The front panel USB ports on your old computer are connected via SATA connectors.
The front panel USB ports on your old computer are connected via SATA connectors.
Hello, your setup is a bit unusual. The front panel you're using has SATA connectors and a separate power wire for USB devices. Your motherboard only provides one USB header and four SATA slots, but your new case uses standard USB 3.1 Type C and USB 3.0 connectors. Since the case doesn’t have the necessary ports, you’ll need a solution to bridge the gap. One option is to use a USB hub or splitter that supports both USB and SATA connections. Alternatively, if your case has a USB-C port with a built-in power adapter, you might be able to connect the SATA devices through a USB-C to SATA adapter. Check if your case or PC allows for such adapters.
I've never seen this before, so probably none... Short of creating an adapter from scratch (like, PCB design and soldering and whatnot), no. This is a fantastic example of prebuilts reengineering something that was fine in the first place.
I investigated a bit and found only the USB 3.1 connectors on the front left two ports are connected to the SATA ports. The other two ports and the card reader share the motherboard USB header. You might want to use the USB 3.1 10Gbps front panel connectors or connect your new case directly with USB headers. Check these links for options:
- https://www.amazon.com/LINKUP-Motherboar...08&sr=8-10
- https://www.amazon.com/Bewinner-Express-...26&sr=8-18
- https://www.amazon.com/Socket-Header-Ext...26&sr=8-24
It's strange to think about the expense of tailoring two PCB sets and creating a new driver just to cut costs on the usual USB3.1 connector and cable. It seems likely they were left scrambling once 3.1 was released, forcing a quick fix. My background in on-site tech support and working with unusual prebuilt systems has made it easier to uncover these kinds of details.
Based on what I've noticed online, other prebuilt systems have used similar setups too, so it seems they found it worthwhile to stick with that approach. For your situation, having just one proper USB header on your motherboard, you could potentially use a hub or an adapter to connect your 3.0/3.1 cables, but expect performance to be limited to USB 2 speeds unless you upgrade the hub.
the fastest solution would be to use a pcie addon card running USB 3.0 and plugging into that. The one I linked in my first reply has a pair of internal headers so you can also use the adapter to have both of the new standards if your new front panel has to use both cables. The other link in the first reply is a USB2.0 to 3.0 pin adapter which will give you USB2.0 speeds through a USB3.0 pinned connector. unfortunately it is still only USB2.0 on the motherboard so you are stuck with that speed. there is one super janky way to get full speed again https://www.amazon.com/Transmission-Adap...533&sr=8-4 using an adapter like this and double sided taping the front panel pcb from the asus case inside your new one (maybe behind the back panel or in a hdd cage) then you'll have "internal" USB 3.1 ports which can adapt to the new usb3.0 internal connector standard. I don't recommend that but it's the mad scientist method of making the most of the parts you have available.
I found the picture really interesting, but I overlooked the long list of links above it. I think I'll stick with the 3.0 to 2.0 adapter since a PCEI card might be too much for the front panel ports. Thanks a lot for your assistance!