abit AB9 Pro Motherboard Review :: AB9 Pro Layout

The layout of the AB9 Pro is very interesting. The 4-pin power connector is on the top portion of the board, meaning you do not need to snake the cable over or around the CPU heatsink. The 24-pin ATX connector is located in the usual position on the right hand side of the board. The IDE port is located in between PCI Express x1 slot #2 and PCI slot #1. This position is ok, but not optimal. If you have a full-tower case and need the CDROM to be on the top, the IDE cable may have trouble reaching the PATA port. The floppy drive connector is on the far bottom of the case, meaning that you may have issues in a full-tower case with the FDD port.

4-pin power

24-pin power

CPU Socket area

USB headers

MOSFETS

Firewire headers

The CPU area is relatively free of obstructions, with the capacitors aligned on two edges of the CPU Socket area. You should be able to use a Zalman CNPS9500 cooler without issue. The MOSFETs on the board are fitted with heatsinks, keeping them cool while the board is in operation. The AB9 Pro has three USB headers on the board, allowing the board to have 10 total USB ports. Also on the board are two IEEE-1394 headers for Firewire connectivity.

Southbridge

Silent OTES

Heat Pipe

Aux Fan1

AuxFan2

AuxFan3

FP IO

CD In

Molex connector

The ICH8R Southbridge is cooled by a passive heatsink. The Northbridge chip is cooled by abit's Silent OTES (Outside Thermal Exhaust System) cooling system. The 965 chip is covered by a heatsink with a heat pipe leading out to the back heatsink. This effectively cools the NB and the CPU both. The Front Panel IO is clearly labeled and color-coded making an easy install of the motherboard. A POST LED is present, giving an indication when the board has a problem at boot. There are four fan headers in addition to the CPU/Fan and Northbridge fan headers on the board.

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