Motherboard and Front USB-C Port

[gohan2091]

So the motherboard I selected for my build using the very limited selection of motherboards from PCS list is the ASUS Strix B550-F. The case I sent in is the Phanteks p600s which has a front USB-C port. I've discovered today that the motherboard does not have a front USB-C header. What are my options? Can I get a PCI-E card that does the same thing? If the Strix B550-E was available I'd select that as its a superior board but only the -F is an option. Do I really want to pay an extra £81 for the Asus Strix X570-F? Just for a front USB-C port? Not really.

I've gone with the 5950x, 2x16GB Corsair Vengeance 3600mhz and 1x M.2 Samsung 980 Pro drive.

 

[Ash_]

I mean... ideally with a 5950X... you’d want the Crosshair VIII. Seems a bit strange to build such a powerful machine and cheap out on the motherboard and i’m not sure the Strix B550 will hold up too well.

 

[AgentCooper]

Ahem... to add a slightly more constructive take on things than the previous post... the Crosshair VIII is the ideal motherboard to match with that CPU as the VRM and heat sinks on that board are the most capable.

The ROG Strix X570 is the next in line but not entirely ideal as it may be at risk of throttling if it’s under load from the processor.

The Crosshair VIII is supposedly back in stock on the 15th April so it’s definitely worth waiting and opting for that combined with the 5950X.

OP, it’d be handy if you took a look at the linked thread and responded with the appropriate info (namely budget, uses for the system, and the make & model of monitor you’ll be using), it will help advise on your system, at the moment we don’t know anywhere near enough 👍

Please read before posting:- Collaboration of Helpful Hints

NB: These forums are not an official support channel. None of us work for PCS, we're all either customers or techies who just like to help out where possible. For any official support, you need to contact PCS directly either through your PCS account, or via the contact details on the main...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[SpyderTracks]

So the motherboard I selected for my build using the very limited selection of motherboards from PCS list is the ASUS Strix B550-F. The case I sent in is the Phanteks p600s which has a front USB-C port. I've discovered today that the motherboard does not have a front USB-C header. What are my options? Can I get a PCI-E card that does the same thing? If the Strix B550-E was available I'd select that as its a superior board but only the -F is an option. Do I really want to pay an extra £81 for the Asus Strix X570-F? Just for a front USB-C port? Not really.

I've gone with the 5950x, 2x16GB Corsair Vengeance 3600mhz and 1x M.2 Samsung 980 Pro drive.

Those specs are not going to work well together, I would strongly recommend getting some advice.

But to answer your question that board does have an internal usb c header as all B550 and X570 boards do:

1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1(up to 5Gbps) connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)

ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING | Motherboards | ROG Global

rog.asus.com

 

[gohan2091]

Those specs are not going to work well together, I would strongly recommend getting some advice.

But to answer your question that board does have an internal usb c header as all B550 and X570 boards do:

1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1(up to 5Gbps) connector(s) support(s) additional 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 port(s)

ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING | Motherboards | ROG Global

rog.asus.com

According to the PDF from Asus, it doesn't: https://www.asus.com/microsite/motherboard/AMD-B550/doc/ASUS_B550_Full_Specs.pdf

The Crosshair board is an additional £175 on top of the motherboard I selected. I don't know if I can justify that. I don't think I cheaped out on the motherboard, I mean there are more budget boards available for selection that I dismissed. I've read that if I don't want a 2nd m.2 drive that a B550 board would be ideal. Can anyone explain why the Crosshair board would be ideal?

 

[Martinr36]

According to the PDF from Asus, it doesn't: https://www.asus.com/microsite/motherboard/AMD-B550/doc/ASUS_B550_Full_Specs.pdf

The Crosshair board is an additional £175 on top of the motherboard I selected. I don't know if I can justify that. I don't think I cheaped out on the motherboard, I mean there are more budget boards available for selection that I dismissed. I've read that if I don't want a 2nd m.2 drive that a B550 board would be ideal. Can anyone explain why the Crosshair board would be ideal?

Read @AgentCooper post above for why the Crosshair is ideal

 

[SpyderTracks]

According to the PDF from Asus, it doesn't: https://www.asus.com/microsite/motherboard/AMD-B550/doc/ASUS_B550_Full_Specs.pdf

The Crosshair board is an additional £175 on top of the motherboard I selected. I don't know if I can justify that. I don't think I cheaped out on the motherboard, I mean there are more budget boards available for selection that I dismissed. I've read that if I don't want a 2nd m.2 drive that a B550 board would be ideal. Can anyone explain why the Crosshair board would be ideal?

You can’t run B550 with that cpu, will just never reach anywhere near boosts and will burn out rapidly.

As said, all boards have 3.2 headers, doesn’t specifically serve the front panel, it can be allocated to anything.

 

[AgentCooper]

Can anyone explain why the Crosshair board would be ideal?

The CPU you’ve chosen is an absolute monster and will put out a large amount of thermal energy, something the motherboard needs to be able to regulate in order to function efficiently.

Again, please let us know your budget, system uses and monitor. This information is invaluable when it comes to suggestions.

 

[Deleted member 17413]

Compltely agree...the 5950X and aB550 is a BAD combo, wont properly support the CPU and would imagine all sorts of throttling issues.
Little confused why you'd spec a full premium video editting and hardcore data processing chip on a mid-range motherboard...

Im assuming this is a photo editing or video editing machine too? wouldnt you want more RAM for that?
If this is a gaming (possibly streaming too) system, the CPU doesnt make sense anyway...

Best advise I can give is put your budget up, what your intended uses are, what monitor(s) you intend to use and either wait for some spec proposals or suggest your own.

Not being mean, but left to your own devices, you are heading down a really weird route that will end up unbalanced and you wont get anything like the lifespan you should from it, while burning cash for no real reason.

Use the resource available here, theres a LOT of knowledge here on the forums, the Mod's genuinely know their stuff.

 

[gohan2091]

The PC is a 50-50 split between gaming and video/photo editing. I originally had the 5900x selected but decided to spend the extra on the 5950x due to the gains in certain things (yes I know for gaming in some games its actually a few percent slower than the 5900x)

Why are people asking what monitor I have? Why does that matter? So at the moment I'm on a 1440p 60hz monitor. I plan to get a higher refresh rate 4k monitor but since I downgraded the gpu from a 3080 to a 3060ti (due to the long wait) I've decided to keep using this monitor and just enjoy playing games at 2k for the next few years.

I've selected 32GB RAM. Sibun1 why do you think I need more RAM than that? It should be suitable for my needs.

I've seen the ASUS STRIX B550-E regularly paired with the 5950x on several review sites. The one I selected is the F variant which is similar. So if this is not suitable then I either go with the x570 Strix or the Crosshair. Isn't the Crosshair for people who want to overclock to the extreme? That isn't something that I want to do really. I don't have a budget but I'm always conscious of what I spend.

 

[Deleted member 17413]

When it comes to gaming, the monitor and GPU are basically paired together, theres nothing to gain by putting a 3070 on a 1080p monitor...its a bit different when it comes to video editing and 3D modelling.

The RAM is down to how much video/photo editing you'd want to be doing and at what resolution, if its just a hobby then 32GB should be more than enough, if you are doing it professionally you would want more.

Personally, if the split is kinda 50/50 and the video editing side isnt job/preofessional, i'd look at the 5900X and pair it to a Tuf 570X or Strix 570X....more balanced for your uses and frees up the budget a little.

The easiest way to work it all out, is tell us more about your uses, what software you would want to be running and what the budget is, because these guys will tune your spec to give you as much performance as possible and aimed at your uses.
There needs to be some level of synergy in the components you select and the uses for it, mixing high spec parts with low spec just to maintain budget doesnt actually give you the best system you can get. They need to compliment each other.

 

[gohan2091]

I already understand that the monitor and gpu are paired together when it comes to gaming. What I don't understand is why I was asked what monitor I am using when I am talking about the motherboard. I'm going to be gaming at 2k like I have been before my old pc broke. The 3060ti is going to do that job fine at 60hz and I'll keep it for a few years before I get a better gpu. Hopefully then I wouldn't have to wait months and months to get a decent gpu.

I will be using Adobe Suite which includes Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator and Premiere. Purely on a hobby basis.

I'm the sort of person who keeps the cpu long term and will upgrade the gpu every 2 or 3 years. That's pretty much the only upgrading I do. I'm happy to keep the 5950x I'm just trying to select the motherboard.

Everywhere I've read says you can use a decent B550 motherboard with the 5950x and that some B550 boards are more modern and better than their x570 counterparts. The selection of motherboards on PCS I find very poor. I'm reluctant to spend £175 extra on the Crosshair Hero as its an old board, I heard their is an annoying fan and the Dark Hero version is superior in many ways. There is no Dark Hero option on PCS. I almost wish I could send in my own motherboard so I'd have more choice. I'm leaning towards the ASUS STRIX X570-F but wish the superior E version was an option.

 

[AgentCooper]

I already understand that the monitor and gpu are paired together when it comes to gaming. What I don't understand is why I was asked what monitor I am using when I am talking about the motherboard.

The reason why we ask is because we don’t feel it’s appropriate to advise on just a single component. I take it you didn’t read the thread I initially linked for you in my first post as that explains things very eloquently.

At the end of the day, we don’t want to give you bad advice so providing us with an initial spec, a budget, system uses and a monitor is invaluable information and really does help us to help you.

 

[SpyderTracks]

A well designed PC is all components working in unison so it’s balanced. If you’ve got inbalanced parts it leads to bottlenecks and reduces performance as you are configuring now.

It’s up to you of course, but I would strongly accept some guidance over blindly following questionable review sites.

 

[gohan2091]

I do appreciate everyone's advice but I posted asking about the motherboard and the lack of USB-C header for the front of the case I selected. The ASUS cheat sheet I posted above shows some boards that have the USB-C front panel header and some that don't. The B550 motherboard I selected doesn't show as having this which is why I want to change it.

I'm totally comfortable in the idea that a 5950x is fine with B550 motherboards providing they are decent boards. If anyone is suggesting that x570 boards are always better than B550 then I disagree. Some B550 motherboards are very good, with good vrms.

I've read lots of articles, watched lots of YouTube videos from channels like Gamers Nexus, Jayztwocents, bitwit, hardware unboxed and linus. I've also read countless posts from various forums. I don't care for a 2nd PCI-E gen4 slot. I don't want to extreme overclock, I don't need lots and lots of sata ports. These are the main differences between x570 and B550 from what I understand. .

However the motherboard selection on PCS is very poor and I have no option to provide my own motherboard of choice. I dislike the X570-F board after researching it. I wish the E variant was available. I wish boards like the Tomahawk, TUF Gaming-Pro, Meg and AORUS were available to consider. I've decided to change my order to the Crosshair VIII Hero. I wish the Dark Hero was an option though . I know this board is fantastic but it's very expensive and I'd likely not need half its features. The error code display would be useful though for troubleshooting. I'm not completely happy with this motherboard either as its overpriced compared to some competitors and apparently the chipset fan sits directly under the gpu...

As I said, I'm the sort of person who likes to keep the motherboard and cpu going for years and I tend to only upgrade the GPU so I know this board will keep me going. My previous PC before getting this one was running an Intel i7 2600K for almost a decade. That's how long I keep the core components for.

 

[kindabroken]

So the motherboard I selected for my build using the very limited selection of motherboards from PCS list is the ASUS Strix B550-F. The case I sent in is the Phanteks p600s which has a front USB-C port. I've discovered today that the motherboard does not have a front USB-C header. What are my options? Can I get a PCI-E card that does the same thing? If the Strix B550-E was available I'd select that as its a superior board but only the -F is an option. Do I really want to pay an extra £81 for the Asus Strix X570-F? Just for a front USB-C port? Not really.

I've gone with the 5950x, 2x16GB Corsair Vengeance 3600mhz and 1x M.2 Samsung 980 Pro drive.

Gohan,

I know this is late. But I just ordered the Asus ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING and it appears that I'm missing the USB-C header as well. I think you said that you changed your order to the Crosshair VIII Hero (that thing is awesome!).

I think Googling "Type E Expansion Card PCI Express 3.0" is the answer.

Doing some research I think the work around to enabling the front panel USB-C would be buying this.
• https://amzn.to/3lIU0fW - I think the Type E port on the board of this adapter is what we would plug the cable from the front panel into.

Or a two piece setup like this, that would also give quite a few more USB ports out the back as well.
• https://amzn.to/3DvCXUF - to give another USB header
• https://bit.ly/3IwDOIl - to go from the USB header to USB-C header (which, I think is the Type E port)

Since I'm in my return window, I might do what you did and return my motherboard then buy one that supports the front panel USB-C natively. But hopefully this is the solution for anybody not able to return their motherboard.

- Kindabroken