ASRock 775XFire-eSATA2

Near the power connections is also the Northbridge, which as mentioned previously is the Intel 945PL Chipset. The i945PL supports a CPU FSB of 800/533MHz, PCI Express x16, and DDR2 with Flex Memory Technology. Cooling the Northbridge is a passive aluminum heatsink that is attached to the PCB through eyehole latches in all four corners. Above the Northbridge is the Intel LGA-775 socket area. Supported by the ASRock 775XFire-eSATA2 is Pentium D, Pentium 4, and Celeron D processors including Presler and Cedar Mill versions. Also supported is Untied Overclocking Technology, for which ASRock claims will be a smoother and further overclocking experience. Around the CPU area, any large heatsinks and waterblocks should remain clear of being obstructed by additional onboard circuitry. In the upper right hand corner of the socket area is the 4-pin PWM fan header. To the left of the CPU socket, and nearing the rear I/O area, is the 4-pin ATX +12V power supply connector, while being surrounded by a great deal of power circuitry. Also near the end of the motherboard are also two eSATA 2 ports, which allow external SATA capabilities rather than USB or Firewire HDDs. ASRock's eSATA also supports hot-plug support for easy connectivity. To append these external SATA capabilities, simply connect the colored port at the I/O panel to the similarly colored SATA port near the Southbridge, using a traditional data cable.

On the rear I/O panel are two PS/2 (mouse and keyboard), one Serial COM, one parallel, four USB 2.0, two eSATA 2, one RJ-45 networking, and three analog audio ports. Below, you can also find a picture from the underside of the ASRock 775XFire-eSATA2 motherboard.