Backside Connector Motherboards Gains Traction As OEMs Introduce New Variants
Backside Connector Motherboards Gains Traction As OEMs Introduce New Variants
The next major evolution of motherboard design is coming in the form of backside connectors – hidden-cable designs have been slowly but surely gaining popularity thanks to their cleaner looks. However, they require specific PC cases, and in some cases, cable-less GPUs to work; and various OEMs have since worked together to ease this transition process.
Recently, ASUS and COLORFUL have each launched new motherboards that utilize the backside connector designs. From ASUS, we have the ROG Maximus Z790 HERO BTF – components-wise, it’s mostly identical to the original HERO model except for the latest Wi-Fi 7 support, as well as the loss of the secondary PCIe 5.0 x16 slot right below where the GPU situates.
Speaking of which – the primary GPU slot also has an accompanying GC-HPWR (HPCE) connector to supply up to 600W of power, replacing the 12VHPWR cables altogether. As a result of the new backside connector layout, much of the motherboard is covered in heatsinks and panels, leaving very few exposed regions outside of the vicinity of the CPU socket.
Meanwhile, COLORFUL’s offering is aimed at the mid-range with the new iGame Ultra Z B760M motherboard. This mATX motherboard’s implementation isn’t as extreme as ASUS’s, leaving some of the component headers on the front side of the motherboard like usual, while power and fan headers have been shifted to the rear side.
Currently, the ASUS ROG model is available in some Western markets, whereas COLORFUL’s offering is offered in China only thus far – so it’s unclear when the motherboard will be launched in global markets.
Pokdepinion: Backside connector designs may become the mainstream by the look of it – just give it a few years.
