USB Passthrough: What is it?

[SyntaxSocialist]

I'm really sorry if this is just an utterly ridiculous noob question, but I'm shopping for a case right now (for my first build) and some cases have 20-pin USB 3.0 connectors to attach directly to your motherboard, and others (e.g.: the Corsair Graphite 600T; http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139005) have a USB "passthrough" that looks to me like just your standard male-end USB 3.0.

If I were to buy a case that had such a USB 3.0 passthrough... what am I supposed to do with it? That 600T has me especially confused because the top PCIe knock-out has a hole in it specifically for routing that USB 3.0. passthrough. I'm confused

 

[mcnumpty23]

usb passthrough means it goes out that hole and plugs into usb 3.0 ports on the rear of the motherboard

for those motherboards that dont have the usb 3.0 header on them

 

[scurbox]

i had to delete my first post cause i quickly realized i was mixing it up with something else.

anyways +1 to mcnumpty23

 

[mcnumpty23]

some cases have both cables

my original haf x had passthrough cables as usb 3.0 had just came out then

but coolermaster later sent me a free cable to connect to the motherboard header

so i could use either option

 

[SyntaxSocialist]

Best answer selected by SyntaxSocialist.

 

[SyntaxSocialist]

Thanks! So if I understand correctly, a USB passthrough will use up one of the USB ports on the mobo, so really it just reroutes the 3.0 connection from the back of the case to the front/top. But if I wanted to, I could buy an adapter for the passthrough to a 20-pin connector and hook it up right to the mobo (assuming my mobo has a 20-pin USB 3.0 socket)?

 

[mcnumpty23]

yep--though rather than an adapter normally you replace the passthrough cable with a direct to

motherboard cable

simply because the passthrough cables are so long--though you can just cable tie them up