Putting connectors on the backside of motherboards seems to be the new trend for 2023 as MSI has uncovered its Project Zero series motherboards. A few months back ASUS began revealing its prototype which is now heading to market, and GIGABTYE has its own version as well. MSI is launching its Project Zero series with the B760M for Intel, and the B650M for AMD processors. A leaked specifications slide from earlier this week has shown that a Z790 offering could be arriving soon also.
MSI Project Zero B760M description (per official page):
“The B760M PROJECT ZERO features a unique back-connect design that reduces the complexity of cable management, resulting in a neater and more aesthetically pleasing appearance for the system. It’s compatible with Intel 14th/13th/12th Processors, supports DDR5, and comes equipped with a 2.5G LAN and Wi-Fi 6E solution. This makes it an excellent choice among mATX motherboards.”
B760M Specifications:
- Chipset: INTEL B760
- CPU Support: Intel® Core™ 14th/ 13th/ 12th Gen Processors, Intel® Pentium® Gold and Celeron® Processors LGA1700
- Memory: 4x DDR5, Maximum Memory Capacity 192GB
- Memory Support: 7800+(OC)/ 7600(OC)/ 7400(OC)/ 7200(OC)/ 7000(OC)/ 6800(OC)/ 6600(OC)/ 6400(OC)/ 6200(OC)/ 6000(OC)/ 5800(OC)/ 5600(JEDEC)/ 5400(JEDEC)/ 5200(JEDEC)/ 5000(JEDEC)/ 4800(JEDEC) MHz
- Max. overclocking frequency: 1DPC 1R Max speed up to 7800+ MHz, 1DPC 2R Max speed up to 6600+ MHz, 2DPC 1R Max speed up to 6400+ MHz, 2DPC 2R Max speed up to 5600+ MHz, Supports Dual-Channel mode, Supports non-ECC, un-buffered memory, Supports Intel® Extreme Memory Profile
- Onboard graphics ports: 1x HDMI™, Support HDMITM 2.1 with HDR, maximum resolution of 4K 60Hz*, 1x DisplayPort, Support DP 1.4, maximum resolution of 4K 60Hz*Available only on processors featuring integrated graphics. Graphics specifications may vary depending on the CPU installed.
- PCIe Slot Support: SLOT 2x PCI-E x16 slot 1x PCI-E x1 slot PCI_E1 Gen PCIe 5.0 supports up to x16 (From CPU) PCI_E2 Gen PCIe 3.0 supports up to x1 (From Chipset) PCI_E3 Gen PCIe 4.0 supports up to x4 (From Chipset) STORAGE 2x M.2 M.2_1 Source (From CPU) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4, supports 2280/2260/2242 devices M.2_2 Source (From Chipset) supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 / SATA mode, supports 2280/2260/2242 devices 4x SATA 6G RAID Supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 for SATA storage devices
- USB Ports: 4x USB 2.0 (Rear) 4x USB 2.0 (Front) 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type A (Front) 3x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type A (Rear) 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type C (Front) 1x USB 3.2 Gen2x2 Type C (Rear)
- Network: LAN Realtek® 2.5Gbps LAN WIRELESS LAN & BLUETOOTH Intel® Wi-Fi 6E The Wireless module is pre-installed in the M.2 (Key-E) slot Supports MU-MIMO TX/RX, 2.4GHz / 5GHz / 6GHz (160MHz) up to 2.4Gbps, Supports 802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac/ ax, Supports Bluetooth® 5.3, FIPS, FISMA, Wi-Fi 6E 6GHz may depend on every country’s regulations and will be ready in Windows 11., ** Bluetooth 5.3 will be ready in Windows 10 build 21H1 and Windows 11.
- AUDIO: Realtek® ALC897 Codec 7.1-Channel High Performance Audio,Supports S/PDIF output
- I/O Connectors: 1x Power Connector(ATX_PWR), 2x Power Connector(CPU_PWR), 1x CPU Fan, 1x Pump Fan, 4x System Fan, 2x Front Panel (JFP), 1x Chassis Intrusion (JCI), 1x Front Audio (JAUD), 1x TBT connector (JTBT, supports RTD3), 1x Tuning Controller connector(JDASH),2x Addressable V2 RGB LED connector (JARGB_V2),2x RGB LED connector(JRGB),1x TPM pin header(Support TPM 2.0)
Leaked Z790 Specifications (per VideoCardz):
B650M PROJECT ZERO Features (per official page)
- Supports AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Desktop Processors
- Supports DDR5 Memory, up to 7600+(OC) MHz
- Premium Thermal Solution: Extended Heatsink Design and M.2 Shield Frozr are built for high performance system and non-stop works
- 2.5G LAN and AMD Wi-Fi 6E Solution: Upgraded network solution for professional and multimedia use. Delivers a secure, stable and fast network connection
- Lightning M.2: Running at PCIe Gen 4 maximizes performance for NVMe based SSDs
- Lightning USB 20G: Built-in USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 port, offers 20Gbps transmission speed, 4X faster than USB 3.2 Gen 1
- Audio Boost: Reward your ears with studio grade sound
Discussion (19 replies)
Join Discussion →How does this work, a quick check on most of my cases would not accomidate the connectors being plugged in with that configuration. The connector + cable would be too tall to do that.
You'll need a case that is specifically compatible with the board. Most boardmakers are making their own that work with their stuff, SilverStone is working on one that will work with multiple board makers boards. Case compatibility will be an issue with these until there's some sort of standard that everyone plays along with.
Here's as couple pictures I got at Computex that may help...
LMAO
Sorry, that was a funny joke.
Just like standardizing RGB. Right?
I like the theory - but something like this always needs some time in the cooker before it's ready for prime time.
And with motherboards already as expensive as they are, I don't see these gaining quick uptake either.
I like the idea personally. My next build will be one of these boards if I can get a compatible case that I like to fit the water loop I want to build with it.
However, I don't see it being possible with how picky I am on case choices. I really like my current case which I intended to reuse for my next build (8950x when it launches) but I got a feeling my current case wont work with them.
Yes, but paired with the adoption rate of BTX....
Yeah this was what I figured, which makes it pretty DOA IMHO.
About 1% of the cases actually look good, and why would I care about this feature... because of looks.
So vendor lock-in and expensive (and mostly ugly) cases will mostly likely be the end result.
A standard for this would be nice, as it does look nice and make cabling a bit easier. =)
@theblackangus Aahh okay, so your name is NOT "the black anus", I just got dislexic for a second. Cool, gotcha.
I bought a graphics card from a dude on once, one of his names (heatware or email or paypal or something, I forget) was "trevorsass" cuz his name is "Trevor Sass" but that is NOT how I read it...
Well this post was certainly on topic for the thread.
EDIT:
Putting connectors on the motherboard's underside is certainly very interesting, but indeed, that would really limit case choice. Pretty weird/neat idea though.
OR it would up your Dremel game. I swear the kids building computers today just don't know their local ER well enough....
Did nobody else race their dremels launching spinning CD's to see who had the faster dremel?
Mr. Dremel says "hi".
[edit: ninja'd]
The main advantage I see is for folks with air coolers. Big towers make working around those top two EPS12V connectors as well as any fan/RGB connectors pretty painful.
The disadvantage I see is that it will make the case wider, overall - have to have room for the connectors and the plugs. At this point I'd almost prefer something completely different: put the connectors flat, but instead of having them pointed away from the board, have them pointed inward. This way the power cables will be 'flat' against the back of the motherboard, instead of sticking out toward the right side panel, which should make case width easier to keep in check.
Neat concept, but not enough for me to change out everything I currently have.
Yeah, these would be more for new builds, but also for system integrators.
The RGB headers are all standardized. In fact, they were standardized largely outside of the computer industry. The issue is that the controllers which drive them are all different between manufacturers. This is why we don't have a unified software that can control them. Either something third party, or open source.
On the topic at hand, ASUS will most likely win this fight with whatever they push standard wise. They generally seem to lead the market with whatever they do. (Right or wrong, by force, or whatever.)
Yea for my system update with new motherboard/CPU/Ram and maybe Storage... I might look at one of these reverse mounted standoff motherboards. What would be REALLY nice with one of these is a template so I can mark where I would need dremel cuts outs to make my own holes.