- ASUS BTF (Back To The Future) promises you’ll be able to build a PC without cables, at least not visible ones.
- The BTF Alliance includes ASUS, Thermaltake, and Silverstone, for now at least.
- The first BTF compatible products will become available for purchase in September 2023.
I still remember the first computer I built myself. Perfect on the outside, ugly and a complete cable mess on the inside. So was my second PC, the third and… sometime in 2014ish something changed, and I took cable management more seriously.
Since then, my cable management is no longer an eye sore. My current PC build is nowhere near what you would call “aesthetically pleasing” when you look inside, but it’s no longer a mess.
Did I dream about a PC without cables, just like the cheese-grater Mac Pro? Sure, I admit that. But I’m also aware that too many planets need to align perfectly for PCs without visible cables to become a reality.
Well, would you look at that? Three planets aligned. ASUS, Thermaltake, and Silverstone got on board with the idea of making easier to you and me to build cable-less PCs. Maybe not fully cable-less, but at least with no visible wires inside the case.
What is BTF Alliance?
BTF stands for Back To The Future alliance (perfect name inspired by the perfect movie series of all times) and a sort of consortium working on making PC components that either eliminate cables or make it possible to hide them really easy when assembling a computer.
Will it work? I surely hope so. ASUS has announced it will start selling soon motherboards and graphics cards with from the TX series, all compatible with the BTF idea.
Here’s a look at three products.
Note the motherboard power connectors are all placed on the back. The ASUS GPU features a custom power connector in line with the PCI Express connector. On the motherboard end, there will be a connector next to the PCI Express slot. Together these will deliver 600 Watts of power, enough to power really serious graphics cards.
I’m not the early adopter type of PC enthusiast, so I’ll skip the first two generations of BTF products, maybe even three. I’ll be watching the developments though.
My hope is that more hardware manufacturers jump on board and all these new connectors get the standard they deserve. Also, I would like to see someone addressing the smaller cables, SATA and fan connectors come to mind now.
In the end everyone wins if BTF succeeds. We get a PC without cables and manufacturers get to sell a completely new line of products.
Source: BTF Alliance
