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I've read that it's possible to plug usb devices into graphics card if it has type c port. Is it safe to do such things? What are the pros and cons? What if I want to plug usb hub with it's own power adapter?

Actually I've checked that it works, but I'd like to find out if it's a good idea for real use.

PS: Same question in Russian.

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    I'm sure that is a video output, I would not do it.
    – Moab
    Commented Sep 29, 2019 at 0:58
  • @Moab, it's told (RU, sorry, but I failed to find any such information in English) that any device can be plugged and will work. I've also asked a few people and they said that's possible. Then I checked if it will work, and it did. But now I'd like to know if it's a good idea for real use.
    – Qwertiy
    Commented Sep 29, 2019 at 6:19
  • Looks like it's purposed for VR headsets (but as the card would hence consists of an xHCI controller, it can be used generically): en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/VirtualLink
    – Tom Yan
    Commented Sep 29, 2019 at 7:43
  • @TomYan, I've read your link, but actually I don't understand information about usb2 compatibility and most of technical information written there. Could you explain it from perspective of my question, please?
    – Qwertiy
    Commented Sep 29, 2019 at 11:35
  • Not sure to be honest, but I don't see why you want to use it for other purposes unless you really need a c port (and it is the only one you have) / are desperate of usb bandwidth (would like to have a bunch of USB to NVMe drives connected, for example).
    – Tom Yan
    Commented Sep 29, 2019 at 12:21

1 Answer 1

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Type-C port is engineered to be very "safe" in all aspects of interconnect. By definition, a well-designed Type-C port doesn't output any voltage unless the connect to cable (or partner device) is detected and port's power role is determined, either from the default CC pull-up-pull-down arrangement, and/or via Power Delivery communication. This also applies to any USB hub, self-powered or bus-powered.

In order to support normal USB connection via a video card (I assume a standard PCIe-based add-on card), the card must have an USB host controller embedded behind the PCIe bridge that hooks both GPU and xHCI to system's PCIe. You can check the presence of extra USB controller by looking into USBTreeView connectivity. But since the Gigabyte card says it supports "Virtual Link", the architecture of USB connection can be more convoluted.

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  • Nice, but I still have a couple of questions. 1. You are talking about power from graphics card to devices. What about other direction as hub has it's own power? Hub has USB A plug, so the is a separate adapter A-C for USB3. I know that in case of DP cables there should not be power connection (pin 20) in the cable. Is similar problem possible with usb?
    – Qwertiy
    Commented Sep 29, 2019 at 19:23
  • 2. Wikipedia says "VirtualLink has no USB 2.0 channels active, instead providing a higher speed USB 3.1 Gen 2 (SuperSpeed+) over the same A6, A7, B7, B6 pins" - I don't understand what does it mean and if it affects usage in any way?
    – Qwertiy
    Commented Sep 29, 2019 at 19:24
  • @Qwertiy, no, I am talking about power from ANY direction. You can even try to plug a Type-C (COMPLIANT!!!) charger, and it shouldn't cause any harm. (DISCLAIMER: this statement may not apply to some cheap knock-offs of Type-C chargers).
    – Ale..chenski
    Commented Sep 29, 2019 at 19:32
  • @Qwertiy , regarding "virtual link". It means that this statement of Wikipedia contradicts the experience from .ru article, where they found that mice and keyboards working fine over the port. Which means that USB2 connectivity is still present in the nVidia card.
    – Ale..chenski
    Commented Sep 29, 2019 at 19:36
  • Great, thank you! And about Wikipedia - is really a contradiction? They are talking about usage of some usb 3.1 things instead of some usb 2 things, but usb 3.1 is backward compatible with usb 2, isn't it?
    – Qwertiy
    Commented Sep 29, 2019 at 20:20

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