ASUS P5GD2 Review :: Bundle

• 2 SATA ports and Power Connector cable
• 2 USB 2.0 ports cable
• 3 80-pin ATA133 cables
• Wireless LAN Cable
• Wireless LAN Receiver
• 10x SATA cables
• 3X2 SATA power connectors
• RJ-45 LAN jack+2 1394B connector cable
• COM1 port
• Back plate
• Manual
• Motherboard Settings Sticker
• WiFi-G Manual

I'm not a big fan of the bundles most motherboard manufacturers include with their products. ASUS's P5GD2 Premium is an exception to that rule for me, as it includes everything that a good motherboard bundle should include and more than most companies put in two bundles combined.

Cables

Starting off with the hardware, the very first thing that jumps out at me as I opened the box was the inclusion of 10 SATA cables. Being as there are 8 SATA connectors on the board and 2 more available via cable that maxes the SATA out. Further, ASUS included 3 power connectors for the SATA devices with 2 connections for SATA on each power connector. Many manufacturers are skimpy with their connectors and while I don't see the need for 10 SATA hard disk drives they are there if you need them.

Brackets and I/O Shield

Manuals and Software

The second thing that jumped out at me was the IDE cables included. This is another sore spot with me as many manufacturers include only one 80-pin cable and one floppy cable. ASUS on the other hand includes not only the floppy cable but the maximum 3 IDE cables that the motherboard would require if all IDE ports were used. This just speaks about the quality of the bundle that the board includes.

One possible negative about the bundle is the maximum 6 USB 2.0 ports with the included cable. Frankly, with every thing else ASUS includes, this is a decision I can live with. For the digital video enthusiast ASUS includes 3 IEEE1394 (1 1394A 2 1394B) ports. Also included in the package is a 2nd RJ45 jack for dual LAN on the motherboard.

ASUS also includes a Wireless Networking setup with their board. The included manual made setting it up easy and intuitive. Simply find the wireless LAN antenna port on the motherboard back panel, connect the antenna to it and put the antenna in an appropriate position. Once you reboot the computer install the drivers from the driver CD and follow the prompts. The manual for the WiFi is detailed and thorough, so it's hard to mess it up.