Asus revealed a new upgrade kit for desktops that will add USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C ports to any computer with a Z170-based motherboard and a free SATA Express port. The USB 3.1 UPD Panel is designed to fit into a spare optical drive bay and features two USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C plugs with up to the 10 Gb/s transfer rate.

Although they have the same speed rating, the two ports are slightly different. The port on the left features 100W of charging power delivered through two Molex connectors that hook up to the back of the card. The second port does not offer the power charging feature.

Asus said that setup is as simple as three easy steps: Simply insert the USB 3.1 UPD Panel into a free optical bay and secure it. Next, plug the included SATA Express cable in to the motherboard and the back of the UPD panel. Then plug in the two Molex cables for power. According to Asus, this is all that you need to do, but there is actually a driver that is included and will need to be installed.

If you don't have a free optical bay, or you have no use for front-mounted USB 3.1 but would like to have ports on the rear of your computer, the Asus USB 3.1 UPD Panel is ready to be taken apart as a DYI project. Inside the casing is a standard PCI-E board that can be removed and plugged into the motherboard directly. It is unclear if the SATA Express cable is needed in this configuration, but the Molex cables will likely be required for the power charging feature.

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