BTF motherboards. Soon to be the standard, or unnecessary and expensive?

MissChief · 19 Dec 2025 at 12:02

Just reading about BTF motherboards and their integrated power connector and wondered if there’s a chance they’ll become standard or common as more cards are released that support it? Obviously power needs to be connected to the board somewhere, is this just a standard 12VHPWR connector elsewhere, with the same potential issues?

randal · 19 Dec 2025 at 12:18

Depends if Asus holds a patent on the design. If it stays proprietary I can't imagine it'll get a lot of traction in this market.

GoogalyMoogaly · 19 Dec 2025 at 14:08

Sapphire recently posted a similar design on X (or Twitter as I still call it) for their 970XT Nitro+.
Since I think Sapphire also make motherboards I guess they're the only ones that currently support it. But if they're more generous with the patent or licensing then maybe...

Jim99 · 19 Dec 2025 at 14:10

I like the idea, the current system is far more fiddly than it needs to be. But anything that requires multiple companies to collaborate tends to fail in the long run, especially when everyone has settled on the current design, so I'm not optimistic.

ATIorNvidia · 19 Dec 2025 at 15:06

Can't imagine it would ever be standard.

Yaayuh! · 19 Dec 2025 at 15:08

Not really bothered, even ASUS say it's just for aesthetics, whoop. Not sure it'll gain much traction.

MissChief · 19 Dec 2025 at 16:49

Yaayuh! said:
Not really bothered, even ASUS say it's just for aesthetics, whoop. Not sure it'll gain much traction.

MSI and Gigabyte have similar options and offerings and most cases that support one offering support the other two as well. A set standard that all three adhere to would be nice though.

Armadillo · 19 Dec 2025 at 18:13

I hope not.

I don't have a case window, so don't care what it looks like inside. I'm also not changing my case, I'm quite happy with it (750d airflow) & it was hard enough to get a case to my liking without a window in the first place. Even the 750d I had to buy a second solid side panel to replace the window. I suppose I could cut some holes in the motherboard tray if need be though.

I assume if you have one of these boards you can still use a normal card right and just plug in cables as you do now? Or will they do something dumb like refuse to start unless the card is plugged into the power connector on the board as well? making more waste as people have to get rid of perfectly good cards.

MissChief · 19 Dec 2025 at 19:04

Armadillo said:
I hope not.

I don't have a case window, so don't care what it looks like inside. I'm also not changing my case, I'm quite happy with it (750d airflow) & it was hard enough to get a case to my liking without a window in the first place. Even the 750d I had to buy a second solid side panel to replace the window. I suppose I could cut some holes in the motherboard tray if need be though.

I assume if you have one of these boards you can still use a normal card right and just plug in cables as you do now? Or will they do something dumb like refuse to start unless the card is plugged into the power connector on the board as well? making more waste as people have to get rid of perfectly good cards.

Assuming the card supports it, yes you can use normal cables.

freddie64 · 19 Dec 2025 at 22:47

Can't see it becoming standard, but it will be expensive.

Quartz · 19 Dec 2025 at 22:51

MissChief said:
Just reading about BTF motherboards and their integrated power connector and wondered if there’s a chance they’ll become standard or common as more cards are released that support it? Obviously power needs to be connected to the board somewhere, is this just a standard 12VHPWR connector elsewhere, with the same potential issues?

I'm very much in favour because there'll be much less strain on the cables in managed systems. There's no need to bend them up and round the motherboard tray. I just hope that there's no patent nonsense to hold it up.

ChocAndGray · 20 Dec 2025 at 03:18

For me these motherboards are no different than the power supplies with connectors on the side, or the graphic cards with different locations for the connector too like the Gigabyte Stealth. There'll be a market for products like that but it won't be the standard.

The only real benefit is aesthetic so there's no real reason that everything would change to accommodate e.g cases, graphic cards etc.

GoogalyMoogaly · 20 Dec 2025 at 03:22

I think the other thing to point out here is that there are different versions of BTF and I think with BTF 2.5 it's not just having the power connectors on the back of the motherboard but also (what I thought the OP was referring to) having an additional power connector near the PCIe slot that graphics cards can use for power rather than using the 8-pin or 12VHPWR/12V-2x6 connector.

MissChief · 20 Dec 2025 at 11:38

GoogalyMoogaly said:
I think the other thing to point out here is that there are different versions of BTF and I think with BTF 2.5 it's not just having the power connectors on the back of the motherboard but also (what I thought the OP was referring to) having an additional power connector near the PCIe slot that graphics cards can use for power rather than using the 8-pin or 12VHPWR/12V-2x6 connector.

Yup, that's the Asus BTF standard. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus...e-16gb-gddr7-graphics-card-gra-asu-05579.html shows the additional connector on the card.

It's the clean aesthetic that appeals to me for my next build.

Quartz · 20 Dec 2025 at 12:05

One issue I have with the Asus standard is that they only have the GPU power connector for the first slot and not every x16 and x4 slot.

robbyzz · 21 Dec 2025 at 22:53

Screenshot of Bios settings
https://freeimage.host/i/msi-pcie-subsystem.f14FOVj

robbyzz · 21 Dec 2025 at 22:58

robbyzz said:
Screenshot of Bios settings
https://freeimage.host/i/msi-pcie-subsystem.f14FOVj

In USB4/M.2_2 Switch the options are: Auto; M.2_2 X4; USB4 X4;USB4 X2/M.2_2 X2
I tried with Auto; USB4 X4 and USB4 X2/M.2_2 X2.....not working....screen black and in windows appears only one monitor. Not detect second monitor.

MissChief · 22 Dec 2025 at 00:21

robbyzz said:
In USB4/M.2_2 Switch the options are: Auto; M.2_2 X4; USB4 X4;USB4 X2/M.2_2 X2
I tried with Auto; USB4 X4 and USB4 X2/M.2_2 X2.....not working....screen black and in windows appears only one monitor. Not detect second monitor.

These posts have nothing to do with the thread?

PeegeeTips · 26 Dec 2025 at 12:54

MissChief said:
Just reading about BTF motherboards and their integrated power connector and wondered if there’s a chance they’ll become standard or common as more cards are released that support it? Obviously power needs to be connected to the board somewhere, is this just a standard 12VHPWR connector elsewhere, with the same potential issues?

gotta separate the BTF motherboard standard from the integrated GPU power connections.

they are separate things, and will experience success (or failure) separately.

i'm a big fan of the BTF motherboard standard (stealth, rc, project zero, etc). it is lovely to build in.

whether there is a real transition to integrated GPU power connections...

... i'm less sure about this. not sure there is a benefit achieved that is worth the transition cost.

GoogalyMoogaly · 26 Dec 2025 at 16:06

PeegeeTips said:
gotta separate the BTF motherboard standard from the integrated GPU power connections.

they are separate things, and will experience success (or failure) separately.

i'm a big fan of the BTF motherboard standard (stealth, rc, project zero, etc). it is lovely to build in.

whether there is a real transition to integrated GPU power connections...

... i'm less sure about this. not sure there is a benefit achieved that is worth the transition cost.

I'm the opposite, I don't have any interest in having the connectors on the back of the motherboard but I would like a better solution than 12VHPWR/12V-2x6 cables and connectors.