The other day we saw the ASUS TUF B760M BTF board which featured its power connectors on the rear and with it came to the discussion of whether this form factor will gain any traction. Now MSI has jumped in with another mid-range board giving this form factor some more possible foundations to stand upon.
MSI B650 DIY-APE
This reverse design is being labelled as DIY-Ape and MSI’s B650 boards was leaked on BiliBili though this isn’t their first run at a design like this as they have previously done similar with Project Zero on a z690 board. Through the leak, it is said that this B650 board has entered a qualification state which means we could be weeks or months away from seeing an official launch.
Case Compatibility
With a new form factor such as this compatibility is the big question and luckily 2 cases have been shown off to exist by 9550pro on Twitter. The two cases shown are one in white unsurprisingly by ASUS considering their interest in the form factor, and another in black by SAMA, a Chinese case manufacturer. With at least two consumer cases already existing with one being from a well-known manufacturer gives a promising look for the future of the form factor.
Maxsun H610 DIY-APE Motherboard
On Zfrontier an ITX motherboard by Maxsun using the DIY-APE form factor was also shown off. This board uses the H610 chipset and is labelled as YTX by Maxun as it is slightly wider than a standard ITX board featuring 2 M.2 slots on the extended section on the right. Maxsun is one of the more well-known Chinese manufacturers and isn’t often seen over here in the UK however another manufacturer is more fuel for this form factor to take off.
Final Thoughts?
I like this form factor, cables are the worst part of my setup and being able to install them without having to fiddle about routing them through the grommets in a case would be very nice, especially with the stupidly thick HX1000 cables. I also imagine pairing this form factor with the Corsair Shift PSU range is a match made in heaven. I can’t wait for this to reach the Western markets but I imagine it will come with a hefty price markup.
Does this form factor interest you? Let us know in the comments.
