Those doing serious work may need a powered hub. Mac users might want a Thunderbolt hub or dock. Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 can handle 40 Gigabits per second traffic. So a powered external hub running into a Thunderbolt 4 port (USB-C connection) can handle a lot of accessories.

I generally disconnect things I don't need. I keep my monitor on one of my Thunderbolt ports, because the monitor power supply charges my MacBook Air through the USB-C cable. My keyboard connects through the USB-A hub on the monitor.

I use a small portable and passive dock on the other Thunderbolt port.

https://www.charjenpro.com/products/ultimatedock (It's about $85.)

It connects HDMI 4K/60fps video (when I'm on the road or presenting via a projector), Gigabit Ethernet, Two USB 3.2 ports @ 10Gbps, a headphone jack with higher fidelity audio than the Mac jack, a power delivery input for laptop charging up to 100W when I'm not using my desktop monitor (i.e.; on the road), and SD/Micro SD 4.0 UHS I/II card readers. All my current gear can connect to that dock, and my Apple charger runs right through it, to charge the laptop and power connected devices.

I highly recommend this dock for those who travel. It's worked perfectly for two years, this month. I have used it to connect to TVs, monitors, projectors, auditorium house sound systems, cameras, SSDs and hard drives, CD drives, Ethernet in hotels… and it just sits there and works.

Those doing serious work may need a powered hub. Mac users might want a Thunderbolt hub or dock. Thunderbolt 4/USB 4 can handle 40 Gigabits per second traffic. So a powered external hub running into a Thunderbolt 4 port (USB-C connection) can handle a lot of accessories.

I generally disconnect things I don't need. I keep my monitor on one of my Thunderbolt ports, because the monitor power supply charges my MacBook Air through the USB-C cable. My keyboard connects through the USB-A hub on the monitor.

I use a small portable and passive dock on the other Thunderbolt port.

https://www.charjenpro.com/products/ultimatedock (It's about $85.)

It connects HDMI 4K/60fps video (when I'm on the road or presenting via a projector), Gigabit Ethernet, Two USB 3.2 ports @ 10Gbps, a headphone jack with higher fidelity audio than the Mac jack, a power delivery input for laptop charging up to 100W when I'm not using my desktop monitor (i.e.; on the road), and SD/Micro SD 4.0 UHS I/II card readers. All my current gear can connect to that dock, and my Apple charger runs right through it, to charge the laptop and power connected devices.

I highly recommend this dock for those who travel. It's worked perfectly for two years, this month. I have used it to connect to TVs, monitors, projectors, auditorium house sound systems, cameras, SSDs and hard drives, CD drives, Ethernet in hotels… and it just sits there and works.

Remember when we had to use those big serial and parallel cables? The tiny USB connector took their place. Unfortunately, so many things use USB that no computer has enough USB ports. Hence, the USB hub.

I watched an interesting video by Linus (LTT) last night. He wanted to see how many USB devices he could connect to a computer. Naturally, he used powered USB hubs. A computer can take only so many USB hubs. Technically, you can daisy-chain only five hubs. However, what's a hub? Depending on how the hub is wired internally, it may act like three hubs. Yes, it's complicated. Even the brand and model of CPU can make a difference in how many devices you can attach.

After trying many configurations, Linus was able to get well over a hundred devices connected. He also used the term "End Point," and that got to over three hundred. It's an interesting video to watch, and you can find it on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiwaxlttWow

As a result of watching the video, I'm going to get a large, powered hub. I'm hoping that one large hub will be able to connect everything I have in front of me. I'll have to figure out if I want ten or sixteen ports. I can use smaller hubs as I need them.

I need an optical drive, so my case choices are always limited. I love the Antec case I got for my last build, but I don't love that it has only two USB 3.2 Gen 1 connectors. I was also disappointed with the I/O panel of my motherboard, but at least the MoBo could accommodate USB expansion.

I ended up buying three USB expansion ... thingies (I believe that's the technical name). Maybe "panel" is a better term. Heck, I'll just show you. These go in empty expansion (or PCI) slots on the back of the PC and plug directly into the MoBo. Now, I have more USB ports than I need (just barely), including the added USB-C 3.2 2x2, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, and four USB-A 2.0. These, along with the case and I/O panel, give me 15 USB ports. Granted, six of those are for snails (USB 2.0), but my keyboard, mouse, and printer don't complain.

Images are from Amazon listings. The USB-C panel runs around $20, while the others are under ten bucks.

I too have a little 4-port USB hub. Nothing wrong with those. But I figured, while building my current PC, why not have something more permanent? And since I set my PC sideways to show off my build and its RGB lighting through a tempered-glass panel, the rear ports are easily accessible.

I'll have to revisit my needs and see what's available for my next build, planned for October -- assuming Amazon has a second 2023 Prime Day, as is rumored. I really like having an abundance of permanent USB ports, but now, since I'll not buy another MoBo that supports fewer than four M.2 NVMe drives (SATA is sooo passé), I might have to sacrifice some USBs.