nForce2 6-way Motherboard Roundup - December 2002

Leadtek K7NCR18D: Board Layout

There were a few glaring layout issues that we feel are worth pointing out.

The Leadtek K7NCR18D places the ATX (20-pin) connector on the left-hand side of the motherboard below the left-hand corner of the CPU socket. This simply isn't the best place to position the ATX connector layout-wise due to the fact that thick ATX wires can obstruct the installation/uninstallation of the HSF in addition to any other components that might be modified around that area.

There are a total of two onboard fan headers on the included with the MSI K7N2-L. One is the CPU fan header, which is spoken for, and the other is the North Bridge fan header, an RPM reading of which you will find in the BIOS. Of course, you'll have to mod the motherboard with a North Bridge HSF that fits if you want to use this onboard header, though you can always use it for a case fan.

For those users looking to mount their 4-hole heatsinks, have no fear, Leadtek has kindly included four mounting holes around the CPU socket for your installing pleasure. Therefore, you should be able to use Alpha PAL and Swiftech SLK HSF's without issue.

Annoyingly enough, Leadtek places the Primary and Secondary IDE connectors in a similarly awkward position as the K7N2-L and 8RDA+'s location. The Primary and Secondary IDE connectors are located so low on the K7NCR18D that they almost touch the very bottom of the board. Again, we would find it hard to believe if IDE cables running from these connectors would even be able to reach the upper two drive bays of a large sized ATX case. Assuming you're using a long video card, your IDE cables might also get tangled up with your video card. All in all, this isn't too convenient of a location if you plan on keeping your case nice and clean.

Thankfully, Leadtek positioned the DIMM connectors well enough away from the video card to prevent any installation issues. The GeForce4 we used had plenty of room between itself and the DIMM connectors. It's nice to see this space between DIMM connector and video PCB as you aren't forced to uninstall your video card if you need to add memory to your system. An example (which we previously just mentioned with the MSI K7N2-L) of a common scenario where you might need to add memory to your system while your video card is installed is when you're upgrading your system for the first time in quite a while, and you decide to add a large stick of high-speed memory to boost application performance.

There are two USB 2.0 headers located on the K7NCR18D, where you can plug in up to four USB 2.0 ports. We have always liked this type of header location because the bracket wires won't get engulfed between other cables and wires that may be connected to the motherboard. Therefore, the location of the USB headers decreases clutter and increases air flow, which is exactly what you want.