abit AB9 QuadGT Motherboard Review :: Motherboard Layout

The 24-pin power connector is located below the memory slots, making the positioning perfect for the motherboard builder. The 8-pin power connector is above the Silent OTESII cooling system behind the PS/2 ports, meaning that the cable can be directly moved from the PSU to the board.

Molex connector

8-pin power

FDD Controller

USB headers

AuxFan

FP Audio

One issue I have with many manufacturers is the location of the FDD port. abit decided to place it on the far left of the board meaning that the FDD cable has to be snaked around the graphics card, expansion cards or above it. SATA connectors are correctly placed in that a 8800GTX won't interfere with them.

abit has been silently cooling their motherboards for the last few years. While many motherboards use a fan, causing additional noise above the CPU and graphics card fan, abit designed a heatpipe cooling system that they call SilentOTES. The second iteration of the SilentOTES heatpipe is used on the QuadGT board.