SFF case w/ no front panel HD audio ports?

Front panel HD audio ports: Gotta have'em?

  • Absolutely. Can't live without them.

    Votes: 6 17.1%

  • Preferred, but not entirely necessary.

    Votes: 10 28.6%

  • Nope. Get rid of them.

    Votes: 19 54.3%
  • Total voters
    35
C

CMadki4

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Feb 3, 2011
Messages
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Say there was a nice, compact little aluminum case, just a hair smaller than a SG05 but able to hold a longer GPU without mods.

Now imagine on the front panel no HD audio ports. No mic and headphone jacks. Only two USB3.0 ports.

Deal killer or no? Are the rear ports too inconvenient? Do you even use them that often? Share your thoughts!

Thanks for your input! :)
 
Whatever you do make sure USB ground is separate from audio ground
 
I like having the extra ports - a lot of mobos let you use the front and rear audio ports as separate outputs. And of course there's no explanation needed for more USB ports.

However, I don't need them in the front, especially on an SFF machine. So, give me those extra ports, but put them in the back.
 
What about gamers? Are most of you who are wearing headsets using USB or rear panel? Or just use the headphone jack on your speaker set volume control? Keep the votes and comments coming. Trying to get a feel for what other enthusiasts tastes and preferences are on this.
 
Being an audio person I never bother with front panel jacks they're usually poorly insulated and noisy...and I need 1/4" anyway in addition to using a dedicated sound card.
 
I use the front audio on my current rig & setup, but only because it's clean sounding - unlike previous cases. I need one USB port for offloading pictures & SD cards. I've always thought it'd be neat to just have one USB port on the front.
 
What if it was just one (1) USB3.0 and just the headphone jack? Sort of a utilitarian approach.
 
Most of the 'puters I've owned have had USB and audio up front as well as in back (obviously), so It'd be a little odd to be missing those things. That said, I could take or leave front audio, and really prefer them not be there. The USB is a different story. I use various USB thingies on a regular basis, but on the other hand, it'd be just as easy to set up more ports in back, or even a big hub. I'm all about clean lines on the front panel though, so my next build is going to be pretty spartan in that area (doing a custom front panel).
 
redivulpis said:
Most of the 'puters I've owned have had USB and audio up front as well as in back (obviously), so It'd be a little odd to be missing those things. That said, I could take or leave front audio, and really prefer them not be there. The USB is a different story. I use various USB thingies on a regular basis, but on the other hand, it'd be just as easy to set up more ports in back, or even a big hub. I'm all about clean lines on the front panel though, so my next build is going to be pretty spartan in that area (doing a custom front panel).
Click to expand...
Spartan, I like that.

Seems like we've got a pretty good spread. Who else?
 
With such a variety of preferences and SFF being used for such a variety of applications, it makes sense to offer options on front panel configuration. And that what I'm wanting to do; offer a base model case and allow the customer to configure it to their specifications. Customization is not limited to just the front panel either.
 
Seems like most would be adequately surencified with USB3.0 only or nothing at all. Still those in the HD required camp, but not many.

Maybe a few more votes can solidify these numbers?
 
I'm in the audiophile camp so it's a USB DAC for me too - therefore no need for audio input on the front. Personally I use my camera a lot as well as a few USB things like a wireless mouse (meaning I need the receiver on the front of the case for the "best" signal and occasionally I need to use my USB sticks) so my ideal case would have 2x USB slots as well as a tiny slit for an SD card reader.

I didn't think of it the same way as adjas too, but that's definitely a plus, those audio header cables are somewhat thick.
 
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