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The motherboard is unscathed! 🥳 AMD 9900x PC Build Part 3

See the related video on YouTube: 

In my previous video, I had a bit of a disaster, I destroyed the USB 3.0 connector on my PC case. It's a cheap Fractal Focus case, so there are issues. While attempting to swap the connector to a different header on the motherboard (for better cable routing with another device), things went south, and I ended up ruining the connector on my case!

The broken USB 3.0 case connector, the blue part, and the motherboard header separated.

Thankfully, the motherboard itself is fine. I was really worried for a bit there, but after testing, it seems like the motherboard's USB 3.0 headers are still working fine. That's a huge relief! 

Be Careful with USB 3.0 Headers!

This whole experience was a reminder to be extra careful with those USB 3.0 motherboard header connectors. They can be surprisingly fragile. It seems like the cheap case connector was the main culprit. There's a visible physical difference.

A comparison of the cheap Fractal Focus case connector versus another connector from the memory card reader that fits into an expansion bay.

I tried out the USB 3.0 header from the Startech memory card reader that fits into an expansion bay. It has a higher quality connector that smoothly inserts and removes from the motherboard header.

Heatsink Swap

I decided to buy a larger heatsink fan combination for the build. The AMD Ryzen 9900x does have a TDP of 120 with a PPT of around 168 watts, so it makes sense to have a larger heatsink than the one around 90mm I had originally used. 

The larger "Peerless Assassin 120 SE" heatsink that will be put in.


Internal SD Card Reader Success!

The most exciting part of this whole build so far is this internal SD card reader.

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The installed internal SD card reader in the bottom bay. I had to use a 3.5 to 5.25" bay adapter.

It worked flawlessly! I was getting transfer speeds of 145 megabytes per second with my UHS-II SD card. That's the fastest I've ever seen with any of my SD card readers, external or otherwise.

A UHS-II SD memory card.

It is exciting to have fast access to my files on an internal device.

The Trials and Tribulations

Building a PC can be a rollercoaster even for someone that has a lot of past experience. There are always going to be a few bumps along the way, but it's all part of the process. I'm still really happy with how things are progressing, despite the USB 3.0 mishap.
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