ASRock 939SLI32-eSATA2 Preview

Nearing the expansion slots, at the bottom edge of the PCB is a FDD connector as well as the game and audio headers. The expansion slots include two PCI Express x16, one PCI Express x4, and three PCI slots. Both of the PCI Express x16 slots are able to run NVIDIA's SLI at full PCI Express x16 speeds and are not reduced to x8. Separating the two PCI Express x16 slots is the x4 interface. Above the expansion slots is ASRock's exclusive future CPU upgrade port. As was mentioned in the 939Dual-SATA2 review, upon the public presentation of AMD's next generation AM2 Socket, ASRock will be selling an upgrade card, which brings fourth this new socket as well as the DDR2-800/667 memory slots. Between the AMD AM2 upgrade slot and the primary PCI Express slot is a 4-pin molex connector for providing additional power to the motherboard if two graphics cards will be used. The molex connection is needed as the motherboard still relies upon a 20-pin ATX power source. Also near the expansion slot area is the Winbond W83627EHG-A Super I/O controller. This is the same I/O controller as we had found on the ASRock 775XFire-eSATA2 and ASUS P5LD2 Deluxe WiFi + TV. The audio codec used by the motherboard is Realtek's ALC660, which too was found on the 775XFire-eSATA2. Providing the Gigabit ethernet needs for the motherboard is Realtek RTL8111B PCI Express ASIC.

Above the AM2 expansion slot is a great deal of jumpers for toggling between the AMD Socket 939/DDR and the AMD expansion slot/DDR2. ASRock's technology will not allow a Socket 939 Athlon 64 to run with a Socket AM2 Athlon 64 simultaneously. As the 939Dual-SATA2 had offered, the option is given on what processor/memory combination to use. Of course, these jumpers will not need to be adjusted until the availability of these upgrade cards later this year. With the board examination almost complete, above these jumpers and to the left of the AMD Socket 939 CPU area is a massive amount of power circuitry as well as the 20-pin ATX and 4-pin +12V power connection. Amongst the capacitors in this area is also the 3-pin CPU fan header.

At the rear I/O panel are two PS/2 (keyboard & mouse), one COM, one parallel, four USB 2.0, one IEEE-1394, two eSATA 2.0, one RJ-45 Gigabit LAN, and three audio ports. As was the case with the 775XFire-eSATA2, these eSATA 2.0 ports at the I/O panel need to be extended from via traditional Serial ATA data cables from the SATA location to the back area. This process is similar to what we had seen with the ECS PF5 Extreme motherboard, except it used an expansion slot for its external SATA rather than being mounted on the I/O panel. On the underside of the motherboard's PCB is nothing too noteworthy as it lacks "overclocking strips" and other innovations that competing manufacturers have been venturing into with their products. The ASRock 939SLI32-eSATA2 complies with the ATX form factor and measures in at 30.5 x 24.4 cm. The included ASRock SLI bridge is not flexible like some that we have seen, and this is bridge is pretty generic to say the least.