MBP mid-2010 USB ports unequal?

Hello there,

I have recently started noticing a problem with my Mid-2010 MacBook Pro's USB ports which after Googling seemed to be a universal rather than a personal problem. There are two USB ports next to each other on the left side of the MBP, one closer to the user and one closer to the FireWire port.

I have recently installed Battlefield 3 on Windows 7 using Boot Camp, and I always like to plug in my Microsoft wireless (USB dongle) mouse and my USB Radioshack headset. On my Sony Vaio, that combo works just fine, whereas on my MacBook Pro there is a problem. I noticed that my Mouse starts lag and sometimes not even respond at all when I insert my headset, while it operates just fine when I remove the headset.

I Googled the problem and found that one of the USB ports in the MacBook Pro is under-powered, giving lower read/write speeds than the other USB port when there was a test performed. I was just wondering which one of the USB ports is the under-powered one, and what can I do to solve this problem as I really like to use both my Mouse and Headset while playing BF3.

One solution that comes to mind is buying a USB Hub with an external power source, but it's both expensive, unnecessary, and will result in more wires (I HATE WIRES).

Any information is appreciated.

Thank you very much in advance.

I read the same report about the uneven powered ports on some MacBook Pro machines. The iMac and Mac Pro do not have this problem.

I really don't know what to suggest other than a powered hub off the good port but that adds wires and quite frankly, hubs are ugly. I guess you can play Battlefield 3 on your Sony OK, but I can see where you would rather use the MBP.