Computers in the Philippines is not the absolutely necessary appliance that it is in other  countries and thus, there is only a small sub-set of users here that have computers as a “hobby” Don’t get me wrong thou, I’m sure these people also use their computers for daily productivity and nightly entertainment (eherm.)

What I want to point out though, is that the increase of computer usage and ownership of the past decade couldn’t have been possible with the brands of hardware commonly used in the bigger computer markets, such as Tyan, Albatron, and to a certain extent, Asus.  Instead, I speak of those affordable and competent boards that couldn’t match higher-end boards for features, yet still brought out the basic functionality needed in a first-time buyer’s machine, plus maybe a little extra. Such brands of computer components naturally give the buyer ample reason to set aside a little cash to make that jump into a new “convenience” product – the personal computer.

                                                 Wow. Bet your shiny new board can't connect four ISA devices

The ASRock motherboards of yore were representative of such products. They were priced affordably, had a merely adequate number of features, and worked well. Common belief was that these cheaper motherboards suffered from durability problems, but thankfully only to a very small extent, as compared to the more expensive (and difficult to find) mainstream motherboards.

Now the Philippine market for computers and computer components is on the rise, and there are more “hobbyists” or “enthusiasts” who tinker and dabble with their computers just for the fun of it. It goes to show that the computer industry for the Philippines has matured to the point that people now see computers as necessary and indispensable, both for work and play. The ASRock brand has grown as well; no longer are they associated with just affordability and a dearth of features.

I am staring at an ASRock motherboard box right now as I write this entry, somewhat dazed and cross-eyed from all of the graphics and features and new technologies emblazoned on its front panel. This motherboard is definitely not lacking in the features department. The ASRock ALiveNF5-VSTA has ASRock AM2 Boost – a proprietary technology for boosting memory performance. Support for the new 65nm AM2 chips – from Sempron up to the FX series. RAID capable SATA connectors, itself also boasting of a lengthy features list – like SATA II support, NCQ capability, Hot plug capability. Dual-channel DDR II 800 support that is able to accommodate up to 8GB of memory, through 4 slots. A PCI-X x16 slot is present, as well as 2 PCI-X x1 slots and 3 regular PCI slots. Standard rear-panel connectors (USB 2.0 slots, PS-2, jacks for 7.1 sound, RJ-45 for Gigabit LAN or internet) round off the package. Some “less concrete” features worth mentioning is “Vista Premium Ready” standard, PCI-X frequency locking for overclocking stability, and RoHS compliance.

                                        Yup, This board doesn't even have One ISA slot!

Note that I haven’t opened the box yet at this point. When I get around to doing that, I’m greeted with a clean layout for the different components, dominated by the southbridge heatsink beside the three PCI slots, under which is the nForce n520 chipset. This being an Nvidia chipset board, there is no corresponding northbridge, freeing up space for the processor bracket. Some complaints include the placement of the 20-pin power connector, which is located north of the PCI-X x16 slot near the rear panel – it precludes tucking away the cables neatly. The rear panel layout is also a bit unorthodox – be careful not to lose the included bracket.

                                       A bit too "tucked away" for my taste..

Other than those niggling complaints, first impression is of a solid board with lots of technological capital to spend on the feature-conscious consumer. In fact, this board is, even up to now, is still representative of the motherboard that a regular Juan would buy – only that both the motherboard brand and Juan has grown immeasurably since the days when two lone USB slots were considered wonderful features. Change in this case is good – the average computer buyer today is well informed or at least knows how to ask the correct questions, and the Asrock that we knew before as affordable and merely adequate is now a mature brand with features galore. Best of all, I’m glad that Asrock retains its most important feature since it started selling their boards to our young market: affordability.

Look forward to HardwareMag for a possible review in the following issues.