The Basics (continued):

The below left image takes a look at the area of the board around the expansion card slots. In addition to the various slots, this is where a floppy connector, three USB headers, a Firewire header, and even a header for a COM port can be found. Taking a quick look at the layout in this area has me wishing that at least one of the PCI Express x1 slots had its position switched with one of the PCI slots. As is, users who opt for a Crossfire configuration of graphics cards will have to slip any x1 PCI Express device in under the Crossfire bridge. In the past I may not have cared about losing any / all x1 slots, but after experiencing the ASUS Xonar D2X sound card, I want to make sure it can find a home on any board I use.


The above right image takes a look at the lower right corner of the motherboard. Here we find a low profile cooler on the southbridge chipset, a total of six 3Gbps SATA headers, a PATA connector mounted to the edge of the board, and a header with the front panel connections. While the chipset cooler is compact enough to avoid interference with any large graphics cards and their coolers, the SATA headers may present an issue. If a graphics card with a two slot cooling solution is installed in the lower x16 slot, some of the SATA headers are blocked. Right angle connectors help, and luckily ASUS has provided some in the bundle of accessories.

While the layout isn't radically different by any stretch of the imagination, the few quirks discovered during my initial inspection have me hoping that installation isn't a big deal. Some things will have to be done differently, but hopefully no real problems arise.

Accessories:

The next set of images will take a look at all of the accessories included with the P5K PRO. In the below left image we see the detailed user's guide, driver CD, case badge, and Q-Connectors. Q-Connectors are a convenient little innovation that let you attach all the front panel wires to a common block away from the motherboard, and then you just plug the block on to the motherboard header. The below right image shows all of the cables, which include one for a floppy drive, one for PATA drives, four SATA data cables, and one 4-pin drive power connection that adapts to two SATA power connections.


An I/O shield is generally uninteresting, but this is the first time I have seen an ASUS Q-Shield. The most obvious difference between a standard I/O shield and this one is the thick insulation. This is intended to not only shield against EMI (Electromagnetic interference), but to also reduce the risk of damage from static electricity. Another benefit is that a Q-Shield is easier to install thanks to the lack of 'fingers'.


The bundle doesn't include any extravagant extras, but it does include everything you need to get up and running, as well as a few extras to make installation a bit more convenient.