As an Electrician and PC builder for almost 20 years, I find this idea to mirror exactly what we do with electrical circuits in residential homes. Hide the wiring behind a wall. I can't believe it took us this long to figure this out.
@@MagiconIce Nah, that was modders. Modders were cutting holes for fans, doors, and windows into solid sidepanels long before the manufacturers started doing it.
@@TheZoenGaming can confirm, if it sat for more than 2 mins on the desk i wanted to window it and add lights...case, PSU, DVD, HDD consolesthe original Xbox got butchered bigtime for perspex...windows were life :D
Whenever I see your videos pop up in my feed, I watch them from beginning to end. It doesn't matter the content, you guys always kill it! This is just a small token of my appreciation to the JayzTwoCents team.
Companies don't have a standard on the pinouts for cables coming out of power supplies and don't even go into the nightmare of RGB. I don't have a lot of faith that they will make the placement of stuff a standard. This feels like a way for companies to lock you into their ecosystem. "Our case works best with this mobo"
I wouldn't worry about buying a BTF specific case if I brought a BTF motherboard. You'd be able to add the additional BTF cutouts quite easily using a dremel with a cutting disc to any case.
Yeah, but... You may affect case strength/stability. Yeah it is not a car to think about it, but at the same time will be a shame if at some point that will affect you, like if you have to go out to somwhere else for a long time and you will take your PC with you. IMO BTF is okay, but it should not get over the current standard since, it will make cases more expensive, and I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT CABLE MANAGMENT. I did in my case quite nice cable managment, but it just, hide cables behind motherboard and zip-tie them so they will not chaotically hang there as spagetti. And that's it. I don't mind about few cables showing up from front side of mb, i, probably, care about their bending and definitely care about few hundred additional dollars to save and not spending them on something pure cosmetic and useless. But that's it. My PC is still clean enough for air flow and there is no other reason for me. I'm not against it, but thinks it quite useless and done only for youtubers and moneybags. But that doesn't mean that we can't have cases that supports BTF and current standard, that's okay for me, as soon as this doesn't make any too much additional cost for the case. I don't want pay 20-200$ for just few additional holes and some place to put you power supply for BTF.
@@ChukiTheErmine Honestly? As long as the rear of the case is sheet metal, you'll be fine. Yeah, it will be slightly less rigid, but you are slapping a motherboard to it with like 12 attachment points, it will be fine.
@@ChukiTheErmine my approach to cable management is "will the cables get into the fans? are they getting stabbed by solder joints/other pins? no? I'm done." opaque side panels for life
"If It doesn't have support for BTF, you're not going to be able to use it." Jay, I was building computers in the mid 2000s. There is nothing a dremel with a cutoff wheel can't make compatible.
@@winterume HAHAHA you have not seen the amount of " we make it fit " posts all over imageboards. Who cares if it is low profile only , CUT THE CASE AND FIT A FULLSIZR GPU IN IT!"
Thanks for looking at these! I really hope they standardise this, it has to happen (fingers crossed). PZ = Project Zero, its in the name Jay! Also, I think custom cables will still be in demand, I know for sure I'd opt for some basic short cables in that first case to keep the runs really short and not have to deal with any excess.
I think they will. They did so more or less for the classical placement of connectors and where what is on a Motherboard, right? Like CPU Power Connectors are always on the top left of a motherboard, no matter what manufacturer. It wouldn't make sense to standardize it for classical front-visible connectors but not for BTF connectors.
Another thing to consider is that people normally just CRAM their cables behind the motherboard and mash side panels on to hold them in place. With this, it would be VERY easy to bend all of those RGB and Fan Header pins as well as many of the other connectors.
This is why I only consider dual chamber cases after using one for the first time. Or it's one of the reasons which ties into another, and that's having plenty of room and easy acess for other things as well, like drives and fan controllers.
@@brodriguez11000 Custom cable lengths are a solution to cabling in general, but my point is still valid. Most single-chamber cases simply do not have a lot of room behind the motherboard tray for cable management, which forces users to have to mash the side panel on after the build.
Thanks for showing us how this is laid-out and goes together, with explanations of fitment. I'm looking at my beautiful homebuilt system with the wiring mess all over the place. Someday... someday...
its basically because its very hard to get everyone to agree to something, everyone wants THEIR standard to be THE standard, add to that its really only been in the last 10 years or so that enough cases have had enough room behind the motherboard tray to actually do this sort of thing
I love it. The first time I built inside a dual chamber case I thought that it would be awesome if the connectors were on the back of the board, way before I heard of it. Hopefully next time I upgrade my board I'll be able to get a good dual chamber with back connect support.
BTF cases are huge, with the added space for cable management. With SFF and in general more compact pc's becoming more popular, it'll be interesting to see how this adapts to demands.
I figure if BTF becomes a thing and some standard is established like it is with ATX and all its derivatives i think accessory manufactures like cables will follow suit and just offer shorter cables. If you use a BTF setup you don't need any long cables anymore and they can be shortened by 50% or more. Makes for easier cable management, saves costs and looks cleaner too ( not that it matters on the backside much but stil).
Thanks for this video. I've seen several rig setups this year that have "BTF" layouts, and I've always wondered what the terminology was for that look. The BTF look has also given me the "itch" to start up another build from my current Singularity Spectre 2.0 rig, and get creative with distro plates, now that I won't have to worry about wires inside the visible parts of the case.
What would be even better would be back connect, but with the power connectors turned 90° to run parallel to the motherboard. That way the cables aren't having to be bent like they do with both front and back connect.
ugh. cable management. 10:00 just brought back a memory. i did this back in the 2000s with ide and floppy cables. 45 degree bends and hid all the jazz in cheap case drive bay compartments. it was a old school beauty. buddy of mine was impressed how clean my case interior looked. he one uped it and put lights in his case. that's how old all of this design and rgb stuff (and obiv me) is. :)
Someone i know had a car radiator as rad for overclocking back in early 2000's. copper pipes and everything. I was too young back then to know if it did anything but apparently it atleast worked good enough to be used. The amouth of coolant mass must be nice. I still have old old shitty see thru red only leds fans from pre 2010's somewhere. 😂
I noticed you haven't tried to mount an HSF or even RAM. This half-baked "standard" is going to cause so many issues with people bending pins because they sat the board on a bench and applied force while mounting them, and also when applying force with cables from the back (oh it's going to be fun when someone pushes on that door too hard to close and a rogue power cable gets pierced by a pin) - and it's going to be a real pain having to troubleshoot in a lab where you basically need new benches to work with them. All of that just for aesthetics? The only actual issue it solves is the EPS - that's a thick and strong but badly placed connector on normal MBs that could benefit from real back access and won't cause issues.
I would like this to be a standard and connectors in set places so we can get case motherboard trays designed for it. We are so close to universal cableless computers on the front side. CableMods best take note and have other plans for their business. Also, RGB/ARGB connectors still suck and they need a better standard for that connector.
Good timing. I just started learning about this new style. I'm planning on a complete overhaul of my pre-pandemic PC this winter so starting to build a part list and get a budget planned and giving this new style of board and case serious consideration. It seems like one of those ideas where you think "this is genius. Why did it take so long to come up with this". Now we already have modular power supply's. Just need them to come up with shorter cables.
I can see this becoming a new standard. case manufacturers adopting a h-beam style case design. High-End cases taking it to the extreme with optional glass for the back to show off your wire management
I’d be really interested in a Lian-Li back connect case. I’ve really enjoyed their products and how clean the unifans are. I think it’ll be really nice. Also curious how water cooling would look and what options it gives with no cables in the front.
As long as motherboard manufactures keep both standards, I use a customized server rack style case, server rack cases really don't have the options for cable management behind the motherboard so this back connector style motherboard wouldn't work for me.
I really want to have External GPUs to be an actual thing that having one won't cause any latency or performance drop issues. GPUs are getting bigger and bigger by every passing year and gen, and it's only gonna get even bigger by the looks of things. Not to mention all that excess heat they produce within the PC case directly affecting rest of the components. Having them outside, separate in their own box will be much better.
I don't think back connect is the end point. The end point is a standardized hardline setup built into the case. There isn't really a need for any wiring at all if all connect points are built in. Everything would be plug and play. Even if you think of a motherboard right now, you could simply plug that into a header, and that header would hardline to everywhere it needs: power supply, buttons, drives, fans, etc.
everything slot together? thatd be super nice i guess. but then there would be a lot of issues of conflicting sizes. like the omega GPUs being in the way of slotting in a m.2 with a cooler (that they seem to need with current power draw)
@@HyperionZero its all motherboard design a connector vs a slot really isnt that much. thats why this back connect thing didnt change prices that much, all they did was flip the connection around. now if they put all the connectors on one side of the board, THAT would require full redesign and be a nightmare for the manufacturer
@@HyperionZero No. I'm not expecting easy, especially trying to build any kind of standard around it too. However, I do think that PC hardware has gotten expensive enough to allow it. For how expensive other components can be, people are pretty comfortably gravitating towards expensive cases without batting an eye. Depending on the choice of implementation, it's possible that it could be reasonably cost effective. But someone would have to really put pen to paper and actually step through the details, evaluate viability for design and packaging, and then optimize for cost. Additionally, there needs to be some foresight on what the next 10 years might bring in formfactor requirements. As long as there's flexibility and simplicity of the design, it all should be viable.
I can see at least 2 reasons to prefer backside connectors even without glass side panels: 1. Being able to easily access the connectors wirhout having to work around the graphics card and CPU cooler or any water cooling. I've put SATA cables in all the connectors because I *do not* want to try to insert them behind the GPU in the future when I've got more drives. 2. Better airflow. Might not be that much, but it wouldn't be worse. That said, I'm happy I won't be upgrading this generation. Hopefully they've come to something resembling a standard by the time I'm ready to upgrade.
We went from having everything hidden in a case to window's so you can see everything and now we're hiding everything in the back and still putting window's lol.
Its really sad that you need to go out of your way to find a case without a window these days. I never understood the appeal to have a Christmas tree blinking near your face and monitor.
I will never ever ever ever ever understand the design, PSU in the back. Its hiding and make the case thicker. Now u have to buy a bigger desk for no reason. Some people like to see the PSU.
@@fynkozari9271 you mean the PSU above the motherboard was better? Because it looked so bad since you couldn't really hide the cables unless you had a very deep back panel space. Might be better now since most of them are modular, but back in the day it was a nightmare to cable manage your build.
@@angeltzepesh1 No, are u talking 2000s cases? Im talking psu cutout. Corsair, Thermaltake, Phanteks, Asus etc made them. My personal favorite, micro atx hanging psu next to mobo gpu.
time to get back on the workout plan dude you puttin on some winter weight the build looks great without seeing wires also use a lian li extension with rgb to power your video card for aesthetics
If I'd want to show off that my PC case is "empty" (no visible cables, single color case and components, all blacked out), I'd probably buy a case with solid side panels. Cannot beat that kind of clean. Full circle! :D
What exactly am i hiding? My build is clean enough, the only thing I see is liquid cooler tubes and GPU power. Which cannot be hidden using this mobo. I understand 4090 no cable version because 12pin burning problem. But this is not that.
My PC is a tool, it sits under my desk out of sight, no stupid flashing RGB to distract me, the case is full of random cables but I don't care, I can't see them (yes, I know I'm in the minority!)
"Now it's gonna be a jumbled mess behind the motherboard". Jokes on you, my cables are *always* a jumbled mess behind the motherboard (I do not see it therefore it does not exist).
As a small form factor guy, needing an inch and a half of clearance behind the board for cables sounds lame. I also do not want old cases to be garbage, proprietary layouts, proprietary GPU power or giving money to maingear for their patent.
@@RyTrapp0 you don't get it. if these rear connectors become the standard - 30 years worth of PC cases will become useless garbage. If they become standard we won't have a choice but to buy only these
I rebuilt my PC last night/today with a friend, and I said the exact thing when he commented on how silly some connections looked. I suggested this would be a solution, and didn’t know anyone was actually doing it.
Cut outs for EATX and using ATX would have all those extra holes around the board. I like the looks of cables when done right. Looks like a solution looking for a problem
This should become a standard for the layout to keep cases easily usable and also to allow for us to buy modular power supplies with appropriate cable lengths
Exactly, I run a very OLD Chieftec Dragon based Customized Alienware Area 51 Predator 1 case. I used industrial galvanized electrical conduit Tubing to cable manage Making the inside of the case look very reflective and UFOish. I run minimal RGB because the case has original Alienware blue cold Cathodes. The Cathodes reflect off of the silver case insides and light the whole case up by themselves. Giving the case a ominous soft blue glow that does not hotspot like LEDS.
@falkwulf3842 Currently painting a case I built myself, duel system (gaming/stream-edit) but the cables are part of the overall ascetic lol had a big delay as broke 3 ribs and had to heal lol
@@AndrewsFKS it is amazing how the best on mobo USB connector we got was usb 1 and 2 >.>, 3 has such a big connector that if it's next to fan's it'll probably be at an angle and not all your ports work, and worst of all you start to take appart your old build to sell some of the parts and your 3.0 cable tears the connector housing off the mobo making the mobo a hard sell and the case a hard sell....ggwp >.
If you want a case with no wires showing, just get one without glass. I don't care how it looks inside as long as airflow / cooling is proper. What am I going to do, brag to me friends that it has blinking lights and a "color scheme"? It's a darn PC. Who cares? I'm still using my HAF 922 case. Lots of space to fit any hardware I want, still looks OK, and I don't need to spend a bunch of money on what really is just a metal box every 5 years.
I'm typically a function over form kinda person, but the last system build I did in 2022 (and again now) has a glass side panel. The Corsair water cooler I have showing the CPU temp and Asus Thor power supply wattage readout are a nice to have feature for me where I can take a quick glance at environmentals. Its a nice look with some of the other lighting on other components. I have been putting together my own systems for decades with plain blank boxes. Needed a new look.
@Demopans5990 and IMO thats fine. If it works it works. I'd rather spend an extra $100 on the stuff inside the case than on a case. The stuff in the case is what makes actually using the computer a good experience.
This is awesome and I'll definitely be looking into this type of motherboard for my next build. Doing my first water build so this type of aesthetic is perfect.
As someone who just bought a rackmount case, all this looks like to me is needing to have taller rackmount cases or shorter coolers. I'd actually be pretty annoyed at this point if this got so popular I could no longer find "front mount" motherboards.
@@RyTrapp0 Thus the caveat of "if this got so popular" I put in my comment. I don't care if this is an option. I do care if it becomes the only option, or the only option in decent ATX motherboards.
@@groghunter7403 Yes, in this mythical world where a gaming motherboard aesthetic takes over the entirety of the motherboard industry... There's some really weird fear mongering going on in some of these comments. Absurd.
yeah, was REALLY hoping that was sarcasm, considering how many times he said Project Zero up until that point. But even when he said it shortly after it didn't seem like it clicked.... so maybe, maybe not?
@Jayz2Cents If you had custom length PSU cables (or a PSU with side mounted cables?) and the standard GPU had power connectors on the motherboard side of the card, facing the motherboard tray then there would be no visible cables! 🙂👍 There are other BTF cases available that may be better than the MSI one.
Why not a step further and make the positions of the plugs part of an ATX standard. Then case manufacturers could provide plugs and wires preinstalled in the case. You would be able to "plug" your mainboard into the case and maybe even "plug" your power supply into the case.
2 issues... not all power supply cables are the same and usable across different supplies, and 2 I'd be scared of that happening where if a cable goes the mother board is dead too because the manufacturer decided to not make it a plug that comes off of the board and instead Soldered the Limes straight to the board.
@@E.M.A I know, that's why I wrote "part of an ATX standard". I also know, it will never happen. There are too many different needs. Some systems need only a few cables, other need more for SATA etc. Cases are of different size etc. Too difficult to mal a standard that fits them all and is still practical.
Though the standards needs problem can be worked around using daughter boards as part of the standard. Borrow the a connector like SAS A or OCuLink, have a few standard locations where they go on the back side, and now your sata, usb, and rgb sit on a completely different board.
My two biggest complaints about system building have been fixed. My top complaint has always been removing a GPU. It would always get stuck in the slot. It would hurt my finger trying to release it. I could blow almost an hour sometimes trying and want to give up. Suddenly, I'd try one more time, and it would quickly come out. Now we have the quick release button on Asus boards. I love it. My other complaint was plugging in the CPU power in the top left corner. I use tower air coolers. I hate liquid cooling. It's dark in that corner. I still struggle to see even with a flashlight. My hand is too big. It's very difficult to plug in. I can blow another 40 minutes or so trying to plug one in. I'll then attempt to plug the second one in. OMG!!! It's so nice these changes are happening. It's going to be easier than ever building. The only real complaint left is that the back of the case is almost always too shallow. It's hard to close the case with a mess of thick wires in the way. I've gotten better about managing that. It's still a bit of the pain. I don't understand why they don't add another inch to the back. Why is that a big deal? JUST DO IT! 😂
NEXT EVOLUTION and something I have been asking for for decades now, Standardize the pin layout so the MOBO simply plugs into the case and the power supply also just Plugs into the case, and the case has all the cables internally routed through the frame, no need for cables floating around at all for a super clean build.
Back Connect is worth it just for not having to cram your fingers in to plug in the EPS 8V in the top corner. It's a pain when you are air cooling and you put in the cooler and then try to plug in the EPS plug, and there's no space. That's when you learn to not actually install the heat sink til after the EPS plug is plugged in
Oddly enough, the O11 I have has sooo much headroom for that cable. Its just that most cases place everything above the power supply and give you literally 0 headroom to minimize height.
I have been building computers since 1991. I am a retired fortune 50 systems engineer who has been around the block. My hobby has always been tinkering with Electronics, computers and other things like that. I never understood many things PC makers do.
I watched this video, looked at my entirely black with no RGB (except RAM which was on sale and graphics card, which have their lights turned off anyways) and thought to myself: _Yeah, I don't really care about the looks as long as it doesn't look like a pre-2000 pre-built PC when I ocasionally look at it or open it to clean it up._ As long as I can connect, disconnect and remove parts of my system, including cables, without spending 15 minutes untangling cables like they're earphones, I'm perfectly content with the current designs. But hey, if I built my PC for the looks as well as performance, I'd like it to be clean af too. But I didn't, so, yeah.
You could route the power cables from the power supply up, above it. Also, depending on how much space you have, use the fan on the power supply to pull heat from the back of the motherboard.
Good point about cable manufacturers. I hadn't even thought about the ramifications to the industry with a product like this. I do think this is definitely going to be a thing - every geek with OCD is going to want one. Personally, I'd rather see it in a wall mounted build, but i am a huge fan of cable hiding. AlienWare was one of the first to start the trend to at least clean it all up - like where the industry is heading on this!!
0:15 The rear connector motherboards were patented by Maingear in 2011. They announced earlier this year that they wanted to make the MG-RC (Maingear Rear Connection) the industry standard. GigaByte were the first to introduce a back connect motherboard in 2022 with "Project Stealth". MSI followed with "Project Zero" in collaboration with Maingear and Maxsun with "DIY-APE" Only then did ASUS follow with "BTF", which expanded the whole concept with the PCIe High Power Connector for graphics cards.
Im so happy that companies are going in this direction. I've been saying for a long time that visible cables need to go. I totally understand the hassle this would cause on the manufacturing side early on but once the processes are figured out it should be the standard.
I've just finished building a MSI Project Zero B650M motherboard into an ASUS A21 case. Everything fits perfectly. MSI's landing page for Project Zero currently lists 31 compatible cases from manufacturers like Corsair, InWin, Lian Li, Thermaltake, Coolermaster, Phanteks, JONSBO etc. So yeah, ASUS BTF and MSI P-Zero seem to be compatible when it comes to cases.
I am doing an all white and silver build, even my cables are white, but I still have to feed them through to the front. I 100% like the BTF form factor.
I hope this trend catches on. In addition to looks it would also help with airflow. The new BTF technology will reminds me of retro pcs where the expansion slots often had different segments for different capabilities of the device you were plugging in
Currently I am in the process of planning my system from scratch. I'm going to opt for the ‘Light base 900’ case from ‘Be Quiet! It will be on the market in September (or maybe October). At first I hadn't thought about Back-Connect, but when I saw this video I remembered that there were these cut-outs. So I checked, and yes, the Light Base supports Back-Connect. Since I'm building from scratch, I find the idea of a back-connect motherboard appealing. Then I checked which AM5 motherboards support back-connect, and if I'm not mistaken, there are only two of them at the moment: the "MSI B650M Project Zero" and the "GIGABYTE B650E AORUS Stealth ICE". That's not exactly many. Both are white-build compatible. This is ok for me because I anyway want a white build. But the MSI is a µATX and I don't want a µATX board. Not in a case big enough to support 420mm AIOs. The other one is a GIGABYTE. Although it looks fantastic, GIGABYTE is certainly not my favourite brand for motherboards. So what to do? Let it be or take the GIGABYTE? I've not decided yet.
On ASUS BTF: if you want to show off your graphics card via vertical mount, you either need a dedicated version of the vertical mount with an added power cable and slot, bringing with it more connection interfaces and resistance, meaning more strain on the connector in the back.
With this BTF trend, I think case manufacturers need to innovate a bit more. I'd like to see steel rails to attach the motherboard standoffs instead of plates with cut-outs. Also, so that these BTF boards don't stab you when you grab them, the manufacturers need to add plastic connector covers pre-installed.
How about this idea for cases. On higher end cases, supply two different mounting panels (panel that you mount the motherboard on). One panel would be the standard templet for standard motherboards. The other panel would have a templet for back connector motherboards. These panels could be made to screw into the case. That way you don't have holes all over, a cleaner looking panel, and it would make the case stronger. (less flimsy)
I applied this technique to my water cooling setup, but I've always wanted to try it with motherboards. Initially, I considered drilling holes through the board, but you showed me that was incorrect. For the water setup, I drilled and tapped the backside of the distribution plate and routed hoses to G1/4 pass-through ports. The GPU, temperature, and water flow monitor were connected to the ports using a Thermaltake P5 case.
Another thought about the power cables. Since it's much shorter distances, you could technically order some of those custom cables that are typically used to match color schemes, but just get them shorter. So you don't have so much cable to stuff.
I mean with BTF and the PSU on the back as well, the power cables could get shortened substantially it looks. Could help reduce copper and cost. If it is a PSU with detachable cables, PSU manufacturers could offer two cable sets, one for normal ATX, and one for BTF.
Those custom cable makers can now make custom length aka shorter cables so you don't have to wad your cables and shove them in a corner. Just have multiple lengths available for varying case size, power supply length etc
It's clean and makes sense to have one side for all cables. This with graphics card no cable but PCB power to motherboard, that'd be awesome. Just need all that standardized, general location, case openings, PSU pinouts, front IO, graphics card PCB power delivery. Really we could see less cables in general, could have just a single PSU to mobo cable.
I think it will become the standard. It will take a couple of years and constant development to be more mainstream. A standard for connector placement will evolve and will make it possible for case manufacturers to get involved without having to design cases to to take into account each MOBO company. For me personally I don't care about appearance, my PC's are all closed box, I care only about functionality. But I can accept this being important to a large majority of PC users/builders. It even appeals to me for an ultra clean and minimalist look if they can get the case size down to as small as it can be. To most people desk space is important.
I"m still using my Corsair A540 "Cube" case from 2013. When I build my next PC I will be replacing it only because some of jack plugs and one of the USB conection have burned out. If I knew how to repair them I would. I love my Corsair A540.
I think it will be like atx and minis. Two different groups where some people get the strimmer cables and some people just want no cables. I like this. Lots of variations
This is a nice solution if you really don't wanna see cables in your case. My opinion though is that cables are a part of the design of a Desktop PC, it has some charms too. I like to see some cables in my case, you just have to make sure that it isn't a big mess like the cables are all tight up to each other, at least at the parts where you can see the cables. I think you shouldn't worry too much about the cables, remember; the first priority is that everything works properly how it supposed to be, the rest is second. The same thing goes for the vertical mount of the graphics card; it's nice to have, but it's not a must. I don't have a vertical mount either, but the graphics card works just as fine and my PC still looks great
I love the BTF and ASUS GPU non-power cable designs! Power supply companies will adapt with shorter cables. Even if you don't want a window in your case, the ease of building (plus not having to worry about your GPU catching fire) makes BTF/non-power cable GPU designs a winner!
Hi Jay, I love the channel (and hope your health is staying good). I have an unrelated question to this video, but it popped up in my head anyway and I thought you are actually the best guy to ask considering my connections. Online I have been seeing more adds for "companies" like incogni or DeleteMe. Not being an IT specialist myself, just a hobby, build your own pc now and then kinda guy. Are these kind of companies actually worth the money? How my head works is with for example incogni: "Ok, these guys can somehow delete all kinds of online information about me. But that makes them monopolists about all my information online. That could turn out wrong in so many ways!" Which is why I tend to ignore these kind of "helping" hands. Am I too paranoid there, or are some of them actually trustworthy (at the moment)? What got my line of thought going was actually an older video from you where you talked about not trusting VPN's too much, that somehow got triggered by this video. (ADHD brain).
i mean, yeah this seems like it should have been a thing for awhile. crazy clean. Im not completely against rgb, but minimal is nice. think, this board, all black, everything else black, but lit up by ram only. no wires, just your cooling showing, aio or custom would look so good. I really like this.
It’ll probably be amazing..eventually. A few builds from now if there is a standard by then. Definitely love the idea. Seems if someone doesn’t know what they’re doing they’re going to break or bend something.
There was a sample they were working on where the GPU will have its own 12WR connector(PIN slot next to the PCI express) on the board of the GPU and motherboard.
I finished my build a couple months ago and went with a reverse motherboard for my new corsair case. Looks great especially after running the water loop with no cables showing! The only downside was there wasn't as many m.2 slots and it was the only AMD motherboard that was reverse as I really wanted to go with the 7800x3d.
Am I the only one that thinks I'm surpised it took this long for this kinda layout to happen? I will give it a couple years then do a rebuild. LOVE how clean these systems look now.
They should put a template of the cutouts in the box so you can do some diy stuff to your case. It shouldn’t be too hard to cut out those cutouts with a dremel.
As an Electrician and PC builder for almost 20 years, I find this idea to mirror exactly what we do with electrical circuits in residential homes. Hide the wiring behind a wall. I can't believe it took us this long to figure this out.
That's what the case originally was for!😂
@@TheZoenGaming Until some engineer had the idea "what if we put a glass wall into the side instead of a solid metal wall?" :D
@@MagiconIce Nah, that was modders. Modders were cutting holes for fans, doors, and windows into solid sidepanels long before the manufacturers started doing it.
@@TheZoenGaming can confirm, if it sat for more than 2 mins on the desk i wanted to window it and add lights...case, PSU, DVD, HDD consolesthe original Xbox got butchered bigtime for perspex...windows were life :D
Sure……..hide it so it isn’t visible. That’s one way fires start.
Whenever I see your videos pop up in my feed, I watch them from beginning to end. It doesn't matter the content, you guys always kill it! This is just a small token of my appreciation to the JayzTwoCents team.
Whay the shit
Companies don't have a standard on the pinouts for cables coming out of power supplies and don't even go into the nightmare of RGB. I don't have a lot of faith that they will make the placement of stuff a standard. This feels like a way for companies to lock you into their ecosystem.
"Our case works best with this mobo"
you forgot that most power supply brand change the pin out due to different revisions or different manufactures.
not a problem tho
What? Do you have a pre-built? Lol
Yeah, kinda cool concept, but the execution on long term will be a nightmare. We need to standardize it ASAP.
It's called free market and back connect boards and back connect cases can be another way of doing things. It doesn't have to be THE way.
I wouldn't worry about buying a BTF specific case if I brought a BTF motherboard. You'd be able to add the additional BTF cutouts quite easily using a dremel with a cutting disc to any case.
Yeah, but...
You may affect case strength/stability. Yeah it is not a car to think about it, but at the same time will be a shame if at some point that will affect you, like if you have to go out to somwhere else for a long time and you will take your PC with you.
IMO BTF is okay, but it should not get over the current standard since, it will make cases more expensive, and I DON'T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT CABLE MANAGMENT. I did in my case quite nice cable managment, but it just, hide cables behind motherboard and zip-tie them so they will not chaotically hang there as spagetti. And that's it. I don't mind about few cables showing up from front side of mb, i, probably, care about their bending and definitely care about few hundred additional dollars to save and not spending them on something pure cosmetic and useless. But that's it. My PC is still clean enough for air flow and there is no other reason for me.
I'm not against it, but thinks it quite useless and done only for youtubers and moneybags. But that doesn't mean that we can't have cases that supports BTF and current standard, that's okay for me, as soon as this doesn't make any too much additional cost for the case. I don't want pay 20-200$ for just few additional holes and some place to put you power supply for BTF.
@@ChukiTheErmine Honestly? As long as the rear of the case is sheet metal, you'll be fine. Yeah, it will be slightly less rigid, but you are slapping a motherboard to it with like 12 attachment points, it will be fine.
@@ChukiTheErmine my approach to cable management is "will the cables get into the fans? are they getting stabbed by solder joints/other pins? no? I'm done." opaque side panels for life
"If It doesn't have support for BTF, you're not going to be able to use it."
Jay, I was building computers in the mid 2000s. There is nothing a dremel with a cutoff wheel can't make compatible.
Really? The mid 2000s? Bro, I am only 40, and I was building computers by 97. 🫠
you talk like everyone who builds pc's would be willing to do that lmfao. get out with that superiority complex bro.
@@winterume And you take YT comments too seriously...
@@winterume HAHAHA you have not seen the amount of " we make it fit " posts all over imageboards.
Who cares if it is low profile only , CUT THE CASE AND FIT A FULLSIZR GPU IN IT!"
This was the primary reason why I bought a dremel in the late 1990s. That reminds me, I need to get another one for future projects...
Thanks for looking at these! I really hope they standardise this, it has to happen (fingers crossed).
PZ = Project Zero, its in the name Jay!
Also, I think custom cables will still be in demand, I know for sure I'd opt for some basic short cables in that first case to keep the runs really short and not have to deal with any excess.
I think they will. They did so more or less for the classical placement of connectors and where what is on a Motherboard, right?
Like CPU Power Connectors are always on the top left of a motherboard, no matter what manufacturer.
It wouldn't make sense to standardize it for classical front-visible connectors but not for BTF connectors.
Another thing to consider is that people normally just CRAM their cables behind the motherboard and mash side panels on to hold them in place. With this, it would be VERY easy to bend all of those RGB and Fan Header pins as well as many of the other connectors.
The problem with mashing the side panels on is largely because of the fact that there’s just not any room in the back of *most* cases.
This is why I only consider dual chamber cases after using one for the first time. Or it's one of the reasons which ties into another, and that's having plenty of room and easy acess for other things as well, like drives and fan controllers.
@@StolenJoker84 The whole idea works best with custom cables where end connectors and cable length can be controlled.
@@brodriguez11000 Custom cable lengths are a solution to cabling in general, but my point is still valid. Most single-chamber cases simply do not have a lot of room behind the motherboard tray for cable management, which forces users to have to mash the side panel on after the build.
L shape connectors solves it
Thanks for showing us how this is laid-out and goes together, with explanations of fitment. I'm looking at my beautiful homebuilt system with the wiring mess all over the place. Someday... someday...
Yeah I have no clue why this hasn't been standard for years now
because majority of cases dont support it
And cause it's pointless. It does nothing for you. Plus if you have the money for this just buy nice cables....
Bc it's good only for aesthetic purposes
its basically because its very hard to get everyone to agree to something, everyone wants THEIR standard to be THE standard, add to that its really only been in the last 10 years or so that enough cases have had enough room behind the motherboard tray to actually do this sort of thing
Because $$$$$$
I love it. The first time I built inside a dual chamber case I thought that it would be awesome if the connectors were on the back of the board, way before I heard of it. Hopefully next time I upgrade my board I'll be able to get a good dual chamber with back connect support.
BTF cases are huge, with the added space for cable management. With SFF and in general more compact pc's becoming more popular, it'll be interesting to see how this adapts to demands.
I figure if BTF becomes a thing and some standard is established like it is with ATX and all its derivatives i think accessory manufactures like cables will follow suit and just offer shorter cables. If you use a BTF setup you don't need any long cables anymore and they can be shortened by 50% or more. Makes for easier cable management, saves costs and looks cleaner too ( not that it matters on the backside much but stil).
9:00
90 degrees cables should come in handy for this BTFs.
The Hit Marker and Icon when Jay kept stabbing himself on the pins was subtlety hilarious😂
terraria damage is real
Thanks for this video. I've seen several rig setups this year that have "BTF" layouts, and I've always wondered what the terminology was for that look. The BTF look has also given me the "itch" to start up another build from my current Singularity Spectre 2.0 rig, and get creative with distro plates, now that I won't have to worry about wires inside the visible parts of the case.
What would be even better would be back connect, but with the power connectors turned 90° to run parallel to the motherboard. That way the cables aren't having to be bent like they do with both front and back connect.
or maybe just one single big ass cable for everything
@@xdevs23 and have voltage drifting between each cable inside to fry components.
@@xdevs23 That's what we need. One huge 64pin superplug that powers everything connected. Computer engineering is still stuck in the 90's.
or do it wireless
@@Uchiha_Sasuke209that doesnt work lol
I understand all the advantages, but to be honest, I like the look of cables!
ugh. cable management. 10:00 just brought back a memory. i did this back in the 2000s with ide and floppy cables. 45 degree bends and hid all the jazz in cheap case drive bay compartments. it was a old school beauty. buddy of mine was impressed how clean my case interior looked. he one uped it and put lights in his case. that's how old all of this design and rgb stuff (and obiv me) is. :)
Someone i know had a car radiator as rad for overclocking back in early 2000's. copper pipes and everything. I was too young back then to know if it did anything but apparently it atleast worked good enough to be used. The amouth of coolant mass must be nice. I still have old old shitty see thru red only leds fans from pre 2010's somewhere. 😂
I noticed you haven't tried to mount an HSF or even RAM. This half-baked "standard" is going to cause so many issues with people bending pins because they sat the board on a bench and applied force while mounting them, and also when applying force with cables from the back (oh it's going to be fun when someone pushes on that door too hard to close and a rogue power cable gets pierced by a pin) - and it's going to be a real pain having to troubleshoot in a lab where you basically need new benches to work with them. All of that just for aesthetics? The only actual issue it solves is the EPS - that's a thick and strong but badly placed connector on normal MBs that could benefit from real back access and won't cause issues.
I would like this to be a standard and connectors in set places so we can get case motherboard trays designed for it. We are so close to universal cableless computers on the front side.
CableMods best take note and have other plans for their business.
Also, RGB/ARGB connectors still suck and they need a better standard for that connector.
CPU on the backside. Plus BTF may get rigidity from all that flashy metal in the front. Maybe better GPU support for less droop.
being able to reach a BIOS flash, reset switch, or any of the jumpers with out having to remove my vertical mount GPU would be awesome.
Good timing. I just started learning about this new style. I'm planning on a complete overhaul of my pre-pandemic PC this winter so starting to build a part list and get a budget planned and giving this new style of board and case serious consideration. It seems like one of those ideas where you think "this is genius. Why did it take so long to come up with this". Now we already have modular power supply's. Just need them to come up with shorter cables.
I can see this becoming a new standard. case manufacturers adopting a h-beam style case design. High-End cases taking it to the extreme with optional glass for the back to show off your wire management
I’d be really interested in a Lian-Li back connect case. I’ve really enjoyed their products and how clean the unifans are. I think it’ll be really nice. Also curious how water cooling would look and what options it gives with no cables in the front.
As long as motherboard manufactures keep both standards, I use a customized server rack style case, server rack cases really don't have the options for cable management behind the motherboard so this back connector style motherboard wouldn't work for me.
Same here. I don't want to stop using my rack mount case because no motherboards will work with it in the future.
I really want to have External GPUs to be an actual thing that having one won't cause any latency or performance drop issues. GPUs are getting bigger and bigger by every passing year and gen, and it's only gonna get even bigger by the looks of things. Not to mention all that excess heat they produce within the PC case directly affecting rest of the components. Having them outside, separate in their own box will be much better.
Yeah, in some builds the GPU can act as an intake for the case, when installed upright.
I don't think back connect is the end point. The end point is a standardized hardline setup built into the case. There isn't really a need for any wiring at all if all connect points are built in. Everything would be plug and play. Even if you think of a motherboard right now, you could simply plug that into a header, and that header would hardline to everywhere it needs: power supply, buttons, drives, fans, etc.
Yes, this PC tech is so old.
everything slot together? thatd be super nice i guess. but then there would be a lot of issues of conflicting sizes. like the omega GPUs being in the way of slotting in a m.2 with a cooler (that they seem to need with current power draw)
I think you are forgetting the amount of complexity that goes into that.
@@HyperionZero its all motherboard design a connector vs a slot really isnt that much. thats why this back connect thing didnt change prices that much, all they did was flip the connection around. now if they put all the connectors on one side of the board, THAT would require full redesign and be a nightmare for the manufacturer
@@HyperionZero No. I'm not expecting easy, especially trying to build any kind of standard around it too. However, I do think that PC hardware has gotten expensive enough to allow it. For how expensive other components can be, people are pretty comfortably gravitating towards expensive cases without batting an eye. Depending on the choice of implementation, it's possible that it could be reasonably cost effective. But someone would have to really put pen to paper and actually step through the details, evaluate viability for design and packaging, and then optimize for cost. Additionally, there needs to be some foresight on what the next 10 years might bring in formfactor requirements. As long as there's flexibility and simplicity of the design, it all should be viable.
I can see at least 2 reasons to prefer backside connectors even without glass side panels:
1. Being able to easily access the connectors wirhout having to work around the graphics card and CPU cooler or any water cooling. I've put SATA cables in all the connectors because I *do not* want to try to insert them behind the GPU in the future when I've got more drives.
2. Better airflow. Might not be that much, but it wouldn't be worse.
That said, I'm happy I won't be upgrading this generation. Hopefully they've come to something resembling a standard by the time I'm ready to upgrade.
I didn't even think about that, but yeah, installing sata with these modern GPU's is a fucking nightmare.
We went from having everything hidden in a case to window's so you can see everything and now we're hiding everything in the back and still putting window's lol.
Well the windows allow you to see just how shitty those cables look at times. This allows for a clean look.
Its really sad that you need to go out of your way to find a case without a window these days. I never understood the appeal to have a Christmas tree blinking near your face and monitor.
I will never ever ever ever ever understand the design, PSU in the back. Its hiding and make the case thicker. Now u have to buy a bigger desk for no reason. Some people like to see the PSU.
@@fynkozari9271 you mean the PSU above the motherboard was better? Because it looked so bad since you couldn't really hide the cables unless you had a very deep back panel space. Might be better now since most of them are modular, but back in the day it was a nightmare to cable manage your build.
@@angeltzepesh1 No, are u talking 2000s cases? Im talking psu cutout. Corsair, Thermaltake, Phanteks, Asus etc made them. My personal favorite, micro atx hanging psu next to mobo gpu.
time to get back on the workout plan dude you puttin on some winter weight the build looks great without seeing wires also use a lian li extension with rgb to power your video card for aesthetics
If I'd want to show off that my PC case is "empty" (no visible cables, single color case and components, all blacked out), I'd probably buy a case with solid side panels. Cannot beat that kind of clean. Full circle! :D
What exactly am i hiding? My build is clean enough, the only thing I see is liquid cooler tubes and GPU power. Which cannot be hidden using this mobo. I understand 4090 no cable version because 12pin burning problem. But this is not that.
@@sys-administrator Bluetooth aio?
You don’t get it my guy
More than just looks, but ease of working with, as well as freer air movement.
My PC is a tool, it sits under my desk out of sight, no stupid flashing RGB to distract me, the case is full of random cables but I don't care, I can't see them (yes, I know I'm in the minority!)
"Now it's gonna be a jumbled mess behind the motherboard". Jokes on you, my cables are *always* a jumbled mess behind the motherboard (I do not see it therefore it does not exist).
And then keep it on the floor under the desk. All problems solved.
As a small form factor guy, needing an inch and a half of clearance behind the board for cables sounds lame. I also do not want old cases to be garbage, proprietary layouts, proprietary GPU power or giving money to maingear for their patent.
Yeah, I know. I did laugh at that myself. My own SFF adventure see's 1.5" as more than 1/3rd of my case width.
Not everything is supposed to be for you
@@elderman64 THIS. Don't like it? *Don't buy it*
And it would be equally ridiculous to have an ITX motherboard in a full sized ATX case with a giant radiator and graphics card
@@RyTrapp0 you don't get it. if these rear connectors become the standard - 30 years worth of PC cases will become useless garbage. If they become standard we won't have a choice but to buy only these
I rebuilt my PC last night/today with a friend, and I said the exact thing when he commented on how silly some connections looked.
I suggested this would be a solution, and didn’t know anyone was actually doing it.
Cut outs for EATX and using ATX would have all those extra holes around the board. I like the looks of cables when done right. Looks like a solution looking for a problem
This should become a standard for the layout to keep cases easily usable and also to allow for us to buy modular power supplies with appropriate cable lengths
I get what people like about it. But I like my cables, and they add to my colour scheme.
yeah, mee too, for me the usb 3.0 is anoying
Exactly, I run a very OLD Chieftec Dragon based Customized Alienware Area 51 Predator 1 case. I used industrial galvanized electrical conduit Tubing to cable manage Making the inside of the case look very reflective and UFOish. I run minimal RGB because the case has original Alienware blue cold Cathodes. The Cathodes reflect off of the silver case insides and light the whole case up by themselves. Giving the case a ominous soft blue glow that does not hotspot like LEDS.
@falkwulf3842 Currently painting a case I built myself, duel system (gaming/stream-edit) but the cables are part of the overall ascetic lol had a big delay as broke 3 ribs and had to heal lol
@AndrewsFKS Ye GPU upgrade is next not looking forward to potentially that connector... Thanks Nvidia!
@@AndrewsFKS it is amazing how the best on mobo USB connector we got was usb 1 and 2 >.>, 3 has such a big connector that if it's next to fan's it'll probably be at an angle and not all your ports work, and worst of all you start to take appart your old build to sell some of the parts and your 3.0 cable tears the connector housing off the mobo making the mobo a hard sell and the case a hard sell....ggwp >.
11:00
This PSU position messed up IMHO... all the PAU heat near the CPU socket... And taking all that space for routing cables...
If you want a case with no wires showing, just get one without glass.
I don't care how it looks inside as long as airflow / cooling is proper. What am I going to do, brag to me friends that it has blinking lights and a "color scheme"? It's a darn PC. Who cares? I'm still using my HAF 922 case. Lots of space to fit any hardware I want, still looks OK, and I don't need to spend a bunch of money on what really is just a metal box every 5 years.
I'm typically a function over form kinda person, but the last system build I did in 2022 (and again now) has a glass side panel. The Corsair water cooler I have showing the CPU temp and Asus Thor power supply wattage readout are a nice to have feature for me where I can take a quick glance at environmentals. Its a nice look with some of the other lighting on other components. I have been putting together my own systems for decades with plain blank boxes. Needed a new look.
Meanwhile I'm sitting here with a Corsair cube case flipped sideways
@Demopans5990 and IMO thats fine. If it works it works. I'd rather spend an extra $100 on the stuff inside the case than on a case. The stuff in the case is what makes actually using the computer a good experience.
This is awesome and I'll definitely be looking into this type of motherboard for my next build. Doing my first water build so this type of aesthetic is perfect.
I like the Dragon theme... I even bought a Dragon figurine to put on my desk 😜
Someone had to.
YES YES
I hear there's a really cool online store where you could gets some fun dragon.....toys to also put on your desk.
@@thatoneguy9843 Now now, lets not make our biological components go into OC mode... :J
Save that for after 10PM.
I like the idea of cleaning up ATX. The motherboard on a desktop PC can take up a ton of space, especially when factoring expansion cards.
Hold My Beer💀💀
We want more custom cooling builds!
15:00 Jay that is the side panel not the back. The back is where you plug in the power and your HDMI cables.
As someone who just bought a rackmount case, all this looks like to me is needing to have taller rackmount cases or shorter coolers. I'd actually be pretty annoyed at this point if this got so popular I could no longer find "front mount" motherboards.
It looks like a product that isn't targeting you as the customer🤷
@@RyTrapp0 Gaming hardware only since they're the ones fixated on looks.
@@RyTrapp0 Thus the caveat of "if this got so popular" I put in my comment. I don't care if this is an option. I do care if it becomes the only option, or the only option in decent ATX motherboards.
@@groghunter7403 Yes, in this mythical world where a gaming motherboard aesthetic takes over the entirety of the motherboard industry...
There's some really weird fear mongering going on in some of these comments. Absurd.
THE INCREDIBLE, INSATIABLE DESIRE TO FAST-FORWARD TO THE END TO SEE IT FINISHED... but... I didn't. I watched it all the way through!!!!!! It hurt.
Jay: "I don't know what the PZ stands for..."
Motherboard form-factor is called Project Zero...
🤦
yeah, was REALLY hoping that was sarcasm, considering how many times he said Project Zero up until that point. But even when he said it shortly after it didn't seem like it clicked.... so maybe, maybe not?
All wrong; it stands for "easy PZ".
@@VANDYKEDAN Lemon Squeezy😂
@Jayz2Cents If you had custom length PSU cables (or a PSU with side mounted cables?) and the standard GPU had power connectors on the motherboard side of the card, facing the motherboard tray then there would be no visible cables! 🙂👍
There are other BTF cases available that may be better than the MSI one.
Why not a step further and make the positions of the plugs part of an ATX standard. Then case manufacturers could provide plugs and wires preinstalled in the case.
You would be able to "plug" your mainboard into the case and maybe even "plug" your power supply into the case.
2 issues... not all power supply cables are the same and usable across different supplies, and 2 I'd be scared of that happening where if a cable goes the mother board is dead too because the manufacturer decided to not make it a plug that comes off of the board and instead Soldered the Limes straight to the board.
@@E.M.A I know, that's why I wrote "part of an ATX standard".
I also know, it will never happen. There are too many different needs. Some systems need only a few cables, other need more for SATA etc. Cases are of different size etc. Too difficult to mal a standard that fits them all and is still practical.
Though the standards needs problem can be worked around using daughter boards as part of the standard. Borrow the a connector like SAS A or OCuLink, have a few standard locations where they go on the back side, and now your sata, usb, and rgb sit on a completely different board.
My two biggest complaints about system building have been fixed. My top complaint has always been removing a GPU. It would always get stuck in the slot. It would hurt my finger trying to release it. I could blow almost an hour sometimes trying and want to give up. Suddenly, I'd try one more time, and it would quickly come out. Now we have the quick release button on Asus boards. I love it. My other complaint was plugging in the CPU power in the top left corner. I use tower air coolers. I hate liquid cooling. It's dark in that corner. I still struggle to see even with a flashlight. My hand is too big. It's very difficult to plug in. I can blow another 40 minutes or so trying to plug one in. I'll then attempt to plug the second one in. OMG!!! It's so nice these changes are happening. It's going to be easier than ever building. The only real complaint left is that the back of the case is almost always too shallow. It's hard to close the case with a mess of thick wires in the way. I've gotten better about managing that. It's still a bit of the pain. I don't understand why they don't add another inch to the back. Why is that a big deal? JUST DO IT! 😂
16:40 no, those cuts are for ATX back connectors, the upper ones are for Micro ATX back connectors; cable cuts are on the "floor" of the case...
that white rig looks so cool nice one love the back connector idea all those years of trying to cable nice n neat gone forever love the idea
Sounds like a solution to a problem no one has.
NEXT EVOLUTION and something I have been asking for for decades now, Standardize the pin layout so the MOBO simply plugs into the case and the power supply also just Plugs into the case, and the case has all the cables internally routed through the frame, no need for cables floating around at all for a super clean build.
00:14 Remember to activate your licence :)
That's both funny and sad to me and idk why
Oooooo.. I see that Nice old beige box in the back 😊😊cant wait for the video/videos featuring that 😊❤️
Back Connect is worth it just for not having to cram your fingers in to plug in the EPS 8V in the top corner. It's a pain when you are air cooling and you put in the cooler and then try to plug in the EPS plug, and there's no space. That's when you learn to not actually install the heat sink til after the EPS plug is plugged in
Oddly enough, the O11 I have has sooo much headroom for that cable. Its just that most cases place everything above the power supply and give you literally 0 headroom to minimize height.
I have been building computers since 1991. I am a retired fortune 50 systems engineer who has been around the block. My hobby has always been tinkering with Electronics, computers and other things like that. I never understood many things PC makers do.
I watched this video, looked at my entirely black with no RGB (except RAM which was on sale and graphics card, which have their lights turned off anyways) and thought to myself:
_Yeah, I don't really care about the looks as long as it doesn't look like a pre-2000 pre-built PC when I ocasionally look at it or open it to clean it up._
As long as I can connect, disconnect and remove parts of my system, including cables, without spending 15 minutes untangling cables like they're earphones, I'm perfectly content with the current designs. But hey, if I built my PC for the looks as well as performance, I'd like it to be clean af too. But I didn't, so, yeah.
You could route the power cables from the power supply up, above it. Also, depending on how much space you have, use the fan on the power supply to pull heat from the back of the motherboard.
Good point about cable manufacturers. I hadn't even thought about the ramifications to the industry with a product like this. I do think this is definitely going to be a thing - every geek with OCD is going to want one. Personally, I'd rather see it in a wall mounted build, but i am a huge fan of cable hiding. AlienWare was one of the first to start the trend to at least clean it all up - like where the industry is heading on this!!
Jay that case would be sick if MSI had plastic caps to cover the unused holes and grommets in the motherboard tray. great informative video Jay.
0:15 The rear connector motherboards were patented by Maingear in 2011. They announced earlier this year that they wanted to make the MG-RC (Maingear Rear Connection) the industry standard.
GigaByte were the first to introduce a back connect motherboard in 2022 with "Project Stealth".
MSI followed with "Project Zero" in collaboration with Maingear and Maxsun with "DIY-APE"
Only then did ASUS follow with "BTF", which expanded the whole concept with the PCIe High Power Connector for graphics cards.
Back Connect Motherboards
AM5:
MSI B650M Project Zero (mATX)
GIGABYTE B650E AORUS Stealth ICE (ATX)
Intel 1700
ASUS TUF Gaming B760M-BTF WIFI D4 (mATX)
ASUS TUF Gaming B760M-BTF WIFI (mATX)
MSI B760M Project Zero (mATX)
MSI Z790 Project Zero (ATX)
ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-BTF WIFI (ATX) (The only one with BTF GPU Connector)
MAXSUN DIY-APE H610-KING (YTX - Spezial ITX/mATX Formfactor)
Im so happy that companies are going in this direction. I've been saying for a long time that visible cables need to go. I totally understand the hassle this would cause on the manufacturing side early on but once the processes are figured out it should be the standard.
I've just finished building a MSI Project Zero B650M motherboard into an ASUS A21 case. Everything fits perfectly.
MSI's landing page for Project Zero currently lists 31 compatible cases from manufacturers like Corsair, InWin, Lian Li, Thermaltake, Coolermaster, Phanteks, JONSBO etc. So yeah, ASUS BTF and MSI P-Zero seem to be compatible when it comes to cases.
I am doing an all white and silver build, even my cables are white, but I still have to feed them through to the front. I 100% like the BTF form factor.
I hope this trend catches on. In addition to looks it would also help with airflow. The new BTF technology will reminds me of retro pcs where the expansion slots often had different segments for different capabilities of the device you were plugging in
Currently I am in the process of planning my system from scratch. I'm going to opt for the ‘Light base 900’ case from ‘Be Quiet! It will be on the market in September (or maybe October). At first I hadn't thought about Back-Connect, but when I saw this video I remembered that there were these cut-outs. So I checked, and yes, the Light Base supports Back-Connect. Since I'm building from scratch, I find the idea of a back-connect motherboard appealing.
Then I checked which AM5 motherboards support back-connect, and if I'm not mistaken, there are only two of them at the moment: the "MSI B650M Project Zero" and the "GIGABYTE B650E AORUS Stealth ICE". That's not exactly many. Both are white-build compatible. This is ok for me because I anyway want a white build. But the MSI is a µATX and I don't want a µATX board. Not in a case big enough to support 420mm AIOs. The other one is a GIGABYTE. Although it looks fantastic, GIGABYTE is certainly not my favourite brand for motherboards.
So what to do? Let it be or take the GIGABYTE? I've not decided yet.
On ASUS BTF: if you want to show off your graphics card via vertical mount, you either need a dedicated version of the vertical mount with an added power cable and slot, bringing with it more connection interfaces and resistance, meaning more strain on the connector in the back.
Duuuude... That build in Frost/Snow Camo???? oh HELL YEAH!
It's easier to shorten cables than to lengthen them! I love it, this is brilliant.
So the PSU right about the CPU directly irradiating heat? Who designed this case, Intel?
With this BTF trend, I think case manufacturers need to innovate a bit more. I'd like to see steel rails to attach the motherboard standoffs instead of plates with cut-outs. Also, so that these BTF boards don't stab you when you grab them, the manufacturers need to add plastic connector covers pre-installed.
How about this idea for cases. On higher end cases, supply two different mounting panels (panel that you mount the motherboard on). One panel would be the standard templet for standard motherboards. The other panel would have a templet for back connector motherboards. These panels could be made to screw into the case. That way you don't have holes all over, a cleaner looking panel, and it would make the case stronger. (less flimsy)
I love the concept and am glad to see it gaining traction. The MSI Project Zero boards are some of the cleanest I've seen in a LONG time.
I applied this technique to my water cooling setup, but I've always wanted to try it with motherboards. Initially, I considered drilling holes through the board, but you showed me that was incorrect. For the water setup, I drilled and tapped the backside of the distribution plate and routed hoses to G1/4 pass-through ports. The GPU, temperature, and water flow monitor were connected to the ports using a Thermaltake P5 case.
Another thought about the power cables.
Since it's much shorter distances, you could technically order some of those custom cables that are typically used to match color schemes, but just get them shorter. So you don't have so much cable to stuff.
I mean with BTF and the PSU on the back as well, the power cables could get shortened substantially it looks. Could help reduce copper and cost. If it is a PSU with detachable cables, PSU manufacturers could offer two cable sets, one for normal ATX, and one for BTF.
For me this solves the issue of maintenance down the line. I absolutely hate taking everything apart to get to a single tiny cable/component.
Those custom cable makers can now make custom length aka shorter cables so you don't have to wad your cables and shove them in a corner. Just have multiple lengths available for varying case size, power supply length etc
It's clean and makes sense to have one side for all cables. This with graphics card no cable but PCB power to motherboard, that'd be awesome. Just need all that standardized, general location, case openings, PSU pinouts, front IO, graphics card PCB power delivery. Really we could see less cables in general, could have just a single PSU to mobo cable.
Great video. Been looking at the BTF and wanting to build the white TUF setup.
I think it will become the standard. It will take a couple of years and constant development to be more mainstream. A standard for connector placement will evolve and will make it possible for case manufacturers to get involved without having to design cases to to take into account each MOBO company. For me personally I don't care about appearance, my PC's are all closed box, I care only about functionality. But I can accept this being important to a large majority of PC users/builders. It even appeals to me for an ultra clean and minimalist look if they can get the case size down to as small as it can be. To most people desk space is important.
I"m still using my Corsair A540 "Cube" case from 2013. When I build my next PC I will be replacing it only because some of jack plugs and one of the USB conection have burned out. If I knew how to repair them I would. I love my Corsair A540.
I think it will be like atx and minis. Two different groups where some people get the strimmer cables and some people just want no cables. I like this. Lots of variations
I hope this trend moves on to other manufacturers as well. I'd love to see how Asrock does a Taichi themed board with all the gears in this style.
This is a nice solution if you really don't wanna see cables in your case. My opinion though is that cables are a part of the design of a Desktop PC, it has some charms too. I like to see some cables in my case, you just have to make sure that it isn't a big mess like the cables are all tight up to each other, at least at the parts where you can see the cables. I think you shouldn't worry too much about the cables, remember; the first priority is that everything works properly how it supposed to be, the rest is second. The same thing goes for the vertical mount of the graphics card; it's nice to have, but it's not a must. I don't have a vertical mount either, but the graphics card works just as fine and my PC still looks great
I love the BTF and ASUS GPU non-power cable designs! Power supply companies will adapt with shorter cables. Even if you don't want a window in your case, the ease of building (plus not having to worry about your GPU catching fire) makes BTF/non-power cable GPU designs a winner!
The dragon theme is what i like about their art work on the boards. I wish they would work that better personally.
Hi Jay, I love the channel (and hope your health is staying good). I have an unrelated question to this video, but it popped up in my head anyway and I thought you are actually the best guy to ask considering my connections. Online I have been seeing more adds for "companies" like incogni or DeleteMe. Not being an IT specialist myself, just a hobby, build your own pc now and then kinda guy. Are these kind of companies actually worth the money? How my head works is with for example incogni: "Ok, these guys can somehow delete all kinds of online information about me. But that makes them monopolists about all my information online. That could turn out wrong in so many ways!" Which is why I tend to ignore these kind of "helping" hands. Am I too paranoid there, or are some of them actually trustworthy (at the moment)? What got my line of thought going was actually an older video from you where you talked about not trusting VPN's too much, that somehow got triggered by this video. (ADHD brain).
i mean, yeah this seems like it should have been a thing for awhile. crazy clean. Im not completely against rgb, but minimal is nice. think, this board, all black, everything else black, but lit up by ram only. no wires, just your cooling showing, aio or custom would look so good. I really like this.
It’ll probably be amazing..eventually. A few builds from now if there is a standard by then. Definitely love the idea. Seems if someone doesn’t know what they’re doing they’re going to break or bend something.
There was a sample they were working on where the GPU will have its own 12WR connector(PIN slot next to the PCI express) on the board of the GPU and motherboard.
i hope that this does become the new standard. fewer cables on my front end means more room for pretty bends in my rigid tubes.
I finished my build a couple months ago and went with a reverse motherboard for my new corsair case. Looks great especially after running the water loop with no cables showing! The only downside was there wasn't as many m.2 slots and it was the only AMD motherboard that was reverse as I really wanted to go with the 7800x3d.
Am I the only one that thinks I'm surpised it took this long for this kinda layout to happen? I will give it a couple years then do a rebuild. LOVE how clean these systems look now.
Love it. I’m hoping to do my next build this way.
They should put a template of the cutouts in the box so you can do some diy stuff to your case. It shouldn’t be too hard to cut out those cutouts with a dremel.
I like this concept and would use it in my next build if available with the features I want.
cables on top looks very nice if u have good colors on them. even black or white can look nice depending on the color of MB
I love the RGB dragon logo on my Mobo! Works perfectly with my PC set up theme.
We don't just have dragons, lol, Jay you are the best!