BTF 3.0 concept PC showcases “cable-free” PSU design and other improvements
DIYAPE and Colorful showcase their first BTF 3.0 concept PC
DIYAPE and Colorful have showcased what’s next for the “BTF” (Back To The Future) backside power connection standard. With BTF 3.0, DIYAPE has taken things to the next level with a “cable-free” PSU connector and a new GPU power concept.
Using a single 50-pin connector on an Intel ATX 3.1 standard power supply, up to 2145 watts of power can be delivered to a PC. 1680W of this power is reserved for the user’s CPU and graphics card.
PSUs can be connected directly to a PC’s motherboard or through a dedicated ribbon cable. This allows this new power standard to be used with dedicated BTF 3.0 PC cases and more traditional (albeit BTF-compatible) PC case designs.
With BTF 3.0, almost all PC cables can be removed from view. This brings PCs one step closer to being fully cable-free.
BTF 3.0 GPU design
With BTF 3.0, we also have a power adapter design that converts GC-HPWR power to 12V-2×6. This allows GPU manufacturers to easily create graphics cards that are compatible with BTF-style motherboards while retaining support for standard PC power connectors. Note that this is similar to what ASUS has achieved with its BTF 2.5 graphics cards.
This new power adapter is intended to make BTF-compatible graphics cards more common. It removes the need for two independent power delivery ports. However, it means that BTF GPU users would still need to use a 12V-2×6 power connector.
Unified case IO connector
Another aspect of BTF 3.0 is its use of a single connector for motherboard IO ports. This makes connecting these cables a fast and easy process. No more looking at motherboard manuals to see where your power button and LEDs connect. Note that this new connector doesn’t do away with traditional cable designs. It’s merely an interface that can standardise future back-connect PC cases and motherboards.
Minimising cable-clutter
If you want to minimise cable clutter at the front and rear of your PC, the BTF 3.0 standard is appealing. However, some PC builders will not like the prominence that this design gives to power supplies. Most PC builders prefer their PSUs to be hidden away. For the PC below, the PSU is the most visible part of this system.
BTF 3.0 takes “hidden cable” PC designs to a new extreme, and it seems unlikely that this design will be widely adopted anytime soon. Radical changes to PSU design are uncommon, and it will be challenging to convince PSU manufacturers, motherboard manufacturers, and case manufacturers to collaborate on this at scale. That said, back-connect motherboards are becoming increasingly common. Perhaps there is demand for this next-level BTF experience.
You can join the discussion on DIY APE’s BTF 3.0 concept on the OC3D Forums.
