MSI presented a new motherboard at CES 2024. Many connections are located on the back of the board. If this becomes established, it could change how gaming PCs are built in the future.
Anyone who has ever assembled a computer has likely been frustrated with the troublesome cable management. However, with “Project Zero,” the way we build our gaming PCs could change in the future. It aims to make cables disappear from at least the front of the computer. But not every case is suitable for this.
New motherboards have connections on the back
What kind of motherboard is this? MSI introduced two new motherboards at CES 2024: the Z790 Project Zero (Intel) and the B650M Project Zero (AMD). Both belong to a new series of models.
The special feature of both models is that all cable connections have disappeared from the front. This includes connections for power supply to the motherboard or for the CPU, as well as connections for SATA cables. Only the slots for expansion cards, the graphics card, and the CPU remain on the front.
Are there any disadvantages? Yes, the new models require significantly more space on the back. You will also need a larger case for this. The colleagues at PCGamesN report that the new models go up to 50% deeper than conventional boards.
If you already own a large case, this shouldn’t be a problem. However, it looks different if you prefer a small, compact system. Whether more compact models will be introduced in the future is still unknown.
Price and Release: The prices and exact availability will be announced later, but they will come to market early in the year. Let’s hope that the models won’t be as expensive as MSI’s Godlike models.
Hiding or minimizing cables is not entirely new
The idea of hiding or minimizing cables is not entirely new. Even though MSI’s idea to do this with a motherboard is initially unique.
Many gamers now try to hide annoying cables when building their PCs by stuffing them into cable channels or securing them elsewhere in the case. This not only improves the appearance inside but also often improves airflow in the case.
Other manufacturers also offer at least comparable ideas: The manufacturer ASUS has introduced graphics cards and a motherboard that can be connected directly without requiring an additional power cable for the GPU.
The company Cablemod offers special kits for gamers to minimize the cables inside a system.
Manufacturer sells an Intel motherboard for 800 euros and makes a nasty typo on the model
