Bios and loading OS from flash drive

[WWDubya]

This is how I would map things out.

First image, use the red ports for your HOTAS, rudders, and Track IR/VR headset. These are your most finicky parts and rely on signal speed and load capacity the most. Use the yellow ports for your next most finicky/important devices (like the Thustmaster button panels, or drawing devices). Use the black ports for the most mundane of your equipment, such as mouse, keyboard, printer, document scanner, etc.

Second image, usb3 header to your front panel usb ports. Use these ports for your most frequently replaced devices, such as usb flash drives, smartphone, camera, etc. Can be used for other items you'd consider placing in the rear yellow ports, but I don't like using front for those items, simply because it is more exposed and likely to get bumped. But, you get forced into a corner, by all means use them.

Do note, some older HOTAS/rudder equipment might actually work better on older USB tech, so your milage may vary. 

[WWFawlty]

Hey Geez, it's that time again I see.

Regarding backup, what I do is use one of these usb3 enclosures with a spare ssd or 2.5 drive I have lying around. Using  Acronis True Image, as Duck mentioned above and clone drive 'C' every few months. Just about every large hard drive/ssd manufacturer has Acronis available for free for download on their site. It's never failed me.

Lots of folks doing upgrades right now, I must resist!

 

[WWGeezer]

Thanks Fawlty....I knew if I posted enough about a new build I could lure you in.  It took almost 10 years to wear out my original build, really intriguing to see how much has changed.  

[WWFawlty]

Ya mines getting up there as well, but funny enough when I'm playing anything I don't feel like my machine is lagging. The Asus GTX 1080 is helping alot.

Windows 10 sure makes life easy, I thought my older CH equip. may have been a problem but it's working with the software just the way I want.

Edited December 28, 2019 by Fawlty

[WWPlague]

https://www.ghacks.net/2019/12/27/ssd-led-is-a-free-drive-activity-indicator-and-read-write-speed-monitor-for-windows/

[WWGeezer]

Opened the box on the case to solve my USB mysteries.  Well good news, bad news on the Case compatability with the Motherboard.  The case sports four USB 3.0 ports, and each of those combine into two 19 pin connectors, but the motherboard only has one USB3.0 port for the front panel.   It looks like they have adapters that will convert a 19 pin connector to a 9 pin connector, so I can at least get all four USB ports to be live .

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V3F44JO?pf_rd_p=ab873d20-a0ca-439b-ac45-cd78f07a84d8&pf_rd_r=6QP8G90TMEV838V8JGK5

A little more annoying, one of the ARGB connectors on the light show controller thingy was loose.  Hopefully will be able to figure out what slot it came out of.

[WWGeezer]

Another discovery, the case does have a rear fan as well as two front fans.  I think I will still follow the same approach, two big fans up front pull air in, radiator and small rear fan push air out.

[WWSittingduck]

have not looked at a lot of motherboards, but have a feeling you would not find too many, If any, that had 2 usb3.0 panel connectors.  The cable adaptor you are looking at is cheaper then running 2 separate cables from the case to F_USB1 and F_USB2, but not matter how you do it, those 2 front ports will be running usb2.0.

Have feeling what NZHT had in mind was something like this.

https://www.amazon.com/PCI-Ports-Header-Express-Dual/dp/B07GSQR6D4/ref=pd_cp_147_3/139-3115352-2886126?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07GSQR6D4&pd_rd_r=1a20b4b4-181a-4c28-b1fe-297c239ab77a&pd_rd_w=WibgA&pd_rd_wg=YIvyF&pf_rd_p=0e5324e1-c848-4872-bbd5-5be6baedf80e&pf_rd_r=SGZEH2VHXGGDX5XB5ZYV&psc=1&refRID=SGZEH2VHXGGDX5XB5ZYV

am sure if you did more searching, you could find a card with only one 19pin connector.

am not really sure, but common sense tells me you can get usb3.1 speeds off of pcie-1

curious...do you really think you will be running 4 cables off the front usb?

[WWZed]

I snuck pictures of his assembly, looking good!

[WWSittingduck]

took a better look at that cable you posted.  imho that is NOT what you want.  You would be connecting  2 front usb ports to one usb MB header, and  you really should not do that.  Option would be (2) 9 pin cables.

[WWGeezer]

Hmmm...The two USB 3.0 ports on the front panel already combine to a single 19 pin connector.  The single USB 2.0 Header says it can accommodate up to two USB ports.  

[WWGeezer]

Ps The case is sexy as hell.  open mesh front, glass top and side panels with side vents on top

[WWGeezer]

Also learned how to tell which way the wind is blowing.  Unlike much you find on the internet, none of my fans have arrows marking the direction of airflow.  These days “the front” has a clear plastic cover to show off RGB lighting. The best way to identify “the back” is the plastic x shaped fan support the holds the center and the wiring.  Than if you think of it like an aircraft if you are sitting behind the prop, the wind is blowing in your face, so these cool master fans if mounted with the RGB facing outside ( left fan in image below) would pull air into the case

[WWGeezer]

Reading these in reverse order, I was looking for the Pcie solution, but did not find the card you showed.  Likely is a better solution if I need them and than they all are USB 3.0 which I like.

I have four on my case right now and one has a flash drive in it, one has the charger for my headphones in it, the other is an external drive....on my machine I ran out of room.  Likely better on the new one

[WWSittingduck]

1 hour ago, WWGeezer said:

The single USB 2.0 Header says it can accommodate up to two USB ports.  

duhhh....9 pins....my bad...

[WWBrinson]

*Deleted Video from first post *

It should recognize the correct timings, if not you can change them to whatever they need to be.  I could be wrong, but it appears you're overclocked auto to 4.7

I set the boot order to flash drive first and then whatever hd windows is on.  That way if you need to do a recovery, you can put it on the USB stick and it will load first.

Yeah.. I remember discovering that about the fans -After I installed them all.  Annoying.  Also the PSU needs to be mounted so the fan is on the bottom up against the case vents.  That way it pulls in cool air from the bottom (make sure to use the castors so the case is up of the ground an inch or two).  It's weird as most likely the lettering will be upside down.  I went full on OCD when I built my first one.  I went out and bought dry ice and tested the airflow to make sure it circulated air properly.  Anyways... Have fun!  makes me want to upgrade.... ... .

Edited December 30, 2019 by WWBrinson

[WWSittingduck]

21 hours ago, WWGeezer said:

Also learned how to tell which way the wind is blowing.

ok. going to give no sympathy here....considering you are all pilots.  If you can not look at a fan blade, and figure out which way the fan is going to blow...(think about your propeller)

[WWZed]

20 minutes ago, WWSittingduck said:

ok. going to give no sympathy here....considering you are all pilots.  If you can not look at a fan blade, and figure out which way the fan is going to blow...(think about your propeller)

ME262 pilot here....huh?

[WWSandMan]

9 hours ago, WWZed said:

ME262 pilot here....huh?

Ever looked *inside* the air intake of your engine... it has lots of blades in there, little tiny propeller blades. And if they're installed backwards, your fancy jet is just a block of aluminum on the airport ramp.

 

Okay, so maybe she's a distraction, but nice... 

 

[WWZed]

Last guy that did that was shredded all over the field...

[WWGeezer]

Sorry, I stopped reading when I saw the pretty girl.  
 

Brinson loved the dry ice idea and appreciate the upside down battery idea, and yes I have gone all OCD on the build, but I can’t help myself.  (It could very well be the most fun thing I get to do in 2020.)

[WWSittingduck]

don't mean to beat this topic to death, not to mention Geezer probably stopped reading it a long time ago, but thought this was interesting, I certainly didn't know it.

This is a pic of a usb3.0 panel connector with pin-outs.  The top 4 (plus ground) are exactly the same as what you have on a usb2.0 panel connector, which is why you can connect a usb2.0 device into a usb3.0 port.  The other bottom pins are the ones unique to usb3.0.  Point is, unless the usb cable at the end of whatever it is you are plugging into a usb3.0/3.1 connector is usb3.0, and has all those additional pins, that device is going to run at usb2.0 speeds.  Granted, there are some posts out there that say there is "some" performance gain, but it is certainly not usb3.0 speed.  I did not know this...I thought if you plugged something into usb3.0, you got usb3.0...not necessarily true.

[WWGeezer]

still reading....have other end of the year things to get thru before I can start the build.  Your point would be that if the device your plugging in is not set up for 3.0, no benefit.

Makes sense

Right now, my first goal is to have all four usb ports work on the front case, secondary goal is to get them to work as 3.0, just to have it.   Did buy the card you posted about, will see if I use it or not ( and if it works).