X-bit labs

ASUS Striker Extreme Mainboard Review (page 5)

Category: Mainboards

by Ilya Gavrichenkov

[ 02/06/2007 | 09:31 PM ]

The assembly process shouldn’t cause you any trouble at all. Here I would like to point out that all SATA ports are located parallel to the PCB, which makes it easier to lay the cables compactly inside the case. Our special thanks also go to the Q-Connector terminal blocks.

These blocks allow you to connect all the cabling from the case front panel to them and then plug everything into the mainboard at once.

Moreover, the mainboard also features its own Power On and Reset buttons that are highlighted in the dark. Also there is a glowing two-position CMOS key right next to them, which seems to do more harm than good in the end.

You will use it very rarely, but by hitting it accidentally you guarantee yourself a few unpleasant minutes of frustration. Especially, since C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall) technology implemented on this mainboard will almost always make up for hardware settings clearing. If the mainboard cannot boot with the BIOS Setup settings you selected, this function will reboot the system with default parameters.

Glowing buttons is far not the end of ASUS developers’ ideas. The edges of ASUS Striker Extreme are covered with blue LEDs that should light up the marking of the major pin-connectors in the dark. However, I would actually regard them mostly as a decorative element.

Thank god these bright LEDs can be turned off in the BIOS Setup as well as with a special button on the mainboard rear panel.

Besides the notorious button, the mainboard rear panel also carries the above mentioned LCD Poster, four USB 2.0 ports, two eSATA ports, two RJ45 network connectors with diagnostic LEDs, and PS/2 connectors for keyboard and mouse. All six analogue audio jacks are laid out on the Supreme-FX daughter card shipped with the board. Here I would only like to add that the I/O Shield for the mainboard rear panel is not a simple aluminum plate, but features built-in lightning for the ports marking.

So, ASUS Striker Extreme mainboard is the first mainboard fully adapted for use in the dark.