How do I connect the front panel connectors to my motherboard?

While building your PC you will encounter a variety of cables and connectors you need to become familiar with. A set of cables that can cause a bit of confusion are the ones integrated in your PC’s case which serve the purpose to connect the front panel I/O (input / output) ports that usually consist of USB-ports (Type-C and Type-A), audio jacks, status LEDs, and buttons that power-on your PC or reset it.

In this short guide, we'll give you some pointers on how to connect them the right way, with a few photo examples to guide you through the process. We're going to use CORSAIR 7000 series case as an example as the front I/O is plentiful so we can cover all the types of cables you'll run into.

Let’s have a look at what we are dealing with based on a CORSAIR 7000 Series case.

The cases in the CORSAIR 7000 Series have multiple top I/O ports available that need to be connected to the motherboard for them to function properly. The 7000 Series uses the following cable and plug configuration that is already pre-installed and routed through the case towards the bottom portion of your motherboard where you will find most of the sockets these cables connect to:

Let’s have a look at the different plug types as actual pictures instead of the illustrations you will typically find within the quick start guides for amore effective visual aid.

While the naming of these ports can differ from board to board, the type of connector does not. You should read your motherboard’s manual to find out where each of these ports are located on it. Especially the USB ports can be available in a different configuration. For the 7000 Series you will need two of the USB3.0 Gen 1 to 2x USB Type-A ports available to make all 4 Type-A ports on the case functional.

If you should only have one connector on the motherboard, you will need to look at PCIe expansion cards that also provide another internal port or use an adaptor that can convert a USB2.0 port (pictured below) to a USB3.0 Gen 1 port. Keep in mind that when converting a USB2.0 port, you must sacrifice the maximum speed of the ports on the I/O panel to USB2.0 speeds as well.

Caution: Incorrectly plugged cables can damage your motherboard. If you are unsure, feel free to reach out to our support team for us to help you through the process.

Connecting most of these plug types is not difficult. USB2.0 and USB3.1/3.2 headers have a notch as well as closed pins to make them work only in one direction. Closely look at the plug and the socket to make sure you insert the plug in the right way.

With the USB3.1/3.2 header we have marked out the pins used in yellow as well as the cut out in the housing that you will find the corresponding notch to on the plug itself. The pin location marked in red is missing from the header and closed shut on the plug itself.

The AUDIO header follows the same route but usually does not come with a notch to guide the plug into place or the header does not even have a housing but pins on the board only. Here you must pay attention to the closed pin on the plug itself so that you can plug it in properly.

Let’s start with the three most essential connection

• Power button connector = POWER SW (+PW-)
• Reset button connector = RESET SW (-RES+)
• Power LED lights connector = POWER LED + & POWER LED – (+PLED-)

The pin type plugs are used for hooking up the power button, reset button, power LED, and sometimes the HDD LED. On many motherboards you will find tiny markings to tell you what goes where. Should these not be present, you will need to read the motherboard manual to determine correct placement. While polarity can be marked out for all these pins, the only ones that matter are the pins for the power LED, HDD LED, and speaker. Clicky type power buttons and reset switch will work either way, as these are only used to bridge the two pins so the PC will turn on or reset. Should the plugs be marked with a polarity indicator you should still follow suite to connect these accordingly.

For a more complete overview let’s have a look at the different cables that can be used in a modern case. Typically, the motherboard with also have a connection for a small speaker, but this is hardly used anymore in modern cases.

Depending on the case you purchased you will find at least some of these cables to hook up to your motherboard. The bare minimum here would be the Power Switch cable so that you can signal the motherboard on a push of a button when you want to turn your PC on. When for example USB-ports, audio ports to connect your headset or audio equipment, status-LEDs to indicate that your PC is on or when an installed drive is active are added to the equation, even more cables and plugs are needed.

And that’s it. You should be all done hooking up all those front or top I/O ports, buttons, and LEDs on your case.