Also typical of Abit, only 3 DIMM slots are available. Considering that the slot for the processor is rather close to the DIMM slots, this part of the layout just doesn't do too well for those who use more than 1 memory module. In my case, using the Alpha P3125 HSF Kit only left me one usable memory slot.

Also in the above picture are the headers for the IDE cables. I like the way they placed these headers since I can just lay my IDE cables flat and on top of each other to minimize clutter.

The 440BX only supports UDMA33 file transfers so that's all you can use with this motherboard. Installing UDMA66 devices would simply revert it's operation to UDMA33.

On the previous page, I showed you the placement where the UDMA66 controller should be. Here you can see the UDMA66 IDE headers missing from the board.

Some folks have been asking me about the advantages of UDMA66 currently. Well, I think that you would gain more going for a 7200RPM hard drive than a UDMA66 one. Today's applications and games barely reach the theoretical 33Mb./s transfer rate of UDMA33 so it wouldn't make much sense to adapt the UDMA66 standard yet. For future planning though, it wouldn't hurt to have it.

One thing that I REALLY like about this board is the inclusion of 3 fan headers. In the first pic, you'll see the great placement of the CPU and Power Supply fan headers. This eliminates the need to run cables all over the place by centralizing them, thus minimizing the clutter that can contribute to poor airflow. The fan header for the Chassis Fan is placed on the lower left corner of the motherboard which really isn't anything new.

The terminal for the case headers is nicely placed, but could be more intuitive. Separation of the appropriate pins would've been nice, like that on the Epox BX6 SE.

Hardware Monitoring is provided via this chip from Winbond. Oddly though, I wasn't able to monitor the Chassis Fan so I guess Abit decided not to include that feature. Aside from being able to monitor fans, you can also monitor temperatures and voltage.