A heatsink installed on some MOSFET transistors that get in the way of the processor cooler airflow helps lower the North Bridge temperature thanks to the heatpipe between the MOSFET and the North Bridge heatsink.

The chipset South Bridge also heats up quite tangibly during work that is why it is topped with a small heatsink, too. Although Asus P5K mainboard is one of the youngest models in the line-up, it accommodated an additional VIA VT6308P controller providing two IEEE1394a ports. Since Intel now only supports Serial ATA devices, Asus had to install and additional JMicron JMB363 controller. It supports one external SATA-port (SATA On-the-Go), one internal port that is not very conveniently located (right next to the controller itself, in front of the top two PCI slots), and one Parallel ATA connector supporting up to two devices.

The inconvenient location of the internal SATA connector is not a critical drawback. Although a graphics card with a dual-slot cooling system will block it almost completely, the available four chipset SATA connectors will be enough for most. However, the PATA connector in the lower left corner of the PCB beneath the expansion card slots is the first serious drawback of the Asus P5K PCB layout design. If you are still using an old HDD, it shouldn’t be an issue, but in case of an old optical drive with PATA interface (a more probable situation), the problems are inevitable. You will have to use a non-standard longer cable that will run through the entire case.

As for the rear panel connectors, we have already talked about the external SATA and IEEE1394a. The ones I still have to mention are six audio-jacks and a coaxial SPDIF provided by the eight-channel Realtek ALC883. The RJ45 network connector is also a must for contemporary mainboards. However thanks to the missing PS/2 mouse connector, Asus engineers managed to squeeze in 6 USB ports.

I doubt that replacing PS/2 with a USB port is really a justified move. Again Intel seems to be extremely aggressive trying to push us further down the path of technical progress even against our will. What for? Why can’t they let everything take its natural course and let the obsolete interfaces to leave the market on their own?

USB keyboards and mice have become very widely spread. I also use a USB keyboard on my testbed: it is cordless, portable and very convenient to use. But as for USB mouse, I usually prefer to connect it to the PS/2 port with an adapter. We use a lot of different mainboards on our testbeds and sometimes there is no need to reinstall Windows even if the chipsets are different. Not to mention, if the chipsets are the same, of course. The operating system will recognize all new devices and may ask you to update the driver for the networking card or sound codec if they are different, and that’s it.

However things are that simple only if you are using a PS/2 mouse that is recognized immediately. USB keyboard and mouse won’t let you do anything until they have been recognized. So, when the OS asks you to point the location of the network, audio or video card driver, you won’t be able to browse or type in anything. In this case all you can do is shut down and power up the system three times until OS reaches USB and recognizes your keyboard and mouse. Then you can actually work normally.

And my home system features a genius PS/2 keyboard from HP. They don’t make them anymore these days. The keys feel great and are located in convenient order. Moreover, the Scroll Lock, Caps Lock and Num Lock status indicators are not in the upper part of the keyboard but on the actual keys. Each key has a small LED built into it that lights up when the mode is on. I don’t even have to look at the keyboard to check the status: my side vision lets me notice if the light is on or off and I make no typos. And what should I do when the next generation of Intel chipsets has up to 16 or 18 USB ports? Although I don’t use even half of them, there won’t be any room for PS/2 ports left. Of course, I can get used to it, but what’s the purpose of creating additional difficulties?

It is also too early to give up PS/2 connectors because only Asus mainboards can give them up completely at this time. Only the BIOS Setup of Asus boards has USB keyboard and mouse support enabled by default. All other mainboard makers have it disabled, which creates additional problems. Suppose that you didn’t forget to enable USB keyboard and mouse support when you first accessed the BIOS Setup. But you will most likely forget to enable it again when the board resets all parameters to default values in case of over-overclocking or after successful BIOS update.

All in all, I personally don’t like to be pushed to the “radiant future”. I prefer to walk at my own pace. But on my way I am very often stumbling upon Intel’s numerous initiatives: transition to NetBurst architecture, new socket types, attempted shift to RDRAM, elimination of AGP and PATA, incompatibility of the CPUs and chipsets, now the elimination of PS/2… Of course, there are also god things happening, such as Core micro-architecture. So, I wonder what will be the next change Intel is preparing for us: a good or a bad one?