Accessories included with the motherboard consist of the following items:
UltraDMA 133/100/66 Cable
FDD Cable
SATA Cables
SATA Power Cables
D-Sub Module
HDMI to DVI Connector
Q-Shield
User's Manual
3-in-1 Q-Connector
Motherboard and Accessories
Below is a close up of the nifty HDMI to DVI connector. The HDMI connection connects to the HDMI connector located on the motherboard's rear panel.
HDMI to DVI Connector (HDMI Connection)
A display device with a DVI connection, such as an LCD monitor or high-definition television, can then be connected to the DVI connector.
HDMI to DVI Connector (DVI Connection)
LAYOUT
The motherboard is based on the popular ATX form factor and measures 12 inches by 9.6 inches. The processor socket is located near the middle left in the picture below, with adequate clearance around the retention bracket to support aftermarket coolers. Above the processor socket are the system memory slots, which support dual-channel DDR2 memory modules. To the right are two black SATA connectors, four red SATA connectors, and a blue colored legacy IDE connector.
Asus M3N78 Pro Motherboard
Towards the upper-left is a green LED that illuminates when the motherboard is receiving power. Next to the LED is a lithium powered battery, which retains CMOS data, and a jumper that can be used to clear the CMOS data. Along the edge of the motherboard and next to the battery are the front panel headers, which are easily connected courtesy of the Q-Connector Kit. Along the right edge of the motherboard are USB, Firewire, and a black floppy drive connector.
The GeForce 8300 chipset is located near the middle of the motherboard and is cooled by a large heatsink, which is marked with the Asus logo. Towards the upper-right and directly beneath the bar-coded sticker is a VGA connection, which accepts the D-Sub connector accessory and provides output to a VGA device.
Asus M3N78 Pro Motherboard
The rear panel connector consists of the following connections (from top left to bottom right) - PS2 keyboard, USB 2.0 ports 5 and 6, Coaxial S/PDIF Out port, HDMI Out port, IEEE 1394a (Firewire) port, USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4, RJ-45 (LAN) port, USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2, Center/Subwoofer port (orange), Rear Speaker Out port (black), Side Speaker Out port (gray), Line In port (light blue), Line Out port (lime), which supports headphones or Front Speaker Out, and a Microphone port (pink).
Asus M3N78 Pro Motherboard
Note that the motherboard features dual-display output via its HDMI and VGA ports. Before enabling HybridPower, ensure that the display is connected to the onboard VGA port or the HDMI/DVI port at the rear panel.
The overall layout of the motherboad was well-designed with the lone expception being the location of the 24-pin ATX power connector, which is positioned near the rear panel connectors. In this location, the power cable has a tendency to block air that is flowing out the rear of the case.
