Would you like to learn how to fix the USB controller insufficient resource message in Windows 10? Read this to find out why this is happening and what you can do to fix it easily.
I’ll first explain why this message appears and how it might affect the performance of your peripherals. After that, I’ll show you how to fix it.
Fortunately, the solution is very simple. It’s better to understand why this is happening first, otherwise the solution doesn’t make much sense.
Why do I keep getting the message “Not enough USB controller resources?
You may notice that the USB controller resource message appears infrequently when you are using your computer. Perhaps this happens when you plug something in, or maybe when you use a program that uses the hardware in some way. For example, audio recording software or webcam.
Sometimes a message appears and it may seem like there was no functional change in your hardware, but in other cases it can cause problems – your USB devices may just stop working or not work as intended.
The reason for this seems complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. This has to do with something called EndPoints. Each USB controller has a limited number of endpoints available – this is sort of like how many lanes of traffic can be used at the same time. Different devices will require a different number of endpoints.
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For example, something small like a Bluetooth USB dongle would only need 3 endpoints, while something like a USB DAC might require 10 or more.
The problem arises when your endpoints are limited. The USB 3.0 controller has a limited number of endpoints, just 96 on Intel and older AMD-based systems. Therefore, if there are many USB devices connected to USB 3.0 ports, you will encounter this problem.
A USB controller is a microchip used to transfer data between USB ports and a computer. Depending on your motherboard, you may have one or more USB 3.0 controllers.
On top of that, each USB 3.0 port is limited to 16 endpoints. This means that if you have a USB hub connected to a USB 3.0 port, you may encounter some issues on the port itself, which may cause some problems.
How to fix “Insufficient USB Controller Resources”
To fix this problem, all we have to do is make sure you are not using more endpoints than are available. This can be done in three main ways. First, you can move some of your current USB devices to USB 2.0 ports.
USB 3.0 is faster, so leave USB 3.0 for high-speed data transfer devices and then move your keyboard and mouse peripherals to USB 2.0. Both the mouse and keyboard use very little data to operate, so you won’t find any benefit from plugging them into USB 3.0 ports.
On top of that, connect powerful peripherals like microphone, headset and audio DAC to USB 2.0. While you may have heard rumors that DACs and audio hardware benefit from USB 3.0, this is not true. USB 2.0 has twice as many endpoints as USB 3.0, so while USB 3.0 is faster, there is more room for devices that need more power to run on USB 2.0.
Second, if you’re using a USB hub, be sure to connect it to USB 2.0 as well. If you still reach the EndPoint limit and receive the same message that you have insufficient USB controller resources, unplug some of your devices from the hub and plug them in elsewhere.
Third, if you use a lot of USB devices and cannot find a solution on your current system, you might also consider upgrading to AM4. All AM4-based systems have a total of 254 endpoints per USB 3.0 controller, a significant improvement over the current Intel architecture and the older AMD architecture.
Summary
Ultimately, receiving this message means that you need to manage and reorder the devices connected to the USB ports. This is usually solved by simply switching the most power-hungry devices from USB 3.0 to USB 2.0.
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