[SOLVED] USB 2 Header: Is using 2 single row USB cables OK?

[drewski989]

I have the Asus Sabertooth Z170s. I also use a Corsair H100iv2 cooler. The cooler uses a mini USB cable that plugs into a USB 2 header on the motherboard (it is a double row female end, with 5 on top row, 4 on the bottom row).

Now I purchased the corsair led lighting kit, which requires the exact same header/cabling. This is a crappy design, since one mini USB consumes a full header. I do not have an open header, since like a reasonable person, I like my front panel USB ports to function and thus that consumes the other USB 2 header.

Now for my question: Can I buy 2 of the single row mini USB 2 cables and plug one into the top row of the header and one in the bottom row? (Assuming that I turn them the right way)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NA7O23N

Not sure if Corsair makes these USBs this way to idiot proof them from people plugging them in backwards or if I am the idiot .

I cannot for the life of me find a direct answer and nothing theoretically jumps out at me as improper, but the 5th pin / no 5th pin worries me... I read elsewhere the 5th pin in the top row is shielding or some such thing.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Aeacus]

For some background reading what the 10th pin is, you can read it from here (read the answer below to almost the same issue you have),
link: https://superuser.com/questions/619...extra-ground-pin-10-in-an-internal-usb-header

Rather than going with those 2x wires you linked above (where you could easily mess up if you flip one of the internal header connections to fit into bottom row and hence feeding +5V into ground), i'd suggest you rather get yourself a NZXT internal USB hub,
specs: https://www.nzxt.com/products/internal-usb-hub
amazon: https://www.amazon.com/NZXT-Internal-Controller-Black-AC-IUSBH-M1/dp/B01IFGFTJ2
video review:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQv0zn6oOAQ

I have those NZXT internal USB hubs in use with my Skylake and Haswell builds (full specs with pics in my sig) with the very same reason where i run out of USB 2.0 internal headers.

 

[drewski989]

The hub is a good solution, I looked at them earlier while googling my issue. I didnt really want to bring molex into the equation, but I guess this is the better safe than sorry approach. Something simple like this ends up being a frankenstein. Thanks for the info!

Why Corsair, who wants us to use their iCue and as many RGB products we can stomach, would not make a dual mini USB to USB header connector or at least something similar to this NZXT hub is kind of silly in my book.