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Strange USB Ethernet Adapter problem with my computer

Strange USB Ethernet Adapter problem with my computer

T
TPG_Khalatic
Member
183
03-20-2026, 09:16 AM
#1
I found out that my computer has a very slow internet connection compared to my phone. Then I discovered something strange happening to my PC. My PC is a DIY built machine running Windows 10. It worked fine for over five years before this started. The motherboard is an MSI Gaming 5. One of the ethernet ports was broken, so I bought a USB 3.0 adapter hoping it would help, but it still doesn't work fast. Here is what I tried to test using Google's Internet Speed Test tool: My regular internet speed is 300 Mbps. The iPhone (using wifi) gets 300+ Mbps. But my PC with the broken part shows these results: 1) With the adapter plugged into a USB 2.0 port, the speed is between 150 and 200 Mbps. 2) When I plug it into a USB 3.0 port, the speed drops to around 50 Mbps. It feels like something is wrong with either the adapter or the specific USB ports on my computer, especially those that are USB 3.0. However, Device Manager did not show any errors when I checked. I tried turning devices off and on again, updating the drivers, but nothing fixed the problem. Any other suggestions? Thank you!
T
TPG_Khalatic
03-20-2026, 09:16 AM #1

I found out that my computer has a very slow internet connection compared to my phone. Then I discovered something strange happening to my PC. My PC is a DIY built machine running Windows 10. It worked fine for over five years before this started. The motherboard is an MSI Gaming 5. One of the ethernet ports was broken, so I bought a USB 3.0 adapter hoping it would help, but it still doesn't work fast. Here is what I tried to test using Google's Internet Speed Test tool: My regular internet speed is 300 Mbps. The iPhone (using wifi) gets 300+ Mbps. But my PC with the broken part shows these results: 1) With the adapter plugged into a USB 2.0 port, the speed is between 150 and 200 Mbps. 2) When I plug it into a USB 3.0 port, the speed drops to around 50 Mbps. It feels like something is wrong with either the adapter or the specific USB ports on my computer, especially those that are USB 3.0. However, Device Manager did not show any errors when I checked. I tried turning devices off and on again, updating the drivers, but nothing fixed the problem. Any other suggestions? Thank you!

H
horrie
Member
71
03-20-2026, 04:02 PM
#2
which one should I try first, the rear or the front part?
H
horrie
03-20-2026, 04:02 PM #2

which one should I try first, the rear or the front part?

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ItsTwist
Member
51
03-20-2026, 05:19 PM
#3
I guess you tried both front and back ports. The front ones could be a wiring problem. Hardware problems take forever, maybe the same thing broke the ethernet also broke the usb3. With so many open slots on that motherboard I would have gone with an internal pci card. Most are one x cards.
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ItsTwist
03-20-2026, 05:19 PM #3

I guess you tried both front and back ports. The front ones could be a wiring problem. Hardware problems take forever, maybe the same thing broke the ethernet also broke the usb3. With so many open slots on that motherboard I would have gone with an internal pci card. Most are one x cards.

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Isabelle665
Member
113
03-20-2026, 10:57 PM
#4
Thanks so much! I'm going to get a PCIE card now.
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Isabelle665
03-20-2026, 10:57 PM #4

Thanks so much! I'm going to get a PCIE card now.

K
KodaKeki
Junior Member
20
03-21-2026, 06:07 AM
#5
I haven't tried yet because my cable is taped to the wall and hard to get near the back of the PC case. Also, it doesn't look cool when plugged in there even if it works fine... I was thinking about installing a graphics card instead. I hope my old computer lasts many more years. Thanks so much!
K
KodaKeki
03-21-2026, 06:07 AM #5

I haven't tried yet because my cable is taped to the wall and hard to get near the back of the PC case. Also, it doesn't look cool when plugged in there even if it works fine... I was thinking about installing a graphics card instead. I hope my old computer lasts many more years. Thanks so much!

L
Lorddoom139
Posting Freak
956
03-28-2026, 05:05 PM
#6
I bought and put in a PCIe ethernet card. It worked perfectly. The setup was simple, but the computer wouldn't turn on at first. I had to turn off network boot and turn off onboard LAN to fix it (I don't know which step fixed the problem). Thanks for helping me!
L
Lorddoom139
03-28-2026, 05:05 PM #6

I bought and put in a PCIe ethernet card. It worked perfectly. The setup was simple, but the computer wouldn't turn on at first. I had to turn off network boot and turn off onboard LAN to fix it (I don't know which step fixed the problem). Thanks for helping me!