In 2004, Taiwan-based computer technology manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer released the K8N-E. The motherboard is notable for possessing Socket 754, a central processing unit socket that semiconductor manufacturer AMD debuted the year before for its then-premier Athlon brand, specifically Athlon 64. In fact, the K8N-E is partly named after this class of personal computer chips, which represented the eighth-generation of production of such components adhering to AMD's x86-64, or AMD64, instruction set.
Processor Support
Although Socket 754 is chiefly made for support of Athlon 64 CPUs, the one on the ASUS K8N-E compatible with AMD's low-end Sempron chips as well. Socket 754 is also compatible with Athlon 64/Sempron CPUs with AMD's power-conserving Cool'n'Quiet technology. Each processor, however, must have a front-side bus speed -- the rate at which it connects with the motherboard for data transmission using the front-side bus interface -- of 800 megahertz.
Socket, Motherboard Dimensions
The dimensions for the socket consist of an 1.83-inch width and 2.16-inch length, although the inclusion of a lever for completely eliminating force in inserting or removing the chip lessens the width to 1.64 inches. The motherboard itself measures 12 by 9.6 inches, following the Advanced Technology Extended form factor standard.
Connectivity
Besides the Socket 754, another notable feature of the ASUS K8N-E is its integrated Ethernet driver, from which it gets its "E" prefix. Called the Marvell Gigabit/LAN PHY 88E1111 -- a product of semiconductor and communications producer Marvell Technology Group -- it's capable of generating a data transfer speed of up to 1 gigabit (or 1,000 megabits) per second. An RJ-45 jack is included with this component, and the K8N-E's nVidia nForce3 -- which is responsible for the "N" part of the motherboard's name -- contains the six-channel Realtek ALC 850 high-definition audio driver with a Sony Philips Digital Interface output and two audio jacks. Other external interfaces include four USB 2.0 ports, serial and parallel connectors and two PS/2 ports.
Memory, Expansion and Storage
The ASUS K8N-E has three dual inline memory module slots based on DDR SDRAM architecture, which can support up to 3GB of system memory and access speeds of 266, 333 or 400 MHz. The motherboard also has five Peripheral Component Interconnect slots for expansion cards; a 66-MHz, 2,133MBps Accelerated Graphics Port for a video card; and two 33/66/100/133-MHz Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment interfaces and two 3GBps Serial ATA interfaces for hard disk and optical drives.
Tags: ASUS K8N-E, Advanced Technology, compatible with