The new ASrock motherboard just arrived a minute ago, so I haven't had time to bench test it yet, but just like the defective Asus board that I returned, neither the box or anti-static bag had any seal on them, and no signs that one ever existed. Doesn't Asus/ASRock not seal their products any more?
That's odd. I have always gotten a seal on the AS bag. Not the box though. But the last ASrock product I bought was almost a year ago, and the last ASUS product a little after that. Who did you buy from?
When I bought my Asrock board neither the box or the AS bag was sealed. I know mine was new because I bought it when the P67 B3 revisions first came out. They had not been released long enough for a RMA to have happened. The best I can remember, the AS bag was folded over the board with a small piece of tape on it.
While I understand that tape isn't exactly a seal, this board didn't even have that. I don't see any other signs that this is open box, but I'm somewhat reluctant to proceed with testing it, until I feel more confident than I am now. I don't want to repeat the trials and tribulations of RMAing that I have been having with the Asus board.
It is curious though, that their excuse for not giving me a full refund was that I returned it open box, but if there really never was a seal on it, it's purely academic whether it was open box or not, because I returned it exactly as it was sent.
I noticed that the front USB 3 I/O panel is not exactly as it is shown in the photo:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/photo/Box/8...Deluxe4(m).jpg
There is nothing between the black fingers as shown (looks like a metal plate). Is that something that would need to be acquired separately?
Most likely it was decided it was un-necessary and removed for $ reasons. If it is bay mounted, I am sure that screws will hold it up just fine. This sort of thing is a very common occurrence.
Yes, it will be bay mounted...don't really have a choice do I? Unfortunately, that means that the floppy will have to go, because I have no extra drive bays, and only one that the case has a panel of a floppy size, which is also the size of this panel. I guess that I could sacrifice a DVD drive or my Scythe Kama fan controller, if I could get an extra panel from Cooler Master for my case, but I tend to doubt it.
Seekmeister, It is a 3.5" front panel plate. It should have also come with a rear expansion plate that will enable you to hook it up as a front panel or a rear slot.
I don't understand what you mean. There is only one USB 3 panel which is designed for front mounting. The rear USB 3 ports are part of the motherboard itself, which use the main I/O panel, the rest of the USB 2 connections are internal, and require an expansion slot mounting plate as usual.
EDIT: I found what you are talking about, but that would not suffice anyway, because the entire point of the panel is to be front mounted for convenience. Besides, the expansion slot plate has two screw holes for attaching the panel, but the panel doesn't have any matching holes in it for the screws. I'm sure that it could be cobbled to work in the rear some how, but I wouldn't like it anyway.
EDIT 2: I have played with the idea of cutting of part of the panel's mounting fingers, so that I could cut a hole in the case's side panel nearest to me, and mounting the plate there, but for that to work as I would like, I would still need a new front floppy panel to tidy up the installation. I have sent CM a question regarding the purchase of a new panel, but being the weekend, it will probably be a couple of days before they respond.
Did you get a rear expansion plate with 2 slots in it? If so, that is to enable you to add the extra USB3 ports to the back rather than the front. Look at it and see, I think you are supposed to be able to unplug the cable from the front plate and plug it into the rear expansion plate. Both are optional of course.
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