ASUS M2NPV-VM Motherboard Review :: ASUS M2NPV-VM Layout

The board is a mini-ATX board. As such the ASUS M2NPV-VM board is able to fit into any mini-ATX case or bigger. I am of the opinion that small computers are a lot of fun, with the Shuttle XPCs one of my favorite chassis of all time. Unfortunately, the small size forces the motherboard manufacturer to make hard decisions on expansion and layout possibilities.

DIMM slots

I've already covered the shortcoming of the positioning of the SATA ports in the area where I discussed drive expansion of the board. The other consequence of using the mini-ATX form factor is that the board has limited expansion possibilities in the form of a single PCI Express x1 slot and two PCI slots. There are four memory DIMMs on the board, under the CPU Socket. They do not interfere with the removal or insertion of a video card, as on some mini-ATX boards.

4-pin power

24-pin power

GeForce 6150

USB Headers

Firewire

Game Port

Front Panel connectors

The 4-pin power connector is on the upper right hand corner of the board. This positioning is ideal as the cable comes in straight from the PSU. The 24-pin ATX connector is on the lower right hand portion of the board also an optimal placement. ASUS has installed a tiny heatsink over the GeForce 6150 chip, to keep it cool. The nForce 430 chip is not cooled passively or with a fan. Two USB headers bring the total supported by the board to 8, while a Firewire header is also present on the ASUS board. The Front Panel connectors are color coded and labeled, making a mistake on those is almost impossible.

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