During CES, ASUS showcased its brand-new line of BTF components. BTF, or Back to the Future lineup, represents ASUS’ attempt at cable-free PC design, featuring hidden connectors and pins. Previously confined to the ASUS TUF segment, the BTF ecosystem now extends to the premium ROG line, providing enthusiasts with even more cable-free hardware.
ROG Expands the BTF Lineup with Three New Hardware Components: New Motherboard (Maximus Z790 HERO), GPU (RTX 4090), and Case (Hyperion GR701)
The new entrants in ASUS’ BTF lineup are the ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 4090 BTF GPUs, ROG Maximus Z790 HERO BTF motherboard and the new ROG Hyperion GR701 BTF Edition case.
ROG “BTF” series | ASUS
ROG Maximus Z790 HERO BTF
The ROG Maximus Z790 HERO BTF motherboard has a fully hidden connector design, placing all connectors on the backside. This feature is not entirely new, as we’ve previously seen it on MSI’s Project Zero motherboards and ASUS’ own TUF GAMING BTF line.
ROG Maximus Z790 HERO BTF | ASUS
Not only does this new Z790 include a Q-LED on its top-right-hand side for better diagnostics and troubleshooting, but it can also alert you if, for instance, a RAM stick is not fully inserted into the slot, even without being powered on.
The “Q-LED” on ROG Maximus Z790 HERO BTF | ASUS
Additionally, this motherboard also uses an improved version of ASUS’ PCIe “Q-Release” eject mechanism. Unlike the previous mechanism that required pulling a lever to release a GPU, the Z790 BTF introduces the “ Q-Release Slim ,” eliminating the need to press a button; instead, you can simply pull out the graphics card.
PCIe Slot Q-Release Slim | ASUS
ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 4090 & ROG Hyperion GR701 BTF Edition
The ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 4090 BTF is similar to its counterpart, with the exception that it l acks a 12VHPWR connector on the top . Instead, it features a PCIe High Power connector on the bottom, compatible with ASUS BTF motherboards.
The ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 4090 | ASUS
This connector has the capability to deliver up to 600W of power directly from the board itself, and eliminates any visible connectors on the front.
PCIe High Power Connector can deliver up to 600W of power | ASUS
The case, ROG Hyperion GR701 BTF Edition allows you to build your PC using this BTF line, compatible with the backside power delivery motherboards. ASUS didn’t mention anything about the availability or pricing for these three new BTF Edition hardware components.
The ROG Hyperion GR701 BTF Edition | ASUS
This is all we know for now, but rest assured that we will keep you updated as new information becomes available.
