Performance enthusiasts don’t always need the additional features that often accompany top-end boards, so ASRock shoots for value by reducing the number of onboard controllers. A single Gigabit Ethernet controller is supplemented by a WiFi adapter, but the K10N780SLIX3-WiFi has no auxiliary RAID controller or second Gigabit port.

The port panel thus fills basic needs, with the exception of a WiFi antenna connection that marks the board’s only excess. ASRock gets rid of legacy Parallel and Serial ports but keeps the PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports, and offers both optical and coaxial digital audio outputs.

Most noticeably lacking of the K10N780SLIX3-WiFi’s rear ports are any video outputs, which is requirement for the 780a SLI chipset’s “HybridPower” power-savings feature. The nForce 200 PCI-Express bridge still provides standard and 3-way SLI configurations without the potential energy savings, while lower-market buyers will appreciate the same “GeForce Boost” feature also found on lower-cost nForce 8000 series chipsets.

Audio comes from the Realtek ALC890B codec, with eight audio channels (7.1 surround) and 110db rated signal-to-noise ratio.

IEEE-1394 FireWire (aka, 1394a or FireWire 400) is slow enough to use a PCI interface without any additional performance limits, so ASRock connects one of the 780a SLI’s five PCI interfaces to connect a classic VIA VT6308S controller.

The 780a SLI has three spare PCI-Express x1 pathways, and ASRock routs these across two slots and one onboard controller. The Realtek RTL8211B Gigabit Ethernet controller uses the interface to provide bull bandwidth to both uploads and downloads simultaneously.

ASRock’s USB-based 802.11G wireless network adapter is identical to earlier Asus parts, right down to the model number on the lower rear corner. A Realtek RTL8187L does the work.