One of many extra fascinating concepts that has been floating all over the world of gaming PCs in the previous few years is the idea of back-connect motherboards. The precept of those techniques is that as a substitute of plugging cables into the highest of your motherboard, the place they appear all messy, you plug them in from the again. Nevertheless, one of many builders behind this concept has simply proposed a brand new customary that can get rid of energy provide cables utterly, and it is known as BTF 3.0.
The BTF (or Again to the Future) customary is certainly one of two most important competing requirements for the back-connect idea in a number of the present greatest gaming motherboards, with Asus essentially the most well-known backer of BTF, and Asus’ greatest rival, MSI, selecting the competing Challenge Zero customary. Each ideas broadly provide the identical cable-tidying profit for the handful of motherboards and instances that at present assist the 2 competing requirements, however BTF 3.0 seems to be to take cable clearing to a complete new degree.
Launched by the chief architect of the BTF customary, DIY-APE, in a brand new YouTube video, BTF 3.0 would see energy provides incorporate a PCIe slot-like edge connector that takes care of delivering all the primary energy connections utilized by your motherboard. So, the 24-pin most important cable, the auxiliary CPU cable, and additional PCIe energy cables would all be routed by means of this single connector.
Addressing any issues folks might need about how a lot energy could be being pushed by means of a single connector, DIY-APE factors out that standardized server connections work in the identical means and are rated to properly over 2000W per connector, so the facility draw of a 200W CPU and 600W GPU needs to be simply achievable. In any case, it isn’t like the present GPU cable system is working flawlessly.
Included into the proposed design is even consideration for customers shopping for the brand new sorts of energy provides and motherboards however utilizing standard graphics playing cards. BTF graphics playing cards can use an additional edge connector to obtain additional PCIe energy from the motherboard, however with the assistance of a brand new riser card (proven under), current playing cards might work with the brand new system too.
DIY-APE additionally goes on to additionally suggest a brand new customary for headers for the USB-C, entrance panel audio, and energy/reset button cluster that you just join from the entrance of your case to your motherboard. This could imply that as a substitute of those options being scattered all around the motherboard in a non-standardized vogue, as is at present the case, all these options could be organized collectively so {that a} single becoming can plug all these connections in collectively, as proven under.
The concepts do not cease there. DIY-APE proposes two additional tweaks to current gaming PC design. The primary is to have fan energy and RGB cables pre-installed and routed by means of instances, in order that solely quick extensions are wanted to attach followers into the case’s wiring. Alternatively, they counsel followers might have feminine USB-C ports, with instances then integrating USB-C cables to plug the followers into.
I am not totally certain these final two are fairly such essential modifications as the primary BTF 3.0 energy provide concept, however they’re definitely meals for thought.
As for whether or not this concept is sensible, DIY-APE proves that it very a lot is. With assist from PC components maker Colourful and PC case maker Sego, DIY-APE has produced a working prototype of BTF 3.0, and it seems to be implausible.
As you may see from the picture above, the case has the facility provide mounted above the graphics card and in entrance of the motherboard. This creates an virtually floating design, with the motherboard, graphics card, and PSU suspended within the middle of the case and two rows of three followers pushing and pulling air up by means of the case.
It is a tremendous concept that I would like to see turn into broadly accessible. It in the end won’t show to be that sensible, by way of embracing the flexibility that’s such an indicator of PCs, however the alternatives for actually clean-looking but easy-to-build PCs are thrilling.
