ASUS has unveiled its brand new TUF Gaming B760M-BTF motherboard which has all its connectors placed on the underside of the PCB.
ASUS Flips All Connectors To The Backside of Its TUF Gaming B760M-BTF Motherboard Making For Neater Cable Management
The idea of hiding or placing the connectors on the backside of the PCB isn't new. We got to see it first with Gigabyte's Stealth and MSI's Project Zero before. Now, ASUS has its own product that is following the same principle of moving connectors to the back which not only allows for easier but also neater cable management in gaming PCs.
According to ASUS, the "BTF" branding means “Back To (the) Future” for a new era for all PC DIY gamers; the BTF series hides all its connectors on the underside of the motherboard for clean cable management and a minimalist build appearance. The first product within this BTF lineup is the TUF Gaming B760M-BTF WIFI D4 motherboard.
ASUS TUF Gaming B760M-BTF Motherboard Front:
The ASUS TUF Gaming B760M-BTF WIFI D4 is the same model as the B760M WIFI D4 with the biggest change being the connectors that have been moved to the back. The plugs that have been shifted to the backside of the PCB are those that require a cable connection. We can see the power connectors, Fan/RGB headers, USB headers, front-panel headers, and SATA ports all moved to the back. There's also a single M.2 slot that's been placed on the back but the non-BTF board also has one due to space constraints on the front side of the board due to its Micro-ATX form factor.
ASUS TUF Gaming B760M-BTF Motherboard Back:
Now motherboards like these require specific cases which they are compatible with. The backside connector layout is something that's not yet a standard and the majority of chassis manufacturers don't make their cases with backside connectors in mind since there aren't a lot of these boards in the market.
ASUS recommends that you check the support page for the motherboard to see if your chassis can house this motherboard otherwise you'll end up with the internal frame of your chassis blocking out the connectors. Nevertheless, these motherboards are great for PC modders and DIY builders and we hope to see more options soon along with compatible PC cases.
