The idea of having all power and interface connectors on one side is not a new one, and motherboard manufacturers have been experimenting with this concept for a few years now. MSI’s Project Zero and Gigabyte’s Project Stealth are some examples of prototypes we have seen. ASUS has also been exploring this idea, and a few months ago they revealed their first concept called DIY-APE, which was expected to launch for Intel 600, AMD 600, and future motherboard chipsets. With the launch of the Intel B760 series behind us, ASUS has now announced their first motherboard based on this concept, but with a new name.
The TUF Gaming B760M BTF is a Micro-ATX design that uses the Intel 700 chipset, which is currently the most affordable option. The main idea behind this motherboard is to have all the required connectors and headers on one side of the board. This approach would simplify cable management and make it easier to access most of the connectors. However, it’s important to note that this only works if the PC case has all the necessary holes for the connectors.
ASUS has opted to include DDR4 memory on this board, making it more cost-effective to build a system around it. It officially supports up to 4xDDR4-5333 overclocked memory. Additionally, users will have access to a built-in 2.5Gb Ethernet port as well as WiFi-6.
The Gigabyte Stealth series was released exclusively with Maingear prebuilt systems, and are not available for purchase in the DIY market. However, the ASUS BTF motherboard will be the first of its kind to be commercially available. Unfortunately, ASUS has not disclosed any pricing details as of yet.
Via ASUS