The rear panel I/O: input, output, throughput

The rear panel is essentially the input and output section of the motherboard, with plenty of different connector types featured depending on the motherboard itself. The most commonly found connectors include USB, RJ45/Ethernet, and 3.5mm audio jacks. Looking at USB, there are many different types, with motherboard vendors opting to colour-code them for easy identification, but this isn’t a general rule of thumb. Black ports typically signify basic USB 2.0 ports, with deep blue often associated with USB 3.0 ports. Other colours generally indicate USB 3.2 or USB 3.1 connector types, but as mentioned, this varies on both vendor and model. There are also two types of USB interface found on modern motherboards, including Type-A and Type-C.

The difference between the different standards of USB, including 3.2, 3.1, and 2.0 is in the bandwidth support. USB 3.2 Gen2 typically supports up to 20Gbps or 10Gbps on the Type-C interface, while Type-A will usually support up to 10Gbps. To make it easier to understand, here’s the details:

• USB 3.2 Gen2 x2 Type-C = 20Gbps

• USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-C = 10Gbps

• USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A = 10Gbps

• USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A = 5Gbps

• USB 2.0 = 480Mbps

On premium models, motherboard manufacturers add Intel Thunderbolt 3 controllers, which use USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C connectivity, combined with DisplayPort video inputs to leverage the technology to the full and reap the benefits of enhanced bandwidth.

1 USB 3.2/3.1 Type-C 2 USB 3.2/3.1 Type-A 3 USB 2.0 Type-A 4 USB 3.1/3.0 Type-A 5 RJ45/Ethernet 6 Wi-Fi 5/6

7 BIOS flashback button 8 3.5mm audio jack 9 S/PDIF optical output