ASUS A8R32-MVP Layout
The slot layout for PCI Express and PCI Conventional is the most interesting thing about the A8R32-MVP. ASUS leave two PCI Conventional slots free even when using dual-slot graphics cards, placing one of those slots in between the PEG16Xs.
If you're considering a PhysX board (the first round of which have active cooling), it makes sense to pop it in the bottom slot, leaving that middle one free for your X-Fi or Audigy, should you choose to augment a discrete audio board and forego the use of the onboard HD Audio.
Otherwise there's very little to talk about, precisely because the layout is so damn good. Power connectors are on board edges, SATA ports are well sited, IDE connectors are vertical on the right side board edge, and headers are all where they should be and well labelled.
ASUS passively cool some of the CPU power circuitry and the bridge ICs, leaving the board itself as silent as you like.
Since the Sil3132 serves the eSATA port on the backplane, it needs to be near the backplane itself for trace route reasons, placing the internal port in an odd spot nearby, but otherwise we'd buy the layout engineer a drink for this one.
