what if my mobo lacks a port for the front panel cable?
 

Looking for a motherboard as similar as possible to my old motherboard (which I couldn't find), I bought an old but allegedly unused motherboard. It works fine, but has a limitation that I didn't notice when I bought it, because I never catch every little detail as I should when I choose my components.

My new motherboard is the Asus M4A785TO-M Evo. The only problem is that it apparently does not have the port where you plug in the front panel cable. I kept looking at this board and realized none of the ports fit the connector. So, two of the four front USB ports are useless. Presumably, so are the audio ports.

There is not any problem turning the computer on, because the power cable connections are down where I expected them, in the lower right corner. Those little pins that the cables fit (very, very loosely) onto.

Ehh...I suppose I can solve the USB port problem by just plugging a USB hub into one of the two working ports. But I still wish I could just use the front panel cable, to keep things internal. Are there any modifications I could possibly make? Or some adapter I could fit onto the front panel cable, to make it plug it anywhere else?

What model was your old motherboard? The Asus M4A785TD-M EVO seems to have pretty much the same connectors as my Gigabyte Z690-UD. Was your old motherboard perhaps something made specifically for your case?

The manual does show a front audio header but there is a note where the I/O module was sold separately. Without knowing anything about the existing front audio panel it isn't possible to say if it could be rewired to match the "new" motherboard's audio header.

Heya newbiesforever,

If you haven't yet downloaded the Owners Manual that's a good start. In section 1.10-5 you will see "Connectors" like below. You have the header but you might not have the lately common extension adapter that makes connections a breeze. That might not be a problem if your case has marked individual connectors - labelled for function and for some, polarity. It can be tedious because access might be tight but as long as you follow the diagram and polarity where specified, it's pretty easy.

It might be more challenging with audio and USB but that will depend on your case, not the mobo. If it has either the same configuration as your mobo OR if the case panel leads are separated and labeled, just follow the diagrams.

My old board was...Asus M5A78L-M Plus. To my knowledge, it was not made specifically for this case.

It looks like the front audio connectors have the same pin out between the two boards just not in the same location.

None excepting total OEM jobs are. Cases, assuming you got the case as a lone deal and not as an OEM system, are designed to be fairly universal as well as a substantial upgrade from most OEM PC system cases.

I really like my Fractal Meshify C but lately I've been lusting after one of these new profile cases than turns everything around 90 degrees. I don't like RGB so I don't care much for the face-on view of the mobo but I surely do like the idea of having what used to be Front and Back access switched to the Sides for far easier access.

Is that the complete model number, because I'm not finding an exact match? However, it appears to me that all the boards in that series have the same USB 2.0 internal connectors that your new board has. Each of the internal USB 2.0 connectors supports 2 USB 2.0 ports, and your existing connectors from the front panel should plug right on.

The front panel audio connectors also appear to be the same as your old board, so I don't understand what problem you are having.

Precisely what is "the front panel cable"?

I was gonna ask precisely the same question ... Is there any sort of model-number or product-number on that case? (And: can you just buy a new metal box and be done?)

I don't know what else I would call such a cable as this. It's a cable. That comes from the front panel and, if connected, would allow some of the front ports to operate. That's why I called it the front panel cable. It looks similar to this: https://imgs.search.brave.com/WY5iAE...MzdBRDE3LmpwZw

If that is a single cable that is carrying front panel audio plus 4 USB ports, then it is a proprietary cable intended to plug into a proprietary motherboard, and you are unlikely to find another motherboard that accepts such a cable unless you go back to the manufacturer of your system. What brand is your system?

1-8 of the manual, headers 12 and 15. Unfortunately you have a single block connector.

Your options are to either source another front panel USB/audio block with separate jumpers or to just live without it. A pity these weren't standardised...

Where the heck did you find that manual? None of the variants I can find have that "single block connector".

BTW the photo of your USB cable appears to be USB-C. If your case doesn't have a USB-C connector, you need a new case if you want C on the front panel.

Sorry, confusing wording on my part.

The board has headers as described in the manual. There is one for the audio and as I recall, three USB headers.

The OP's case has a single block connector wired from the front panel USB / audio, which is incompatible with the above.