Presentation and Bundle
We'll have a look at the packaging, accessories, and software provided with this top-of-the-line Shuttle AMD-based motherboard.
The appearance of a motherboard, especially if you're looking to purchase it through a retailer, is now becoming increasingly important. I like the understated yet vibrant look of this box.
As this is a pre-retail review sample, ignore the CDR housing the drivers. I can assure you the retail edition will appear different.
In terms of extras, you receive a comprehensive instruction manual that details the finer points of motherboard installation and usage. It goes into reasonable depth where need be. It's well written with an easy-to-follow style. A Highpoint IDE RAID configuration booklet is also included. We also receive an USB bracket that allows us to add a further 2 USB2.0 ports to the 2 integrated on to the backplane.
2 ATA133 cables, a floppy drive cable, and S-ATA cable are included to allow you to hookup your devices quickly and painlessly. Serial ATA, or S-ATA for short, will undoubtedly replace standard IDE as the conduit between hard drives and motherboard. It's diminutive design. hot-swapability, and increased bandwidth make it an ideal choice for upcoming drives.
To show you just how small the connections are, have a look at the following picture.
As you can see, the driver CD contained all the drivers one would need to setup the AK37 GTR fully.
I also received a Firewire bracket with this motherboard, you may be able to spot it in the pictures. I assume this was due to erroneous packaging as this motherboard doesn't feature integrated Firewire support. I'd have liked to see another USB2.0 bracket included, thus bringing the total of usable ports to the specified 6. Other than that, it's a reassuringly solid bundle.
