Desktop - USB 3.0 Extension Hub

So I'm looking to build a desktop with a catch - the tower itself would be in the basement, but the monitor/keyboard/mouse would be on the first floor of my house.

Running an HMDI cable is not a problem, it's easy to find extra-long cables. Running extensions for the audio-in/out jacks is also fairly easy.

But what about an adequate USB 3.0 hub? Anybody know of any good ones? I had a USB 2.0 powered hub before, it did the trick. I'm not sure about the USB 3.0 ones though.

To my knowledge, any USB 3.0 cable length greater than 10 feet or so may not provide proper functionality for USB devices. How about "active" extenders? Anybody have good experiences with them? Are they solid enough to power USB thumb drives, a keyboard, maybe even external USB hard drives?

I'm mostly concerned with not losing any data speeds, as I plan to put an externally-powered USB 3.0 hub at the end of the active USB extension cable, so any power-hungry devices won't really be affected.

 

There are USB 3.0 extenders using fiberoptic cable. These are the best option but are very expensive. I would just get an active USB 3.0 harness and a separate 5V power adapter. Take a look at this one, it has good reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters...d=1448432857&sr=1-6&keywords=USB+3.0+EXTENDER

 

Yeah, that's pretty much what I came up with after some more research. A 15ft active USB extension cable, then a powered USB hub.

 

Honestly if you only need the extension for a mouse/keyboard and an occasional thumb drive, why not look into Cat5 extenders? They will most likely run at USB 2.0 specs but can be extended for even longer distances.

 

I really want USB 3.0 speeds, and I don't need more than 20 feet, which is pretty much the limit for this setup (15ft active extension + 5ft passive).

Also, I think if all you want is USB 2.0, you can get 30ft+ active extensions without resorting to cat5/6 cables. It's USB 3.0 that really limits the distance.