A Closer Look

The dual-channel SO-DIMM slots aren't like most I've seen, with each SO-DIMM installed in the opposite orientation from the other, as you can see by the break in pins. You can fit a maximum of 16 GB into these slots, in two sticks of 8 GB each, and I know that G.Skill makes a nice set that will fit quite nicely into mine. These slots really are the stars of the show since it is they that make the ASRock Beebox so special!


The side you wouldn't normally see is covered by a huge heatsink. You'll find the CMOS battery attached to the board here, by some glue and a long cable, while a mysterious plug sits on the opposite side of the heatsink, nothing else plugged into it, right next to the power button. The heatsink is fairly thick, with a large pad in the middle that sticks to the outer metal shell to move the heat away.


The TIM used here mostly intact, I didn't want to remove it for pictures since temperatures are pretty good as is, barely reaching into the 50 degree Celsius range. I found two Realtek chips here, one for the LAN and another for the audio. Neither is a top-shelf unit, but both fare well enough in most usage scenarios.