No spare MoBo USB

[Wendelius]

Coolies, so there's a couple of things here. The cooler is taking 2 ports (from 1 connector) but only needs one.

You can get an internal USB port replicator like this:

NZXT Internal USB-Hub (AC-IUSBH-M1)

NZXT AC-IUSBH-M1 Internal USB-Hub, Internal USB splitter from NZXT, 3x internal & 2x external USB 2.0 ports, 4-pin Molex power supply, Magnetic attachment

www.overclockers.co.uk

Or a barebones one like this which is cheaper:

Kolink Internal USB Hub - 60cm USB Cable

The Kolink internal USB Hub is the ideal solution for increasing the amount of internal USB ports available in your system.

www.overclockers.co.uk

They take the one input and replicate it to 3 ports. I would then leave the Case ports in the dedicated header, and try moving the cooler header onto this expansion card. Then add the Bluetooth port and gives you one spare for the future.

I'm in a similar situation (with the same ASUS ROG Strix 570-F motherboard) in that I just got a TP Link AX3000 after the RealTek supplied by PC Specialist with my new machine woefully failed to maintain any type of wireless connection (in the room just above the router). Looking at the net stats, it would consistently cut out even with what appeared to be a strong signal.

So I looked for good Win 10 alternatives and the TP Link and ASUS PCIE cards with the new Intel chipset which provide both "Wi-fi 6" and Bluetooth 5.0 came recommended. They both require that USB connector for the Blutetooth connectivity feature though.

TP-Link Archer TX3000E Dual-Band Wireless AX3000 (WiFi 6) Bluetooth 5.0 PCI-E Adapter

3000Mbps Speeds (2402Mbps+574Mbps), AX (WiFi 6) Technology, Bluetooth 5.0, Low Profile Bracket Included (For Mini Tower Cases), Broad Coverage, Superior Reception

www.overclockers.co.uk

I'm typing this with the adapter currently providing only wi-fi. But it's night and day compared to the Realtek stability wise.

Long story short, thanks SpyderTracks for providing information on how to get access to a connector. Thing is, I'm not super comfortable doing much more than inserting a new card into the PC. Is the nzxt usb hub going to be easy to install and secure in the case and is it reasonably foolproof for me to know which cable does what in the current set up to follow your instructions?

It would actually be great if PC Specialist could provide an option in a build to keep a connector free using such a hub or another way. Would give that much more flexibility afterwards.

Anyway, off to look at the hubs and hoping I can get it all connected correctly.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I'm in a similar situation (with the same ASUS ROG Strix 570-F motherboard) in that I just got a TP Link AX3000 after the RealTek supplied by PC Specialist with my new machine woefully failed to maintain any type of wireless connection (in the room just above the router). Looking at the net stats, it would consistently cut out even with what appeared to be a strong signal.

So I looked for good Win 10 alternatives and the TP Link and ASUS PCIE cards with the new Intel chipset which provide both "Wi-fi 6" and Bluetooth 5.0 came recommended. They both require that USB connector for the Blutetooth connectivity feature though.

TP-Link Archer TX3000E Dual-Band Wireless AX3000 (WiFi 6) Bluetooth 5.0 PCI-E Adapter

3000Mbps Speeds (2402Mbps+574Mbps), AX (WiFi 6) Technology, Bluetooth 5.0, Low Profile Bracket Included (For Mini Tower Cases), Broad Coverage, Superior Reception

www.overclockers.co.uk

I'm typing this with the adapter currently providing only wi-fi. But it's night and day compared to the Realtek stability wise.

Long story short, thanks SpyderTracks for providing information on how to get access to a connector. Thing is, I'm not super comfortable doing much more than inserting a new card into the PC. Is the nzxt usb hub going to be easy to install and secure in the case and is it reasonably foolproof for me to know which cable does what in the current set up to follow your instructions?

It would actually be great if PC Specialist could provide an option in a build to keep a connector free using such a hub or another way. Would give that much more flexibility afterwards.

Anyway, off to look at the hubs and hoping I can get it all connected correctly.

I would have advised to get advice on your original wifi card, it was almost certainly just a driver issue, at the worst it would have been a dud card and PCS would have replaced it free under warranty. It certainly shouldn't behave that way, we've got countless people with that card and it performs very well.

 

[Wendelius]

I would have advised to get advice on your original wifi card, it was almost certainly just a driver issue, at the worst it would have been a dud card and PCS would have replaced it free under warranty. It certainly shouldn't behave that way, we've got countless people with that card and it performs very well.

That's fair. I spent some time looking for driver updates but Windows 10 kept assuring me that drivers for the card were up to date. Very strange on a brand new machine. But, in fairness to PCS, I ordered the machine without an OS. So they had limited scope to test the card on their trial Windows version and something might have been different on my Win 10 install. By contrast, I went back to one of the classic TP Link USB wifi devices (the little white plastic ones) and those performed flawlessly. Same for the new TP Link card. Possibly a dud card indeed. But the reason I went for an upgrade is that I've seen another Realtek perform poorly on a different (older) Win 10 machine. So I kind of lost confidence when the same thing happened on mine.

Here is hoping the extra USB connector does the trick. I'm kind of worried getting the right thing plugged into it. Is there any foolproof way to identify the case ports?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Is there any foolproof way to identify the case ports?

Just use the motherboard manual. It will identify each USB header.

 

[JohnWalton981]

They're on the bottom of the Motherboard and are labeled. You have the same Motherboard as me so should look the same.

 

[Wendelius]

They're on the bottom of the Motherboard and are labeled. You have the same Motherboard as me so should look the same.

Thanks for the picture. Much appreciated.

 

[JohnWalton981]

Both of the connectors to the right of the "NODE" connector are USB - the first with the braided cable is the NZXT Hub and the second the case mounted USB ports. I have connected to my hub; Corsair Commander Pro, WiFi card and H115i, as well as a dongle for my mouse, which i could connect via Bluetooth now🤔
The good thing about the NZXT one is it's powered, NB, it's a Molex connector so you'll likely have to dig a cable out of your box as most things are SATA powered - I didn't have any Molex cables on my PSU.