Introduction
ASUS is expanding its BTF hidden cables PC components lineup with the reveal of a new flagship graphics card, motherboards, and PC chassis. ASUS began introducing its concept of cleaner-looking cable-free PC configurations last May when it allowed a demo model motherboard and graphics card to be shared online that showed the cable ports being moved to the backside of the motherboard. It wasn’t too long after that in July when it debuted another concept model at Computex 2023 featuring a White Edition GeForce RTX 4070 and then a few months later would at last officially announce the new line as BTF (Back-to-Future as a direct reference to the movies) with the limited release of its GeForce RTX 4070 BTF graphics card. Now the manufacturer is adding NVIDIA’s top-tier GPU as ASUS expands its cable-free lineup.
Introduction to BTF
For those that are just now reading about BTF, it is part of a growing trend we’re seeing to create a new standard that moves all connectors to the back of motherboards to remove all cables from the view of the system, allowing for a very clean build. BTF stands for “Back-to-The-Future” and we assume that the first t is a silent t. It’s also not BTX, because that’s already been tried before.
ASUS has much longer write up in its Edge Up blog post that’s worth a read if you want to dig into the details.
Overall, we find BTF (and the other connector to the back concepts) to be interesting from an aesthetics perspective but we’re hesitant about the practicality of component compatibility. ASUS told us at CES that they are working with a number of case manufacturers to implement BTF compatibility with products hopefully shipping later this year. Until then, unless you’re handy with a dremel, there’s very few cases to pick from.
The other practicality concern we have is related to the lifespan of the standard – if you want to upgrade your BTF motherboard in 2-3 years, will it still be around so you can keep using your BTF GPU if you want?
BTF Graphics Cards
ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 BTF Edition
The ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 BTF Edition is essentially the same as its non-BTF counterpart, at least in terms of specs, but with one notable difference, the 16-pin connector on the side has been removed. The 12VHPWR connector has been replaced by an extra PCIe power connector on the PCB next to the PCIe 5.0 interface.
ASUS has gone on to add that it is introducing two new Z790 BTF edition motherboards capable of completing an advanced BTF build. The ROG Maximus Z790 Hero BTF and ROG Maximus Z790 Dark Hero also feature nearly the same specs as their non-BTF counterparts except for moving nearly every cable port to the backside of them. ASUS has also added a white edition TUF Gaming Z790-BTF WiFi.
TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER BTF White Edition
ASUS has done the same with its newly announced TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER BTF White Edition as it has with the ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 BTF Edition above.
BTF Motherboards
ASUS also had its two new BTF motherboads on display, both based on Intel’s Z790 chipset. In general, these boards are the same as their ATX counterparts but have all connectors moved to the back of the motherboard.
BTF Motherboard Specifications
ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO BTF | |
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Size | ATX |
Memory | 4 x DIMM, Max. 192GB, DDR5 |
PCIe | 2 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (@x16 or @x8/x8) 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 |
Storage | 1 x M.2 22110 (PCIe 5.0 x4) 4 x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4) |
Networking | Intel® Wi-Fi 7 1 x Intel® 2.5Gb Ethernet |
Rear I/O | 2 x Thunderbolt™ 4 ports (2 x USB Type-C®) 6 x USB 10Gbps ports (5 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C®) 4 x USB 5Gbps ports (4 x Type-A) |
Front I/O | 1 x USB 20Gbps connector (supports USB Type-C®) 2 x USB 5Gbps headers (support 4 USB 5Gbps ports) 2 x USB 2.0 headers (support 4 USB 2.0 ports) |
Aura | 3 x Addressable Gen 2 headers 1 x AURA RGB header |
Cooling | 1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header 1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan header 1 x 4-pin AIO Pump header 4 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers 1 x W_PUMP+ header |
Power | 1 x Graphics card high-power slot (delivers up to 600 watts) 1 x 24-pin main power connector 2 x 8-pin +12V power connector 1 x 12V-2X6 Auxiliary power connector |
TUF GAMING Z790-BTF WIFI | |
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Size | ATX |
Memory | 4 x DIMM, Max. 192GB, DDR5 |
PCIe | 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 slot 1 x PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (@x4) 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 slot |
Storage | 2 x M.2 22110 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1 x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4) 1 x M.2 2280 (PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA) |
Networking | Intel® Wi-Fi 7 1 x Intel® 2.5Gb Ethernet |
Audio | Realtek ALC1220P 7.1 Surround Sound High Definition Audio CODEC |
Rear I/O | 1 x USB 20Gbps port (1 x USB Type-C®) 3 x USB 10Gbps ports (2 x Type-A + 1 x USB Type-C®) 4 x USB 5Gbps ports (4 x Type-A) |
Front I/O | 1 x USB 10Gbps connector (supports 1 x USB Type-C®) 1 x USB 5Gbps header supports 2 additional USB 5Gbps ports 2 x USB 2.0 headers support 4 additional USB 2.0 ports |
Aura | 3 x Addressable Gen 2 headers 1 x AURA RGB header |
Cooling | 1 x 4-pin CPU Fan header 1 x 4-pin CPU OPT Fan header 1 x 4-pin AIO Pump header 4 x 4-pin Chassis Fan headers |
Power | 1 x Graphics card high-power slot (delivers up to 600 watts) 1 x 24-pin Main Power connector 2 x 8-pin +12V Power connectors 1 x 12V-2X6 Auxiliary Power connector 3 x 8-pin PCIe Power connectors |
BTF Cases
So the final missing piece for someone to make a BTF build is, of course, a case. Since nearly every cable port has been moved to the backside of the motherboard a PC builder is left with the dilemma of how to install these new components. Fortunately, ASUS has now announced two new PC cases to facilitate this. First is the flagship ROG Hyperion GR701 BTF Edition and then the much more modest TUF Gaming GT302 ARGB. Both of these cases can fit the new ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 BTF Edition.
We also got to see these cases up close with systems built in them at the ASUS CES Suite.
TUF Gaming GT302 ARGB | |
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Size | EATX (up to 12” x 10.9”), ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX |
Dimensions | 235 x 520 x 485 mm |
Materials | Steel, Tempered Glass, ABS Plastic |
I/O Ports | 1 x USB 10Gbps port (USB Type-C®) 2 x USB 5Gbps (2 x Type-A) 1 x audio combo jack |
3.5″ / 2.5″ Drive Bays | 2 |
2.5″ Drive Bays | 4 |
Expansion Slots | 8 |
Maximum GPU length | 407mm |
Maximum CPU Cooler Height | 165mm |
Maximum PSU Length | 220mm |
Radiator Compatibility | Front: 140/280 mm Top: 120/140/240/280/360 mm Rear: 120/140 mm |
Cooling Support | Front: 3 x 140 mm Top: 3 x 140 mm / 3 x 120 mm Rear: 1 x 140 mm / 1 x 120 mm |
Preinstalled Fans | Front: 3 x 140 mm ARGB PWM Fan Rear: 1 x 140 mm ARGB PWM Fan |
Removable Dust Filters | Front / Top / Bottom |
Cable Routing | 37mm |
Additional content and photos added by the Editor.