ECS 915P-A

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Revision: 1.2A

BIOS: 41005

Except for the fact that this motherboard comes with PCI Express and a slot that looks like AGP, it is rather typical. ECS obviously put the focus on flexibility, as there are two PCI and two x1 PCI Express slots. Users can either keep using DDR400 DIMMs or switch to DDR2-533 versions, although the latter will not really increase performance. The layout is also ready for Intel's 915G chipset featuring integrated graphics.

A 6-channel sound system based on a C-Media AC97 codec delivers basic audio features for multimedia applications. ECS provides a coaxial digital output, but does not include the connector module. Network connectivity is provided by a Realtek 8110S Gigabit Ethernet controller attached via PCI Express.

For storage interfaces, ECS stuck to the on-board solutions that come with the Intel chipset: four native Serial ATA ports, plus one UltraATA/100 channel supporting two drives. Unfortunately, ECS forgot to include USB connector modules, leaving the user with only two usable 2.0 ports.

We found the four fan headers to be quite valuable in ensuring proper system ventilation. Furthermore, the manufacturer's decision not to deploy fans on the chipset components is helpful in reducing the overall system noise level.

It is too bad ECS did not include any USB adapter modules. Users in need of more than two USB 2.0 ports need to obtain these themselves.