Motherboard layout (a complaint)

[Artic_Kid]

In most reviews of motherboards, the reviewer complains if the graphics card is over the memory chips, thereby requiring the removal of the graphics card in order to perform memory upgrades. I see that complaint very often.

Yet that complaint is trivial, and I cannot see why reviewers focus on it so much.

The more important issue is whether the graphics card(s) is over the chipset, thereby preventing upgrades of its heatsink (such as a larger after-market heatsink, or a water-cooling block). This issue gets mentioned occasionally by reviewers, but does not receive the regular focus it richly deserves.

What say you?

Which brings me to ask: Are there any socket 939 SLI motherboards where the layout and graphics card(s) do not prevent various upgrades to the chipset cooling?

Boards should start getting layout design with cooling in mind (something akin to the 'wind tunnel' design of the BTX form factor, except for ATX boards too).

Or perhaps a motherboard shipped with air-cooling but also specifically designed to allow efficient water-cooling upgrades. Has any manufacturer done that yet? With the right advances, water-cooling might also include the power-FETs and the memory sticks too. Why not a more thorough water-cooled solution?

Heat, and cooling, are going to be problematic issues for the foreseeable future, so why not focus that toward motherboard layout? Perhaps if we and reviewers make some noise about it, the manufacturers will pickup on it.

[kempez]

Yeah my chipset fan is right under the GPU

Ah well.

EpoX boards can fit a chipset block on them. I know someone who has done that. But then again he couldn't fit a decent air cooler on the CPU as the ATX plug is right in the way

With all boards its a trade-off on where to fit in all the parts - some manufactorers sacrifice RAM placement for CPU/chipset placement, some have great RAM placement but bad chipset placement...

I've not seen a board thats got a perfect layout yet.. mind the Jetway SLI looks pretty good (fugly colours)

[crepness]

I've got an Asus A8n-SLI Dlx and with that I had to make some DIY adjustments by cutting away a part of a RAM clip cos I couldn't fit my gfx card with an ATI Silencer fitted.

[OmarSantiago]

The Asus A8N SLI-Premium uses a completely passive solution for Northbridge cooling with the radiator block placed near the top of the board with the power circuitry and the mosfets. If you have a 92 or 120mm cooler you can cool this entire area and the Northbridge with a single fan (the XP-90 is perfect for this job).

I guess it's a case of covering common ground as when reviewers set up a system they only have a limited selection of components to test with and memory upgrades are probbaly more commonplace than watercooling setups. I know how frustrating it can be though; I found out the hard way that you can't use a Gigbayte fanless X800 PCI-E card on this board with a full set of Corsair XPert memory modules unless you're willing to run it in the second slot. A small hassle but not one you can easily forsee from a review.

This is where forums really come into their own; word soon spreads if there's an incompatibility and you can always dig up a little information if it's out there.