Starting at the top of the board we see the four DDR3 DIMM slots. They are fairly tightly packed but I'd imagine only the largest DIMMs (think 'Reaper' style heatpipe models) might have issues during install. I would like to compliment ECS designers as they have placed the slots in such a way as to stop GPU proximity issues. Due to the need to fit multiple expansion slots and large DIMMs onto boards these days many manufacturers are left with placements that hinder insertion and removal of components. The DIMM + GPU issue is one that I must have come across with around half of the motherboards I've built into... not with the A885GM-A2! Nearby we see the 24pin ATX power connector - once again there's a thumbsworth of clearance so unclipping the ATX plug should be easy enough.


DIMM sockets and ATX 24-pin socket.

The CPU socket placement is probably a touch lower due to the placement of the Northbridge. It's AMD's standard LOTES design and provides a secure mount for a great many performance coolers.


The CPU socket.

To the side of the CPU socket the mosfet section that provides the power delivery for the CPU is a compact and tidy arrangement. The board is compatible with 125w designs which includes all the current six core CPU designs including the flagship 1090T.


The CPU power section.

In fact the text above the 8-pin ATX 12v connector backs up what I've just said. HEX core here we come!


HEX core support.

The Northbridge chipset is cooled by a tiny passive heatsink. At first glance it doesn't look much bigger than the boards Southbridge heatsink (which we'll see in a moment) however in reality it's probably just over twice the size so should be ok... hopefully!


The compact Northbridge.

Moving down the board we find the ami bios chip - power management, wake functions and CPU and system modification are all controlled through this.


AMIBIOS chip.