[Potentially trivial question] How do USB ports on cases work?

MichaelMcGrade

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Jan 2, 2014
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When I am reading PC case descriptions I constantly see that it has say for example
"2 x USB 3.0 and 2 x USB 2.0 ports on the front of the case"
And then I see the attached images which show them exactly as described.

However, if the motherboard doesn't line up exactly to fit the exact position of the ports on the case, how exactly do they work?
 
Solution
The ports have a cable that is connected to the motherboard by something called a header. USB 2.0 headers are different from USB 3.0 headers. When you install your motherboard, you need to connect the right cable to the appropriate header. The headers are keyed, so only one connector will fit into it - you can't go wrong.


Here are the types of connectors from your case
usb3pic3.jpg



This is the USB 3 header on the board :
asus_p7p55_usb3_l_copy.jpg


This is the USB 2 header on the board:
image.png
The ports have a cable that is connected to the motherboard by something called a header. USB 2.0 headers are different from USB 3.0 headers. When you install your motherboard, you need to connect the right cable to the appropriate header. The headers are keyed, so only one connector will fit into it - you can't go wrong.


Here are the types of connectors from your case
usb3pic3.jpg



This is the USB 3 header on the board :
asus_p7p55_usb3_l_copy.jpg


This is the USB 2 header on the board:
image.png
 
Solution


Wow! Thank you for the incredibly speedy/informative response!
Does this however have an impact on performance?
 
You're welcome.

Connecting via cables does not change the speeds of USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. The cables aren't very long so the slowdown is negligible.

The speed of USB 2.0 stays up to around 480mb/s and the speed of USB 3.0 stays up to 5gbps. (these are the advertised speeds)
 


Once again, thank you very much for your speedy response (and everyone else for your replies)!