I built a PC With MSI's Project Zero Motherboard: Moving all the ports to the back for a cleaner, quicker build with better airflow

[Admin]

MSI's Project Zero motherboard moves all the ports to the back. Here's what it's like to build a PC around one.

I built a PC With MSI's Project Zero Motherboard: Moving all the ports to the back for a cleaner, quicker build with better airflow : Read more

 

[MiniITXEconomy]

Seemed like a cool idea to me, putting all those ports on the back. Then Paul from Paul's Hardware tried to convince us all otherwise, and I remember thinking, "what an out-of-touch man... he should get outta the tech game." Then just a few short months later, he did!

But now that we know all about Paul, let's discuss this motherboard: I still think it's cool.

 

[hotaru251]

with better airflow

the few cables in a build don't effect airflow much at all...

especially with aio.

The concept is nice, but the main issue will always be case compat.

 

[Eximo]

I want to see a reverse PCIe x16 also at 90 degrees/or riser cable so you can actually use all the expansion slots on the front of the motherboard. Always compromising around these massive GPUs. Though that would be an even more disruptive change in case design, though there are plenty of the dual chamber chassis ready for it.

 

[edzieba]

My main gripe is that if you're going to go to all the trouble of board redesigns and needing non-standard (or at the very least a new standard) chassis to put everything in, then why half-arse things by still having a bunch of loose cables dangling around the the back that you need to plug in manually?
If you're already having to use a bunch of custom hardware and are already selecting new component locations, then instead do what OEM PC manufacturers do: use a fixed power distribution plane, and use the self-centring-insertion variants of the Molex Mini-Fit Jr connectors that already exist. That way, the act of installing and screwing down the motherboard itself ensures the motherboard is now fully connected to the power backplane.
You can even go one step further and integrate the front-panel header & USB headers this way, as well as fan and SATA breakouts.

 

[Notton]

My main gripe is that if you're going to go to all the trouble of board redesigns and needing non-standard (or at the very least a new standard) chassis to put everything in, then why half-arse things by still having a bunch of loose cables dangling around the the back that you need to plug in manually?
If you're already having to use a bunch of custom hardware and are already selecting new component locations, then instead do what OEM PC manufacturers do: use a fixed power distribution plane, and use the self-centring-insertion variants of the Molex Mini-Fit Jr connectors that already exist. That way, the act of installing and screwing down the motherboard itself ensures the motherboard is now fully connected to the power backplane.
You can even go one step further and integrate the front-panel header & USB headers this way, as well as fan and SATA breakouts.

My guesses:
- Extra cost
- This new "standard" has multiple partners. It's quicker and easier to agree to where the punched out holes should go. Locking down the connectors to a specific spot is restrictive.
- It's marketed towards DIY enthusiast segment, not OEM "shove as many out the door as fast as possible" market.

 

[PEnns]

Finally.

Someone is thinking outside the box. This the future of PC building,

 

[user7007]

My main gripe is that if you're going to go to all the trouble of board redesigns and needing non-standard (or at the very least a new standard) chassis to put everything in, then why half-arse things by still having a bunch of loose cables dangling around the the back that you need to plug in manually?
If you're already having to use a bunch of custom hardware and are already selecting new component locations, then instead do what OEM PC manufacturers do: use a fixed power distribution plane, and use the self-centring-insertion variants of the Molex Mini-Fit Jr connectors that already exist. That way, the act of installing and screwing down the motherboard itself ensures the motherboard is now fully connected to the power backplane.
You can even go one step further and integrate the front-panel header & USB headers this way, as well as fan and SATA breakouts.

Agreed, they could make it easier (not just move it all to the back) without much effort.. They also didn't use the idea that Asus is floating around of not using the big external graphics card power connectors but having essentially another pci-e1 type connector for power. That build would look substantially better with a white gpu and no gpu power cables.

 

[deesider]

Agreed, they could make it easier (not just move it all to the back) without much effort.. They also didn't use the idea that Asus is floating around of not using the big external graphics card power connectors but having essentially another pci-e1 type connector for power. That build would look substantially better with a white gpu and no gpu power cables.

Since graphics cards are so long and overhang the motherboard they could just put the power connector on the bottom.

 

[brandonjclark]

I don't care if it helps airflow or not. It's a turn on...

 

[vanadiel007]

The idea is good, but they should just make a new PSU/motherboard standard with a single 100 PIN connector and have everything including GPU's powered from that.

Should be a system where the PSU directly connects to the MB with a single 100 PIN non-wired connector. Super simply to install and never have to worry about what cables go where.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

Since graphics cards are so long and overhang the motherboard they could just put the power connector on the bottom.

That's what I've been suggesting for quite a while.

There's no logical reason not to.

Especially since so many modern cases come with a 'PCIe x16 Riser Card' to move your Video Card location.

You can now just "Omit" the 'PCIe x16 Riser Card' and spend that extra money on (proper shielding/extra MoBo layers) to move the x16 lane for the Video Card to the very bottom.

Also, Standardize on Right-Angle Connectors on the edges of ALL MoBo's and agree to place proper holes in the case along the edge of the MoBo's for the correct size form factor.

Spoiler: Old MoBo with Right-Angle connectors

That's far easier w/o having to break existing standards.

Also, NO MORE M.2 slots on the Mobo please.

I like my normal PCIe slots, I can always adapt to M.2 with a adapter card.

I can't get my PCIe slot back from a M.2 card.

I also want U.3 or a improved U.4 to take over from all the SATA/SAS connectors.

Imagine how clean your MoBo will look once it has U.3 connectors on the edges.

Spoiler: Here's what a MoBo with U.3 ports along the edge would look like.

 

[RandomWan]

Seemed like a cool idea to me, putting all those ports on the back. Then Paul from Paul's Hardware tried to convince us all otherwise, and I remember thinking, "what an out-of-touch man... he should get outta the tech game." Then just a few short months later, he did!

But now that we know all about Paul, let's discuss this motherboard: I still think it's cool.

He's still doing tech videos as far as I am aware.

 

[Amdlova]

How much this will cost case, power supply motherboardddddddddddddddddddddd and some other things 😀

 

[Motion3269]

This case looks exactly like the ASUS ROG Strix Helios case I way overpaid for last year. It also had an RGB and fan header board for control from buttons on the top of the case but I removed them so that I can control the RGB and Fan from software (and have the RGB in sync with music). Routing through the back definitely grows on you.

 

[Motion3269]

My main gripe is that if you're going to go to all the trouble of board redesigns and needing non-standard (or at the very least a new standard) chassis to put everything in, then why half-arse things by still having a bunch of loose cables dangling around the the back that you need to plug in manually?
If you're already having to use a bunch of custom hardware and are already selecting new component locations, then instead do what OEM PC manufacturers do: use a fixed power distribution plane, and use the self-centring-insertion variants of the Molex Mini-Fit Jr connectors that already exist. That way, the act of installing and screwing down the motherboard itself ensures the motherboard is now fully connected to the power backplane.
You can even go one step further and integrate the front-panel header & USB headers this way, as well as fan and SATA breakouts.

they put in velcro ties at 3 or 4 places along the middle to keep the cables together. It can still be a pain to route through especially for shorter cables.

 

[P1nky]

No image of the fully build from the front!!! Good job! I have no idea how the system looks and the impact of the missing cables!

 

[LuxZg]

We're redesigning everything just to show off a clean build through a window. But here's an easy solution! Just put a window on the other side of a normal ATX build. If you want to show off your GPU (which is the only interesting component of this particular build) just pull a ribbon cable to the backside and put it over the clean ATX backside. That way only thing to redesign is a case which is cheap, and all other hardware components can stay actually standard as they are (these backside inventions can hardly be called a standard at this point with amount of supported components it's getting).

Or as it was mentioned above already, if you're creating whole ecosystem from zero, because literally nothing from existing ecosystem is compatible, then do it properly. I like the idea of PSU having hard direct plug to MBO, same should be done with GPU and pull the power through MBO. Andbyou say extra cost is a problem in that case? Really? For enthusiast DIY show-off crowd that will pay 3000$ for GPU, 1500$ for MBO, and will even go for 1000$ case (despite case materials and production can't be over 100$). So added 20$ because of different power deliver is a "meh" moment. Actually case should have like a daughter board (or multiples of them) so MBO plugs into case, PSU plugs into case, and GPU plugs into either case or MBO. NOW! Really, I am copyrighting this right away, because you could do custom case with pre-set plugs in the case and have zero wires with all 100% standard components. Actually, let it be known publicly I am officially opensourcing this design standard so anyone can join the fun!

 

[Eg0]

180 deg adapters (available on Amazon) will clean up those gpu power cables. There are plenty of 90 deg options out there to help with the cables pushing against the back panel.

 

[the_stixXx]

I have a love hate relationship with this idea.

First I love it because it is so streamlined, if that is the look you are going for, and it really makes the build look ultra clean and neat. Very contemporary in nature.

Second I hate it as an artist and builder. Why? Because I love the look of meticulously run and organized cables. It highlights the builders/artists abilities to take something that is, and can be, a mess and make it look beautiful, neat and clean. The textures and colors that cables present add to the build and, in my opinion, make it more beautiful and interesting to look at. It also gives the viewer the something other to look at than just components.
Meticulously running and displaying cables takes effort and thought. When they are just plugged in the back, it can be a rats nest and, unless you are highlighting the back of the build and the builder is cable managing the back and showing that off, no one would know.

Now, there are certain cables, ones you can't pull apart, or at least I haven't tried to, that can't be sleeved or I haven't seen be sleeved, like SATA cables that may be a good idea to place on the back of the MB, but the power cables, 24, 6, 8, 4, pin connectors, I feel when done nicely, are what add that extra WOW factor to a build and scream custom built PC.

Most anyone can take a component, screw it down in a case tray and plug in an AIO and call it a "custom" PC, and although people can be creative and selective with the components they choose to give it a unique feel, it's like buying an Orange County Chopper and calling it a custom chopper, it's just hard to swallow.

Great article and it's an interesting path that this motherboard presents but cables are part of the "custom" nature of a build, therefore, I feel without them the PC looks plain and cold.
This is my opinion of what makes a custom PC and I am not putting down or disrespecting anyone who finds this type of build beautiful and "custom". Art is all about interpretation and building PCs is an art form.

 

[dryphi]

They should start making GPUs with the power connectors on the back as well, so there's no GPU power cable coming through to the front.

 

[Ryan F. Mercer]

I've seen plumbing moved to the back, and that just seems like a bad idea, since leaks should be where you can see them. Moving all the ports and wiring to the back seems like a brilliant idea, but back panel gaps are going to need to get deeper.

 

[deesider]

I have a love hate relationship with this idea.

First I love it because it is so streamlined, if that is the look you are going for, and it really makes the build look ultra clean and neat. Very contemporary in nature.

Second I hate it as an artist and builder. Why? Because I love the look of meticulously run and organized cables. It highlights the builders/artists abilities to take something that is, and can be, a mess and make it look beautiful, neat and clean. The textures and colors that cables present add to the build and, in my opinion, make it more beautiful and interesting to look at. It also gives the viewer the something other to look at than just components.
Meticulously running and displaying cables takes effort and thought. When they are just plugged in the back, it can be a rats nest and, unless you are highlighting the back of the build and the builder is cable managing the back and showing that off, no one would know.

Now, there are certain cables, ones you can't pull apart, or at least I haven't tried to, that can't be sleeved or I haven't seen be sleeved, like SATA cables that may be a good idea to place on the back of the MB, but the power cables, 24, 6, 8, 4, pin connectors, I feel when done nicely, are what add that extra WOW factor to a build and scream custom built PC.

Most anyone can take a component, screw it down in a case tray and plug in an AIO and call it a "custom" PC, and although people can be creative and selective with the components they choose to give it a unique feel, it's like buying an Orange County Chopper and calling it a custom chopper, it's just hard to swallow.

Great article and it's an interesting path that this motherboard presents but cables are part of the "custom" nature of a build, therefore, I feel without them the PC looks plain and cold.
This is my opinion of what makes a custom PC and I am not putting down or disrespecting anyone who finds this type of build beautiful and "custom". Art is all about interpretation and building PCs is an art form.

Some hard tube water cooling is a fine alternative to show-off build skills and is more impressive than carefully run cables

 

[purposelycryptic]

MSI's Project Zero motherboard moves all the ports to the back. Here's what it's like to build a PC around one.

I built a PC With MSI's Project Zero Motherboard: Moving all the ports to the back for a cleaner, quicker build with better airflow : Read more

It seemed cool, until I saw the mess of cables in the back. For me, a clean build is clean everywhere - my cases for the past decade and a half went from Antec P180-series to Fractal Define's, so nobody was ever going to actually see the interior unless I opened it up to show off my work like some kind of Hotrod at a show (which I only received requests for... twice? I think?).

So having a hideous mess of cables hidden behind the motherboard is no different from having it in front for me. If I'm going to make it nice, it'll be nice everywhere, regardless of whether 99.9% of people will never see it (same philosophy I have for my home).

That usually involves making custom PSU cables and sleeves, custom-cutting and sleeving fan cables, replacing connectors, sometimes remodeling the motherboard backplate or cutting and refinishing the top of the case for a custom radiator shroud, getting all your tubing just the right length to seemlessly interface with your fittings, restructuring the case interior to remove parts you don't need or create the perfect mounting for something you do (disassembling everything, removing rivets and spot welds, etc, cutting parts to shape or replacing them with new ones), stripping and anodizing the aluminum and/or electroplating the steel, and so on. In the end, everything fits like it was made to go together, because a lot of it was.

You don't have to go that crazy, of course, but a "clean" build that simply hides a mess of unsightly wires behind the MoBo is like a pig with a whole lot of makeup - in the end, it's still a pig.