Board Layout

Click here for a 3000x2500 high-res shot of the board (3 MB download), the back is here.


Given the form factor choice of this motherboard, you may run into clearance issues with tall memory or when using a heatsink that gets close to the two tall capacitors near the IO area.


The connectors from left to right are: PS/2 Mouse, PS/2 Keyboard, RS232 Serial Interface, E-SATA Port, 6x USB, 1x Ethernet and audio.


You can use up to four memory modules on this motherboard. If you install two memory modules in slots with the same color, they will run in dual-channel mode.

Connectors

The power connectors are around the standard spots. Unlike many other boards from ECS, the 12V power connector is NOT placed in the middle of the board, but near the edge which allows far easier cable routing.


Four SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports are provided by the AMD Chipset.


A single IDE port is good for CD/DVD-ROM use, if you still use PATA. Prices for SATA optical drives are dropping so fast, this port will soon be a thing of the past.


The headers are without any color distinction and unlabeled. This means that you have to consult the manual when installing this board.


Two fan headers are the absolute minimum for any motherboard, a third header near the Southbridge area would have been nice.