The CPU interface is Slot 1, and AOpen includes a pre-installed, fold-down CPU bracket. Right next to the CPU is a set of seven 2200uF capacitors and a well-placed CPU fan header that is easy to reach, and sufficiently away from other components. The second fan header is at the bottom of the motherboard and is intended for use with a front-mounted case fan. AOpen has placed the ATX power connector at the top of the AX64 Pro, and it does not interfere with either CPU or SDRAM installation. The standard VIA AGP/PCI hardware jumpers are also in plain view, right next to the DIMM sockets. These force the motherboard into PC66, PC100 or PC133 modes, resulting in the standard AGP and PCI bus speeds at each setting. Other than possibly having to adjust that one hardware jumper, all other overclocking and voltage controls are found in the AX64 Pro's soft BIOS setup.

Since the AX64 Pro supports both on-board sound and modem functionality (through AC'97 codecs), the board's ATX backplate adds the standard selection of MIC, Line-In, Speaker and Game Port outlets. On the board itself are internal connectors for CD Audio, Modem Audio, and MPEG Digital Audio. The entire ATX back panel follows the color-coded ATX standard and makes peripheral installation and placement much easier. The location of the IDE and floppy connectors is also good, and AOpen has left more than enough room between each of them to accommodate specialty clip-on end connectors. The board's front panel LED connectors are also standard design and fit perfectly with the ATX reference cases.

In the interesting features department, AOpen includes their popular 24K gold-plated heatsink on the VIA North Bridge chipset. While the manual correctly states that gold can provide better heat consumption, the VIA chipset doesn't really heat up that much in the first place. Although not recommended, the FIC KA11 even shipped without any chipset heatsink at all. Including a 24K heatsink is still a good move since it looks great and definitely gives the board a more high-class appeal. The other interesting novelty is the Die Hard BIOS, which is simply a dual BIOS chip that protects against virus protection and random BIOS failure. If problems arise, a simple jumper change will enable the secondary BIOS.

As with virtually any motherboard review, there are a few issues that were found during the AX64 Pro testing. First off, there is the fact that AOpen continues to supply only two fan headers on their motherboards. This results in problems for those with CPU coolers that require two fan headers and also negates installing a standard back-mounted case fan. For the AX64 Pro, get a Y-cord adapter for the cooler and be sure that your second case fan has a four-pin Molex connector to attach to a PSU power plug.