Asus Premium and Republic of Gamer motherboards probably have some of the best packages in the motherboard industry. From LCD displays to remote controls and LED lit I/O shields, Asus have included it all in with some of their previous motherboards. With this in mind, let's take a look at what the P5E3 has in store for us today...

 

 

 

Starting with the outer-box, the P5E3 Premium follows roughly the same design as all of Asus' previous P5* series motherboards. The front of the box is fairly plain featuring only a semi-transparent "AI" logo on a black background, while around the back Asus have printed a specifications table (much like the one on page #1) along with a collection of four images depicting some of the most prominent features of the board.

 

Much like the Asus Republic Of Gamers boards, the P5K3 also features a flap at the front of the box which can be lifted to reveal even more details about the features of the board.

 

 

Packaging inside the box is fairly standard, with each of the accessories being individually sealed inside their own plastic bags. The motherboard is separated from the accessories by a cardboard insert, and placed inside its own anti-static bag.

 

Here's a run-down of exactly what's included:

 

 

 

Have you ever build an entire PC only to find that when you go to insert a network cable or USB device that a stupid little bit of metal from the I/O blanking plate is wedged in there? I most certainly have, and judging by Asus latest Q-shield idea, they have too. As we can see from the images above, Asus have done away with the metal tabs in favour of a padded conductive surface. Top idea!

 

 

Moving on to the optional fans...these coolers have been included with many of Asus' Premium, Deluxe and ROG motherboards for quite some time. Designed to clip on to the finned heatsink that covers the mosfets at the top of the board, the fans pull air up through the heatsink fins and expel the hot air out the back of your PC case. They are reasonably quiet and come complete with 3-Pin connectors so that they can easily be controlled using the BIOS or Asus software.

Finally we have the 3-in-1 connectors. These three small blocks are quite simply a godsend for the enthusiast who regularly disconnects their motherboard and is then faced with the frustration of trying to place the power/reset/activity LED connectors back on the motherboard header. They are also very clearly labelled - so no need to refer to the manual while setting your new motherboard up ;)