[SOLVED] Using motherboard's internal USB 3 connector to plug in DVD drive: is it possible? and how?

Jan 21, 2021
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Here's the situation:
I got an ASUS RoG Maximus XII Formula (mobo), which has 3x M2 slots and 6x SATA3 ports.
Now, I've plugged two M2 SSDs in the first two slots, but to make them work at top speed (4x) I had to sacrifice the PCIEx socket and the SATA ports number 5 and 6. Fine by me.

Next I've plugged in two HDDs to make a RAID_1 volume.
This has left me with only two more SATA ports to use.

One of the two left SATA ports is taken by a 500GB SSD, while the other....
I wanted to use the last one for a 1TB HDD that would work as a temporary repository for downloads and as Windows' temp files dumpster.

But!!
I've used the last SATA port for a DVD drive (I know, they're becoming obsolete, but I still got games on DVD!), and now I don't know how to plug the 1TB HDD in!!

I got a couple of options, in mind:

A) Move one of the M2 SSDs to the third slot, which taps onto the 3rd PCIEx 16x slot (never gonna use it!).
This poses a number of problems, first of all that it's on the back of the motherboard. There's very little room left for anything, back there, which excludes any heatsink (looking at you, Force MP600 480GB!!).
True, the Force MP510 240GB comes with no heatsink, but the motherboard kindly supplies one for the front slots.
But would it be wise to move the MP510 to the back of the motherboard, leaving it with no heatsink and no ventilation, so to free up the last two SATA ports?

B) Leaving the DVD drive inside the case, while tracing a USB3-to-SATA data cable from one of the back panel's ports and directly supplying it with power from the PSU.
This would be almost good, but not so elegant.
So I thought, maybe I could make use of one of the internal USB3 sockets to plug the DVD's data line in. But how?!
Is there any cable that allows this kind of connection?
A cable that directly translates into a SATA connector would be great, but even just a USB female connector would still help. I think....?

Also, any cable that translates USB to SATA, but leaves the power supply out?
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
If you've got a game library on disc media, then you should think about having an external optical drive that operates off of USB.

If I were you, I'd either;
1| Make an ISO of all the games I own and use Daemon Tools to work off of them.
2| not sacrifice the M.2's right now and have the optical drive inside the case, while the HDD is in an enclosure
3| have an external ODD.
 
Jan 21, 2021
22
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I recommend you get an external DVD for 20 dollars on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=dvd+burner

I already have the burner, a full-size one.
External would be easy, but very inconvenient because of the cables, especially the power supply one!!
Also, almost all of the portable ones on (my) Amazon are the typical "chinese level of quality" or just USB 2.

Leaving the drive inside the case, and supplying power through the PSU, would be the absolute best.
 
Jan 21, 2021
22
1
15
If you've got a game library on disc media, then you should think about having an external optical drive that operates off of USB.

If I were you, I'd either;
1| Make an ISO of all the games I own and use Daemon Tools to work off of them.
2| not sacrifice the M.2's right now and have the optical drive inside the case, while the HDD is in an enclosure
3| have an external ODD.

Making an ISO out of every game DVD I have would quickly fill my 3TB RAID 1 array.
Not possible.

I wanna use the HDD as Windows' temp files dumpster, thus it must be always accessible to the OS during the boot sequence.
I doubt the external enclosure would work.

The external ODD could work, if there were any worth the money, on Amazon.
Seriously, maybe it's because there's not much market for this stuff, that quality brands don't produce any?!

As odd as it may seem, connecting the burner through USB inside the case seems the best option, to me.
If only I knew a bit more about cable formats...... -.-'
 
Jan 21, 2021
22
1
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I recommend a SATA to USB3 adapter that also has external power, such as this one, and turn your ODD into an external one.

Why the external power supply?!
The best would be to take advantage of the PC's PSU.
Also, I wanna connect it to the internal USB 3 ports, rather than the external ones.

My intention is to have a USB-3-connected DVD burner that looks exactly like an internal one, invisible cables included.
 
Why the external power supply?!
The best would be to take advantage of the PC's PSU.
Also, I wanna connect it to the internal USB 3 ports, rather than the external ones.

My intention is to have a USB-3-connected DVD burner that looks exactly like an internal one, invisible cables included.
It's not guaranteed that USB can provide enough power for internal optical drives to run reliably. If you notice, most USB external optical drives run at low speeds, like 8x for DVD when it can go up to 24x in full size internal drives. Internal drives won't know they're connected via USB, so they'll try to operate like normal and may end up drawing more power than the USB port can provide. At best, this means the drive just doesn't work. At worst, you may potentially burn out the port.
 
Jan 21, 2021
22
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It's not guaranteed that USB can provide enough power for internal optical drives to run reliably. If you notice, most USB external optical drives run at low speeds, like 8x for DVD when it can go up to 24x in full size internal drives. Internal drives won't know they're connected via USB, so they'll try to operate like normal and may end up drawing more power than the USB port can provide. At best, this means the drive just doesn't work. At worst, you may potentially burn out the port.

You didn't read my reply thoroughly enough: I want to connect the data line to the USB 3 connector, BUT the power line would come straight from the PC's internal PSU.

Powered like an internal, connected line an external.

It's just that that cool connector kanewolf suggested isn't available, here, so I'll have to connect three cables in succession: MoBo -> USB 19-pin to 2x USB 3 female cable -> usb adapter for external SATA units -> male/female SATA data cable -> DVD burner
 
You didn't read my reply thoroughly enough: I want to connect the data line to the USB 3 connector, BUT the power line would come straight from the PC's internal PSU.

Powered like an internal, connected line an external.

It's just that that cool connector kanewolf suggested isn't available, here, so I'll have to connect three cables in succession: MoBo -> USB 19-pin to 2x USB 3 female cable -> usb adapter for external SATA units -> male/female SATA data cable -> DVD burner

Just get an add-on SATA card to add more ports https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007607 600022631 For an external DVD drive USB 2 vs 3 does not matter for the DVD drive, the data transfer of the disk read dos not need USB 3 speeds, and you don't need a power for them since they run off the USB power, usually they come with a dual head USB cable to pull power from two ports.
 
Jan 21, 2021
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For those wondering, I have theoretically solved the issue: on the local Amazon site I've found a USB 3 19pin-to-USB A female adapter, and a USB 3 type-A -to- SATA (data only!!) adapter.
To that I'll connect a SATA data cable, which will then reach the DVD burner. To supply power I'll just connect the burner to the PSU.

Not sure when this stuff will arrive, but it should work pretty fine.
 
Jan 21, 2021
22
1
15
Just get an add-on SATA card to add more ports https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007607 600022631 For an external DVD drive USB 2 vs 3 does not matter for the DVD drive, the data transfer of the disk read dos not need USB 3 speeds, and you don't need a power for them since they run off the USB power, usually they come with a dual head USB cable to pull power from two ports.

I should've specified that the PCIEx slot is not available. My motherboard's M2 slots share bandwidth with the PCIEx slot, SATA ports 5 and 6, and the 3rd PCIEx 16x slot. By setting the M2 slots to 4x mode, these slots and ports all get disabled or downgraded.
Since both the first and second M2 slots are taken, the PCIEx slot and the SATA ports are all disabled.

Furthermore, both the USB 2 internal connectors are taken, one by the frontal USB ports, and the other by the cooling system's RGB.

The only options left are the USB 3.2 19pin connector (meant to stem into two more frontal USB 3 ports) and a USB 3.2 20pin connect (for a USB 3 type-C port).

I know that a USB 3 is a waste of bandwidth, for a DVD burner, but at the same time I can't really see any other viable way to connect it without resorting to an external box (and that's a no go, for me).
The upside is that it will use the internal PSU for the power, which will save me the headache of finding a free socket to plug the umpteenth wallwart in.
 
I should've specified that the PCIEx slot is not available. My motherboard's M2 slots share bandwidth with the PCIEx slot, SATA ports 5 and 6, and the 3rd PCIEx 16x slot. By setting the M2 slots to 4x mode, these slots and ports all get disabled or downgraded.
Since both the first and second M2 slots are taken, the PCIEx slot and the SATA ports are all disabled.

Furthermore, both the USB 2 internal connectors are taken, one by the frontal USB ports, and the other by the cooling system's RGB.

The only options left are the USB 3.2 19pin connector (meant to stem into two more frontal USB 3 ports) and a USB 3.2 20pin connect (for a USB 3 type-C port).

I know that a USB 3 is a waste of bandwidth, for a DVD burner, but at the same time I can't really see any other viable way to connect it without resorting to an external box (and that's a no go, for me).
The upside is that it will use the internal PSU for the power, which will save me the headache of finding a free socket to plug the umpteenth wallwart in.

You don't need external power for an external DVD player, they draw the power from USB ports. https://www.amazon.com/External-Por.../B07QNTWHZF/ref=psdc_1292121011_t4_B08NW69PDT
 
Jan 21, 2021
22
1
15
You don't need external power for an external DVD player, they draw the power from USB ports. https://www.amazon.com/External-Por.../B07QNTWHZF/ref=psdc_1292121011_t4_B08NW69PDT

It's possible that in other countries they sell actual good-quality external DVD burners, but here where I live I can only see chinese-level-of-quality crap.
Also, I've already bought the burner, I don't wanna throw it away and spend more money for something that would become just an inconvenient piece of hardware that never manages to find its place in the room.
"Internal is better. Internal is love." (No innuendo intended).

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I've already written all of this in a previous reply.