The War on Cables rages on!
The hottest trend from Computex back in May was decreasing, or in some cases eliminating, visible cable connections in the interior of desktop PC builds. And at least one manufacturer is in it for the long haul. According to reports coming out of China this week, Asus is preparing to manufacture graphics cards (and presumably matching motherboards) with extra header slots, allowing all the power your GPU needs to be supplied by the motherboard itself.
The news comes from WCCFTech, translating a video on China’s BiliBili video service, showing off a presentation from the BiliBili World trade show. Power is delivered via a conventional 12VHPWR rail, which runs to the back of the motherboard through the case and is delivered via a secondary header placed parallel to the PCIe 5.0 slot. Presumably the first model being prepared is a version of the RTX 4070 shown at Computex, though it isn’t clear whether or not more models will be made available. The GPU was paired with a specially designed Intel Z790 motherboard.
Asus will reportedly begin manufacturing cable-free (or at least cable-hiding) GPUs and motherboards later this year, presumably to hit retailers towards the end of 2023 or in early 2024. Other manufacturers with new cable-hiding tricks include MSI with its similar “Project Zero” hiding cables on the rear of the motherboard, Corsair’s RMx Shift series of power supplies that do the same thing, and the iCue Link system that lets you “daisy chain” power across fans and all-in-one coolers for a single cable going to the PSU. Even case designs themselves are being rearranged to help.
Asus
Asus
Asus
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer, PCWorld
Michael is a 10-year veteran of technology journalism, covering everything from Apple to ZTE. On PCWorld he's the resident keyboard nut, always using a new one for a review and building a new mechanical board or expanding his desktop "battlestation" in his off hours. Michael's previous bylines include Android Police, Digital Trends, Wired, Lifehacker, and How-To Geek, and he's covered events like CES and Mobile World Congress live. Michael lives in Pennsylvania where he's always looking forward to his next kayaking trip.