Intel D975XBX2 Desktop Motherboard Review :: Intel D975XBX2 Layout

Intel designed this board for the enthusiast market and it shows with the layout of the board. The 4-pin power connector is on the upper right hand corner of the board, meaning the cable won't interfere with users wanting to use after-market CPU coolers nor airflow in the case. The 24-pin power connector is on the bottom right hand corner, the perfect positioning for a board, as it is closest to the PSU and won't cause problems. The CPU area is likewise clear of obstacles.

4-pin power

24-pin power

CPU area

DIMM sockets

One issue I have with the layout is the positioning of the DIMMs slots so close to the video card. With a normal card like the 7900GT it isn't much of an issue. With the 8800GTX, the video card overlaps all four DIMM sockets, if they are opened, meaning the video card will block easy removal and installation of the memory unless you take the video card out first.

Capacitors

Aux Fan

Rear Fan

CPU Fan header

Intel outfitted the board with three Fan headers in addition to the CPU fan header to allow the enthusiast to keep their system cool. Two USB headers bring the total supported by the board to 8 and an additional IEEE-1394 header brings the total on the board to 2. Intel has gathered most of the capacitors on the board to the far left, near the last PCI and PCI Express x16 slot.