I bought a prebuilt PC about five years ago, and the case has a front USB-C port that was never connected because I didn't need it. My Gigabyte B560 HD3 motherboard has two internal USB 2.0 headers and one USB 3.2 Gen 1 header, but the case's USB-C cable doesn't appear to match the standard 9-pin headers. The USB 3 header is already being used by the case's regular USB ports, and the USB-C cable is also slightly too short to reach it directly. Do I need an adapter, and is there a suitable one with a short extension? Could I connect the USB-C port to a USB 2.0 header instead, and would it still work for something like a wireless microphone dongle?
2 Answers
Check the plug on the case’s USB-C cable first. If it’s the small internal Type-E connector, search for an “internal USB-C Type-E to USB 3.0 19-pin header adapter” or a short extension version. Your motherboard has one USB 3.x internal header, but it’s already occupied by the case’s regular USB ports. You could move those ports to an adapter, use the USB-C port instead, or install a PCIe expansion card that provides an internal USB-C header.
A USB-C-to-USB-2.0 internal-header adapter can make the port usable, but it will operate at USB 2.0 speeds and may provide less power. That’s generally fine for a wireless microphone receiver, keyboard, mouse, or other low-bandwidth dongle. It won’t provide the faster speeds normally associated with the case’s USB-C port. For full performance, you need the motherboard’s USB 3.x header through a suitable adapter, or a PCIe card with an internal USB-C header.
So a wireless mic dongle should work through the USB 2.0 connection, even though it won’t be fast enough for high-speed storage?
What search terms should I use for the adapter? Also, if I connect the case’s USB-C cable to a USB 2.0 header, would the port stop working completely or just transfer data more slowly?