System monitoring (ITE IT8726F-S, according to BIOS Setup)

• CPU and memory voltages
• Rotational speed of CPU and system fans
• CPU and board temperatures (by the corresponding embedded sensors)
• Smart Fan, automatic control of CPU and system fans; you can specify a temperature threshold, when the system starts adjusting fan speed and minimal fan speed (PWM value). Fan speed grows according to the Fan Slope value (how much fan speed grows per each degree). Speed control of a CPU fan is available only for 4-pin models.

Onboard ports, sockets, and connectors

• Processor socket (Socket AM2, compatible with AM2+, officially supports AMD Phenom X3/X4, Athlon 64/X2, and Sempron processors with TDP up to 95 W, the list of supported models is published on the web site)
• 4 x DDR2 SDRAM DIMM (up to 32 GB of DDR2-400/533/667/800/1066, dual-channel mode, the list of compatible devices is published on the web site)
• 1 x PCIEx16 2.0
• 1 x PCIEx1 2.0
• 2 x PCI
• Power connectors: standard ATX 2.2 (24 pins) and 4-pin ATX12V to power a processor
• IDE (Parallel ATA) for two ATA133 devices -- "chipset-based"
• 6 x SATA II (Serial ATA II) for six SATA300 devices, chipset-based, connected drives can form RAID 0, 1, and 0+1
• 4 connectors for rear panel brackets with 8 x USB
• 1 x CD/DVD audio connector
• Connectors for analog audio ins and outs on the front panel
• Connector for a bracket with S/PDIF-Out
• Connector for a bracket with a COM port
• TPM connector
• CIR connector
• 2 fan headers, CPU and system fan speed can be controlled automatically from BIOS (CPU fan must have four pins for this feature to work).

Back panel (left to right, blockwise)

• PS/2 mouse and keyboard
• LPT, DVI-D, VGA
• 2 x USB
• 2 x USB and 1 x RJ-45 (Gigabit Ethernet)
• 6 x Analog Audio (Center/Sub, Side-Out, Rear-Out, Line-In, Front-Out, Mic-In).

Package contents

• Package: a small box of the original design
• Documentation: User's Manual and a poster in many languages with installation instructions
• Cables: SATA and ATA66
• Rear I/O shield
• CD with drivers and Adobe Acrobat Reader 7.0.

This bundle does not include a proprietary utility for updating BIOS and system drivers, which can also search for the latest versions on the manufacturer's web site. However, all BIOS packages on the web site include the standard AMI utility to flash BIOS in Windows.

Integrated controllers

• Audio, based on the chipset support for HD Audio and Realtek ALC888 codec, 7.1 channel audio, front line-ins/outs, S/PDIF-Out, and CD-In
• Gigabit Ethernet 10/100/1000 Mbps based on PCIE controller Realtek RTL8111C.

The integrated audio quality was tested in 16 bit 44 kHz mode using RightMark Audio Analyzer 6.0.5 and the ESI Juli@ sound card:

General performance: Very good. ECS sometimes saves on audio codecs, but this motherboard is a nice exception -- it's equipped with a high-quality codec and well-designed "wraparound". That's the right choice. Multi-channel audio is not necessary in offices, but many computers are equipped with a couple of speakers or headphones for voice communications and music playback. Besides, separate sound cards in office computers are even more rare than powerful graphics cards for games.

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