Choosing A Motherboard

[seekermeister]

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?

 

[LiquidSnak]

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?

 

[essenbe]

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.

 

[seekermeister]

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.

 

[seekermeister]

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/890FX 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?

 

[LiquidSnak]

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.

 

[seekermeister]

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.

 

[essenbe]

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.

 

[seekermeister]

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.

 

[essenbe]

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.

 

[seekermeister]

I still don't understand what you mean. As I said, yes there is a rear USB expansion plate, but it has no USB connectors in it, it is simply a plate. The cable for the front USB is integral with the front panel, therefore it would require mounting the panel to the expansion plate, and as I said, the panel does not have any mounting holes on the front of it, only on the fingers that are designed to attach to a front drive bay tray.

EDIT: Okay, I was wrong. To mount it in the rear would require removing the entire plate from the entire cable assembly, probably as you were describing. Still, I don't want it in the rear.

 

[essenbe]

I didn't use the rear plate. I was however, under the impression that the cable from the front bracket would unplug from the front bracket and plug into the rear bracket. I may be wrong, but that was my understanding.

EDIT: However, even if I am correct, I'm not sure 4 rear USB 3.0 ports is necessary or even desirable.

 

[seekermeister]

I just had another thought. Since the floppy drive gets used so little, and I have one empty hard drive bay, I could mount the floppy there and use it's old location for the USB panel.

 

[seekermeister]

I didn't use the rear plate. I was however, under the impression that the cable from the front bracket would unplug from the front bracket and plug into the rear bracket. I may be wrong, but that was my understanding.

EDIT: However, even if I am correct, I'm not sure 4 rear USB 3.0 ports is necessary or even desirable.

The cable does not unplug, it would require removing two screws that hold the cable assembly to the front plate. As far as how desirable that 4 ports is, I will have to wait to decide, but if I had to choose, they would be the front ones that I would use. I really hate fumbling around in the back of the case, picking my way through cables trying to plug something into a port that I can't see.

 

[essenbe]

I don't know of any reason that wouldn't work. It would inconvienent to use the floppy though. I just haven't found a use for a floppy in quite a few years. So, I don't have one.

 

[essenbe]

I didn't use the rear plate. I was however, under the impression that the cable from the front bracket would unplug from the front bracket and plug into the rear bracket. I may be wrong, but that was my understanding.

EDIT: However, even if I am correct, I'm not sure 4 rear USB 3.0 ports is necessary or even desirable.

The cable does not unplug, it would require removing two screws that hold the cable assembly to the front plate. As far as how desirable that 4 ports is, I will have to wait to decide, but if I had to choose, they would be the front ones that I would use. I really hate fumbling around in the back of the case, picking my way through cables trying to plug something into a port that I can't see.

No truer words were ever spoken. My case has the pass through cables for front panel USB3 which puts the ports in the front. But my front panel connectors are on top and my case (full tower) is sitting on my desk. So the front panel adaptor was convienent to me.

 

[seekermeister]

When I want to use a floppy, I want to use a floppy. Besides, I noticed that this motherboard apparently doesn't have the proper SATA drivers on the Windows installation disk and would need to use a SATA driver on a floppy disk. Every now and then, I would use it for something else, so internal or external, I want it. I do have an portable floppy, but I found that with my old motherboard, that I can't boot from it, and it isn't seen during an installation of Windows, Therefore I never even take it out of the drawer.

 

[seekermeister]

I didn't use the rear plate. I was however, under the impression that the cable from the front bracket would unplug from the front bracket and plug into the rear bracket. I may be wrong, but that was my understanding.

EDIT: However, even if I am correct, I'm not sure 4 rear USB 3.0 ports is necessary or even desirable.

The cable does not unplug, it would require removing two screws that hold the cable assembly to the front plate. As far as how desirable that 4 ports is, I will have to wait to decide, but if I had to choose, they would be the front ones that I would use. I really hate fumbling around in the back of the case, picking my way through cables trying to plug something into a port that I can't see.

No truer words were ever spoken. My case has the pass through cables for front panel USB3 which puts the ports in the front. But my front panel connectors are on top and my case (full tower) is sitting on my desk. So the front panel adaptor was convienent to me.

A full tower case sitting on the desk...you mean on top of the desk? If so, that doesn't sound very convenient to me. I have mine sitting on top of an aquarium tank (sans a stand) that I modified to black out the glass and has a wooden top for the computer to sit on. I would like it to be a few inches higher than it is, but not as high as your's

 

[essenbe]

Well, I either like it this way or am just used to it this way. Not sure which. But in my situation I had 2 choices, on top of the desk or under it. And I certainly did not relish the idea of crawling under the desk to plug something in to the rear or to open the case to fix something.

 

[seekermeister]

I understand that being high makes it far easier to work inside the case. That is the reason that I would like mine a few inches higher than it is. However, it isn't too bad for me, because it sits ~ 13.5 " off the floor using my aquarium, which sits at the side of the desk. So I have to sit on the floor to do some minor jobs in the case, and if it is more major, I shut it down and pull all of the cables, and carry it to my work table, so that I have a chair to sit in and a proper light to work by.