[SOLVED] connect USB 3.0 case ports to USB 3.2 mobo connectors?

[coyote2]

I'm a noob builder.

My case isn't a new model (Thermaltake Core V71 Tempered Glass Edition), so it's got a pair of top panel USB Type A ports which are USB 3.0

My motherboard (ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero), OTOH, is a new model; with one each of these:
"USB 3.2 Gen 2 Front Panel connector"
"USB 3.2 Gen 1 header"

Which if either can I connect the two case ports to? And if so, what speed will the connection be at, please?

 

[richiestang_78]

The new USB naming system is a nightmare. But yes you have a standard USB 3 header on you mobo.

 

[coyote2]

Sweet, thank you very much for your reply, richiestang!
I'm happy that my panel ports won't be useless.

Can I hope that despite the case panel ports being 3.0, they'll get all the performance that the mobo is delivering? (Or do 3.0 specs lack connectors or cable bandwidth to deliver 3.2 performance?)

 

[richiestang_78]

Sweet, thank you very much for your reply, richiestang!
I'm happy that my panel ports won't be useless.

Can I hope that despite the case panel ports being 3.0, they'll get all the performance that the mobo is delivering? (Or do 3.0 specs lack connectors or cable bandwidth to deliver 3.2 performance?)

No you will be limited to usb3 speeds.the ports themselves need to be 3.2 to get those papers along with using the new style header.

 

[coyote2]

Thanks very much, sir!

 

[Paperdoc]

A little more detail. After several stabs at this, the USB creators have landed (so far) on this naming system. ALL USB3 system now are called USB 3.2 Genxxx, and all previous systems are compatible with a few caution notes. Original USB 3 and USB 3.1 are now all part of USB 3.2 Gen1. USB3 cables with the old-looking Type A connectors and sockets all still work for all of this. But NOTE (you may know already) that USB 3 cables are DIFFERENT from USB 2 because of the number of wires and contacts needed for the faster data rates. The differences between the Gen numbers in USB 3.2 is in the hardware at the end of the cables.

USB 3.2 Gen1 has a data transfer max rate spec of 5 Gb/s
USB 3.2 Gen2 has a data transfer max rate spec of 10 Gb/s
USB 3.2 Gen2x2 has a data transfer max rate spec of 20 Gb/s

A cautionary note on data rates and cables, though. There are cheap cables and high-quality cables, and some overpriced cables and some really good cables at reasonable prices. It's hard to tell by sight, so look for good evaluations. There is a genuine question whether the classic (but upgraded to USB 3) Type A connector is capable of data speeds over 5 Gb/s reliably. So it is recommended (strongly so for Gen 2x2) that you use cables with the new Type C (much smaller) connector system at the higher speeds. In YOUR case, OP, you can connect your Type A case sockets to either Gen1 or Gen2 mobo headers. It MAY be, once such devices are available, that you don't achieve the data rates over 5 Gb/s from the Gen 2 headers if the Type A sockets are not quite up to it.

May be? Why did I say that? These USB 3.2 systems have been designed and deployed now intending that their max data rates are already much higher than any device currently in use. As faster future devices are deployed, they will not be limited by the USB 3.2 communication system capabilities for some time to come.

Simple devices like keyboards and mice are slow, and can be handled easily by the older USB 2 system (max 0.48 Gb/s)
Faster data devices like SATA III HDD's certainly need the speed of Gen1. For mechanical hard drives (spinning disks and moving heads), the mechanical parts cannot move fast enough to deliver data any faster than about 2.5 Gb/s, which still does not get to the SATA II limit. Many modern SSD's can exceed that SATA II limit (3 Gb/s), but still are well within the capabilities of the new USB 3.2 Gen 1 limit. The very fastest SSD units may exceed that and benefit somewhat from the Gen 2 increased ability, but they are not close to the 10 Gb/s limit. There is nothing on the current market over that data rate.

 

[coyote2]

Thank you very much for the helpful and wonderfully informative essay, Paperdoc!

"Original USB 3 and USB 3.1 are now all part of USB 3.2 Gen1"

I did notice this while googling after the previous responses. This is the craziest thing I every heard!

Taking a quick glance yesterday at my case's USB3 case connector, I didn't see where to plug it in on my new mobo. Hopefully a minute to read the manual will enable me to find where. Otherwise, if it actually is non-compatible with the mobo I'll post photos.

 

[Paperdoc]

See your mobo manual p. 1-2. The USB 3.2 Gen1 header you need for your case front panel connection is item 10 near front middle, just below the 4-pin CHA_FAN2 header. I believe that supports 2 Gen1 sockets. And above that is a new socket called USB Type E (item 9) to plug in a single USB 3.2 Gen2 front panel Type C socket. But your mobo may NOT have a socket or cable for that - mine does not, too. Note that the mobo already has four USB 3.2 Gen1 Type A sockets on the rear panel plus eight USB 3.2 Gen2 ports (7 Type A, 1 Type C) on the rear panel (manual p. 2-15). Although it has no exposed USB panel sockets, the mobo does have two headers for them (supports 2 sockets each header) - see manual p. 1-16. On my machine, since I have several older USB2 devices and a powered Hub, I got a small accessory bracket that fits in an unused rear panel slot next to the mobo PCIe slots, and carries two dual USB2 sockets fed by a pair of cables and plugs for these mobo headers, so that gives me 4 rear USB2 Type A sockets.

 

[dennphill]

Great replies, Paperdoc. THANKS! Well, I'm not a noob - just an old man who occasionally builds a new PC - (to keep up with the kids)! Ran today into a similar "USB issue" and find many, many similar questions and some (only some) good answers. Yours, Paperdoc, is there with the best. OK here's my issue: (Preface: these days very LOUSY and incomplete documentation on comonents!) Newest build for me is with a Ryzen 5-5600X and I got a ASUS TUF Gaming B550M Plus motherboard. GPU I have is a monster and so I bought a new case - a (very, VERY!) nice Lian Li 001D Mini Snow White - which has as bad an Installation Guide as the ASUS Users Manual! So I knew I wouldn't have a header on the ASUS MB for the case's USB-C port, but I figured I would have a MB header connection for the case's 2 USB 3.0 ports on the top by the ON switch. So what do i see in the docs? Lian Li says there is a cable from the 2 USB 3.0 ports on the case top to the motherboard, for a "USB 3.0 - Supports motherboard USB 3.0 20 Pin header." And then the ASUS MB says (Motherboard Overview) "Item 8. USB 3.2 Gen 1 header. The USB 3.2 Gen 1 header allows you to connect a USB 3.2 Gen 1 module for additional USB 3.2 Gen 1 poers. The USB 3.2 Gen 1 header provides data transfer speeds of up to 5 Gbps." So I call ASUS and ask if their USB 3.2 Gen 1 header will take the cable from the Lian Li case cable for the top two USB 3.0 ports and (finally, after 15 minutes) I was informed that, NO, I could not connect the case USB 3.0 header cable to the motherboard...that it was NOT COMPATIBLE! So, I think they are wrong. I think the cable will connect and give me two USB 3.0 plug on the top of the case. Do you agree, Paperdoc. (Or am I missing something here?) Y'all take care and stay healthy and happy and well!

 

[Paperdoc]

Unfortunately, I think Lian Li is right. They have not updated the labels they use on their web page, though.

The case has three USB 3 ports on the top. Two of those are Type A sockets and both are fed from a mobo USB 3.2 Gen 1 header, which your mobo has on the front edge about 2/3 down from the top. This is a (20-1) pin header - two rows of 10 pins with one corner pin missing. The Lian Li manual on p. 10 calls this a "USB 3.0 20 Pin Header", but the current term is USB 3.2 Gen1. That is capable of 5 Gb/s max on each port. The third port is a Type C socket, and the Lian Li manual says it needs to be fed from a different mobo header they label as "USB 3.1 Gen2". Proper term now is USB 3.2 Gen 2, and it is STRONGLY recommended that the Type C connectors be used for the higher 10 Gb/s max data rate. That Gen2 socket must be fed from what is called a USB Type E mobo socket your mobo does NOT have. A third-party cable for such a port looks like this

https://www.amazon.ca/Female-Extens...F1PCP8V0YF6&psc=1&refRID=XS1TZ023KF1PCP8V0YF6

Your case has one of those pre-installed, but you can see that its connector at the mobo end is quite different.

Your mobo has on its back panel three USB 3.2 Gen2 ports - two from Type A sockets, one from a Type C. Plus, it has four USB 3.2 Gen1 sockets of Type A. So you CAN use all those, but you don't have the option to plug a case front panel USB 3.2 Gen2 socket into a mobo header.

I have the opposite situation. My new system (birthday last year) has an ASUS TUF Z390M-Pro Gaming WiFi mobo which includes one of those Type E headers, but my case does NOT have any front panel Type C port, and I have no cable for such a port. The mobo does provide one Type C port and four Type A ports on the back panel all for Gen1, and one Type A back socket for a Gen2 port (even though it should be using a Type C?). I have considered getting one of those third-party cables to adapt my case to make use of the mobo Type E header, but I have no devices able to use that USB 3.2 Gen2 system, anyway.