Help finding a motherboard with front usb support

DeadPark121 · #1 24th February 2010, 01:06 PM

Hello everyone

right now i'm slowly buying parts to build a tower myself. i just got the case, it's a full size tower for an ATX motherboard. it has 3 usbs, 1 esata, and the audio jacks on the front for easy plug in. but i'm wondering, how do i hook those up? do i need a special motherboard that supports them? or do i just plug into the ports on the back and loop them back through the case or something?

i haven't bought a motherboard yet, so any help picking one out that would support the front usbs would be appreciated. but please keep in mind i don't have a whole lot of money, so try to pick lower priced boards for suggestions.

this computer is going to be used mostly as a file server for the house, so it doesn't need to have high graphics or a monster CPU or anything like that.

forkbomb · #2 24th February 2010, 01:14 PM

There are almost always some headers for hooking up USB to the case itself (or to those expansion cards you can get that let you trade a PCI slot for extra USB ports on the back).

http://www.directron.com/installusb.html
http://www.dansdata.com/images/newbox/headers440.jpg

DeadPark121 · #3 24th February 2010, 01:31 PM

^_^ thank you, that helps alot

i think i know what to do now

forkbomb · #4 24th February 2010, 01:37 PM

Not a problem. I've only really built one computer (serviced quite a few more), and the hookups for front USB were already attached to the case - I assume that's how most cases are. Just a matter of finding the right pinouts on the board. Good thing they were long enough - some cases supposedly make their front USB cabling too short.

jpollard · #5 24th February 2010, 02:30 PM

My case had a removable half height slot for USB - motherboards frequently have
unused USB controllers (my supermicro X7DCA-3 has a total of 10 USB controllers, only two
have connections to the case... and the connections are small USB hub devices...
One controller in the rear, one on the front panel (which, as hubs, each has multiple
connections).

One USB project I thought of was a nearline storage array using USB connections..
The disks would be offline until turned on (only one at a time), then automounting
would take over. Control of the array would be by a USB device that turns on/off a
specified disk...

Usefull for backup disks...