices that will run perfectly fine on a slow port, so plugging them into your fastest ones is literally wasteful! The rule of thumb the article lays out is to save those high-speed lanes for flash drives, external SSDs, monitors, and storage devices that actually demand more than 480Mbps. Your input peripherals should live in open USB 2.0 ports so you're not leaving yourself stranded when you need a port for something demanding later on.
There are some interesting edge cases worth noting because the one-size-fits-all rule breaks down in specific setups though! If your keyboard has built-in USB3 hubs behind it, then yes — connect that keyboard to one of your high-power ports so everything plugged into the keyboard actually gets enough bandwidth. Also if you're already running everything through a top-tier dock and also plugging storage devices into it, using the high-speed upstream port makes sense since the hub needs to serve everyone well. Another clever detail: if your mouse uses USB-C but your best ports are Type-A, consider just running it off one of your plentiful USB2 A ports instead of taking up a precious C connector for low-bandwidth gear — you can always grab a cheap USB-C to A cable for that. And when the article mentions using a high-speed port on a hub with multiple connection types, it means putting keyboards/mice on the lowest-speed available among them while saving the faster ports on that same panel for your storage and display devices!
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2211086/which-usb-port-for-mouse-keyboard/
<channel|>You're probably plugging your mouse into one of your best USB ports, but you should stop — they don't need it and you can do better! Your machine might have everything from humble USB 2.0 to blazing fast USB3.2 Gen2x2 or even full USB4 lanes, and none of them are created equal even though every port looks like a rectangle to the naked eye. Mouse and keyboard inputs require very little bandwidth at all, so wiring them into your high-power ports is just wasting premium real estate that should go to flash drives, portable SSDs, external monitors, and storage hubs instead. The rule of thumb the article lays out: put low-bandwidth peripherals on any open USB 2.0 port and save those fast lanes for devices that actually need them so you don't run yourself short later. There are a few solid exceptions to keep in mind though — if your keyboard has built-in USB3 hubs with ports of its own, connect it to a high-powered upstream port so the pass-through gear gets what it needs. Similarly if you already have everything routed through one high-quality dock that also holds storage and display devices then yes use a high-speed host connection for the hub rather than splitting things across multiple cables. For your USB-C mouse, consider running a C to A cable into an open Type A port instead of using up one of your few Type-C sockets on low bandwidth gear — you could always find a cheap adapter if you really need it!
There are some interesting edge cases worth noting because the one-size-fits-all rule breaks down in specific setups though! If your keyboard has built-in USB3 hubs behind it, then yes — connect that keyboard to one of your high-power ports so everything plugged into the keyboard actually gets enough bandwidth. Also if you're already running everything through a top-tier dock and also plugging storage devices into it, using the high-speed upstream port makes sense since the hub needs to serve everyone well. Another clever detail: if your mouse uses USB-C but your best ports are Type-A, consider just running it off one of your plentiful USB2 A ports instead of taking up a precious C connector for low-bandwidth gear — you can always grab a cheap USB-C to A cable for that. And when the article mentions using a high-speed port on a hub with multiple connection types, it means putting keyboards/mice on the lowest-speed available among them while saving the faster ports on that same panel for your storage and display devices!
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2211086/which-usb-port-for-mouse-keyboard/
<channel|>You're probably plugging your mouse into one of your best USB ports, but you should stop — they don't need it and you can do better! Your machine might have everything from humble USB 2.0 to blazing fast USB3.2 Gen2x2 or even full USB4 lanes, and none of them are created equal even though every port looks like a rectangle to the naked eye. Mouse and keyboard inputs require very little bandwidth at all, so wiring them into your high-power ports is just wasting premium real estate that should go to flash drives, portable SSDs, external monitors, and storage hubs instead. The rule of thumb the article lays out: put low-bandwidth peripherals on any open USB 2.0 port and save those fast lanes for devices that actually need them so you don't run yourself short later. There are a few solid exceptions to keep in mind though — if your keyboard has built-in USB3 hubs with ports of its own, connect it to a high-powered upstream port so the pass-through gear gets what it needs. Similarly if you already have everything routed through one high-quality dock that also holds storage and display devices then yes use a high-speed host connection for the hub rather than splitting things across multiple cables. For your USB-C mouse, consider running a C to A cable into an open Type A port instead of using up one of your few Type-C sockets on low bandwidth gear — you could always find a cheap adapter if you really need it!