Useful PC Expansion Cards and 5.25 Drive Bay Accessories

[ThatM1key]

I picked up a CDN ~$500 ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-F GAMING WIFI motherboard recently and this is all it has for rear USB connections. After whipping out my camera and connecting, USB speakers, USB headphones and the usual other peripherals I'm pretty much out of non-USB-C ports. The manufacturers need to do a little better in providing the USB ports.

I agree with you, MB makers should include more USB ports, at least include more USB headers. I remember when motherboards would come with 3-4 USB 2.0 headers & 2 USB 3.0 headers. I would personally get a USB 3.0 hub and make sure its powered otherwise it runs at USB 2.0 speeds.



In terms of your MB, I think you paid a bit too much for it. That MB costs 2x of the ASUS Z690-P, you still don't get Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports. Your MB supports Thunderbolt 4 through an add-on card (Which is dumb for how much you spent on the board already).

For that kind of money, I would've grab a ASUS ProArt Z690.

2 Less ports but you get 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports and the rest of the ports are USB 3.2 Gen 2 ready.

 

[pseudoid]

I wanted to add a little element on the fan controllers. I use a GPU+CPU water-cooled system. The fans are set to spin depending on how hot the water of the loop is running. The hotter it gets, the faster it spins. This is archived by a simple temperature measuring fitting. All this system is automated on the BIOS...

I've always thought a fan-based water cooling rig was a Frankenstein beast.

Like charging an EV from a Diesel generator???

 

[Doodski]

I agree with you, MB makers should include more USB ports, at least include more USB headers. I remember when motherboards would come with 3-4 USB 2.0 headers & 2 USB 3.0 headers. I would personally get a USB 3.0 hub and make sure its powered otherwise it runs at USB 2.0 speeds.



In terms of your MB, I think you paid a bit too much for it. That MB costs 2x of the ASUS Z690-P, you still don't get Thunderbolt 4/USB4 ports. Your MB supports Thunderbolt 4 through an add-on card (Which is dumb for how much you spent on the board already).

For that kind of money, I would've grab a ASUS ProArt Z690.
View attachment 228293
2 Less ports but you get 2 Thunderbolt 4 ports and the rest of the ports are USB 3.2 Gen 2 ready.

Ahhh.. I see the thunderbolt on that rear panel of the ProArt Z690. I never even thought about thunderbolt.
"Thunderbolt™ 4 Type-C® port."
That looks to be a speedy connection with versatility. Will we use that in the next 8 years?

 

[pseudoid]

~$500 ASUS ROG STRIX Z690-F GAMING WIFI motherboard recently and this is all it has for rear USB connections. After whipping out my camera and connecting, USB speakers, USB headphones and the usual other peripherals I'm pretty much out of non-USB-C ports.

There are a bunch of USB headers on the motherboard... but you know that already!

USB
Rear USB:Total 10 ports
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 port (1 x USB Type-C®)
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (2 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C®)
4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (4 x Type-A)
2 x USB 2.0 ports (2 x Type-A)
Front USB:Total 7 ports
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 connector (supports USB Type-C®)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header supports additional 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
2 x USB 2.0 headers support additional 4 USB 2.0 ports
From <https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-z690-f-gaming-wifi-model/spec/>

Thank ThatF1Key for providing you the resources...
I have an older Asus (Extreme) that I was never able to fix... as one of the 'front panel' USB headers (NOT the other one) "falls a sleep" sometimes and there is no way to wake it up unless a cold boot... even disabling all power saving features...

 

[ThatM1key]

Ahhh.. I see the thunderbolt on that rear panel of the ProArt Z690. I never even thought about thunderbolt.
"Thunderbolt™ 4 Type-C® port."
That looks to be a speedy connection with versatility. Will we use that in the next 8 years?

40 gigabits/sec transfer speeds and up to 8K 60hz video output (USB-C to DisplayPort 1.4 adapter). Newer motherboards will come with USB4 which will mostly likely be 40 gigabit/sec but device/MB makers can choose the 20 gigabit/sec option but I don't know why that's an option at all since we already have USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. To answer your question, I think TB4/USB4 would be useable for a long time since we already have SSDs that can achieve that speed. Ironically as I'm writing this, the USB group is working on USB 4 Version 2, which is 80 gigabit/sec.

Thank ThatF1Key for providing you the resources...

I can't tell if your being sarcastic but I felt a visual aide was better.

 

[Doodski]

40 gigabits/sec transfer speeds and up to 8K 60hz video output (USB-C to DisplayPort 1.4 adapter). Newer motherboards will come with USB4 which will mostly likely be 40 gigabit/sec but device/MB makers can choose the 20 gigabit/sec option but I don't know why that's an option at all since we already have USB 3.2 Gen 2x2. To answer your question, I think TB4/USB4 would be useable for a long time since we already have SSDs that can achieve that speed. Ironically as I'm writing this, the USB group is working on USB 4 Version 2, which is 80 gigabit/sec.

This box I built has to last me 8 years'ish. So if I need TB4 I'll have to get an add-on card. It's a gaming box used for general purpose internet surfing and streaming.

 

[ThatM1key]

This box I built has to last me 8 years'ish. So if I need TB4 I'll have to get an add-on card. It's a gaming box used for general purpose internet surfing and streaming.

I would hunt for add-on card now before they go poof (Just like the TB3 add-on cards). If you ever get a TB4 add-on card, get a used one because there usually half the price.

 

[Doodski]

I would hunt for add-on card now before they go poof (Just like the TB3 add-on cards). If you ever get a TB4 add-on card, get a used one because there usually half the price.

I checked and the motherboard is a Type 4 header. A new Type 4 expansion card is CDN $156.00 and that is all they stock. I checked used and there was zero search results with thunderbolt.

Asus ThunderboltEX 4 PCI-E Expansion Card w/ Dual Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, Dual Mini DP - PCI-E RAID Cards - Memory Express Inc.

www.memoryexpress.com

 

[Vacceo]

I've always thought a fan-based water cooling rig was a Frankenstein beast.
View attachment 228294
Like charging an EV from a Diesel generator???

The ultimate method would be using a buffer tank connected to the house heating system. But that is hardly practical under the conditions of where I live.

 

[ThatM1key]

I checked and the motherboard is a Type 4 header. A new Type 4 expansion card is CDN $156.00 and that is all they stock. I checked used and there was zero search results with thunderbolt.

Asus ThunderboltEX 4 PCI-E Expansion Card w/ Dual Thunderbolt 4 USB-C, Dual Mini DP - PCI-E RAID Cards - Memory Express Inc.

www.memoryexpress.com

The Canadian market is fucked. See if there's any MSI THUNDERBOLTM4 card for cheap.

 

[Doodski]

The Canadian market is fucked. See if there's any MSI THUNDERBOLTM4 card for cheap.

Not in Canada. I'm sensing a premium is being charged for the privilege of owning Thunderbolt 4 gear. The local PC parts retailer/etailer has 2 thunderbolt display monitors, and some network server sorta things using thunderbolt. It does not seem to be very common/popular.

 

[pseudoid]

U-C? Here is an alternative take on HDMI/DP/TB/USB:.

USB-C is set to replace the DisplayPort and HDMI ports on almost all consumer-grade electronics (it’s already the standard on MacBooks).
This is possible because USB-C cables support what are called alt modes. This is a little confusing, but every USB-C cable contains four data transfer lanes, and each lane has a bandwidth of 20 Gbps. In alt mode, the direction of these lanes can be altered, so a computer can send data at a rate of 80 Gbps to, say, a monitor.

Sound familiar? The 77.37 Gbps data transfer rate of DisplayPort 2 can fit comfortably in a USB-C alt mode. This doesn’t mean that you’ll need an adapter to connect a USB-C cable to a TV or monitor. It means that your next DisplayPort 2 compatible TV or monitor will have USB-C ports, and you’ll be able to transfer video from any phone or computer to that display via USB-C.
That being said, it’s likely that DisplayPort 2 will come to high-end devices and displays before it comes to $200 laptops and discounted TVs. HDMI 2.1 is capable of handling 10K video, so there isn’t much incentive for manufacturers to immediately abandon the technology for cheap products.
From - https://www.howtogeek.com/426579/displayport-2-whats-different-and-why-it-matters/

 

[Prana Ferox]

"It's already the standard on MacBooks" brings back memories of FireWire

 

[Berwhale]

My new Fractal Design Pop Mini Silent case comes with a small pull out tray in one of the 5 1/4" bays for storing 'bits'...

I think it's quite a good idea! I found this aftermarket draw which you could add to any case...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Storage-Drawer-5-25inch-Desktop-Computer/dp/B07SHTFMSC