The first ASUS P5N32-E SLI I purchased from newegg had really tight RAM slots, and coupled with the fact that it wouldn't post my RAM at CAS4 and 1000MHz despite that being the specifications for the RAM, I had decided to RMA the board. The motherboard newegg sent me back was much easier to put RAM into, but still not CAS4 at 1000MHz...
Anyway, here is the motherboard and the two sets of RAM that I ordered:
The G.Skill RAM you see is the DDR2 1000 Hz variety, and the other is Kingston ValueRAM DDR2 800. I got the Kingston ValueRAM as backup because it was inexpensive and was listed by ASUS as compatible with this motherboard (and indeed it is), so if the G.Skill ever fries and needs to be RMAed then I can use the Kingston backups and not be without a computer.
Here is the very pretty motherboard unpackaged and ready to be overclocked:
Unfortunately, in order to have SLI I will have to have my sound card in the middle PCI slot, and the X-Fi XtremeGamer Professional has clearance issues with the southbridge if after-market cooling is used. I was hoping the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude would solve these issues but it's the same size, so I'll have to do with default chipset cooling and just attach fans.
After drooling over how nice the motherboard looks, I decided it was time to put my Core 2 Duo E6700 into it.
I apply thermal paste by putting a drop in the middle, and then spreading it across the IHS with my finger. I have my finger covered with a stretched plastic bag to avoid getting finger prints in the thermal grease.
Of course, we can't have a nice computer without a graphics card...
Sadly, no "EVGA" was written in the drool.
I was surprised at how small the 8600GTS was, especially the cooler. Though, I suppose new technology doesn't always require more power if done right, and this is a mid-range card anyway. I would like to reiterate that the 8600GTS is only my main GPU temporarily; I am waiting for the next generation of DX10 cards to come out since the current DX10 cards perform meagerly at best in DX10 games.
For comparison, I decided to put the XFX 8600GTS (top) next to my XFX 7600GT XXX Edition (bottom).
The 7600GT is actually taller, but a tad bit shorter and with a smaller cooler. The other items you see were included with the 8600GTS card from XFX.
Finally, here is an image of everything together, installed and in the case:
There was only one stick of RAM in there because I was in the process of loading the BIOS to enter the proper RAM timings and voltage. Too bad the ASUS BIOS for this motherboard doesn't allow loose enough tRC timings to allow me to have CAS4 at over 1000MHz... But there's nothing wrong with 5-4-4-5 at 1100MHz!
I haven't done any cable management yet, but I intend to make all of the SATA cables flow as one in the case, and wrap the 2 or 3 ForceFlex cables that are in the open behind the motherboard to get them out of the way. I don't want to hide the cables too much, though, as I think it makes the inside of a case look better when they are done right. I will post some more pictures with the complete cable management setup when I get around to it.
I would also like to point out that those are UV reactive cables, so they will glow blue if I ever decide to put a UV fan or light in there.