Layout and features
When it comes to microATX boards, we are usually willing to cut the makers a little slack over their board layout designs and, with the ITX form factor leaving a board that is only 170mm square (6.7in x 6.7in), it would be unfair to expect the RS690IKM-AB6S to be perfect.
The most obvious omission is a second DDR2 slot. With the larger exclusion area of the CPU's heatsink mount, there simply isn't any room for it.
But this gives a maximum of 6.4GiB/sec of memory bandwidth, as opposed to the 12.8GiB/sec of normal AM2 systems with DDR2-800. Also, since the RS690IKM-AB6S has no slot for a PCIe graphics card, users will almost certainly be relying on the motherboard's integrated 690G graphics processor, which could be hurt by the lack of memory bandwidth.
The main ATX power connector is well positioned along the board's edge, as is the IDE connector. However, the ATX12V connector is pressed into the top corner, with the retention clip facing towards the backplane. Once the board is installed, trying to unplug this connector could become an exercise in frustration.
The floppy drive connector sits alongside the PCI expansion slot, which isn't ideal, but it's hard to see where else it could be positioned.
As previously mentioned there is no PEG slot, only a standard single PCI slot and that's a bit disappointing. Sound, graphics and TV cards are all available now for the PCIe interface and this would have offered a little extra flexibility in the board's capabilities.
Some features, such as the third and fourth SATA headers and FireWire, are omitted completely, presumably due to a lack of space.
Around the back, the board is somewhat sparsely populated.
The only item of any real note is the HDMI output. On previous AMD 690G boards we've seen, the HDMI socket has allowed for up to 1080p output but the EQS website says that the maximum here is 720p - possibility due to the bandwidth limitations of the single memory channel.
Other than this you simply get a pair of PS2 ports, a D-Sub video output, four USB2.0 ports, a single Gigabit Ethernet and a trio of 3.5mm audio connectors, including a six-channel output.
There's no S/PDIF co-axial or optical output, nor are there an eSATA connectors. Having eSATA would have been nice, as the board only features two of the possible four SATA headers from the SB600 southbridge.
Warranty
EQS covers its board with a comprehensive warranty. The 3-year warranty starts on the date of purchase and is transferrable. Further, the warranty remains intact if you lose the receipt. Should that happen, the end date is based on the date of manufacture.EQS has a service centre in the UK and has agreements in place with its distributors to turn faulty boards around, on average, in 7 working days. Most of EQS' boards are sold through smaller local stores and they may replace a faulty model immediately. EQS can also be contacted directly for warranty-related issues inthe second and third years, and it promises to ship replacement models in as-new condition, meaning new brand-new cables and manuals. The same direct contact applies should the retailer go bust, so you'll always be covered for the 3-year period.
