For installing memory, the BX133-RAID has three DIMM sockets and supports a maximum of 768 MB of standard or ECC SDRAM. Like other boards featuring the Promise or HighPoint controllers, the BX133-RAID can be a bit cramped near the DIMM sockets, with both a DIPswitch box and the floppy/EIDE connectors sitting right beside them. For initial SDRAM installation, this does not pose any problems, but adding or removing DIMMs later on could cause some issues. The BX133-RAID features one floppy and four EIDE connectors, with two for basic ATA-33 support and the other two offering enhanced ATA-100 transfers.

The AGP, PCI and ISA layout is pretty standard, and is almost an exact copy of the popular BE6-II. The only difference we could find is that the ATA-100 EIDE connectors are a bit lower and could possibly intersect with longer AGP cards. This is most likely due to the use of the FC-PGA format, which takes up less PCB length compared to the Slot 1 design used with the BE6-II. The only other point of interest is the open space between the ISA and last PCI slot. It is clear that the design could have supported a shared PCI-ISA option and given users the potential of a sixth PCI slot, albeit for non-bus-mastering device only.

The FC-PGA socket of the BX133-RAID deserves special mention for its thoughtful design and nod towards overclockers. ABIT has placed the ATX power connector right at the very top of the board, well out of the way of both the CPU and SDRAM. The FC-PGA socket's retention arm is totally flush with the base, making the use of excessively large heatsinks a definite option. This is no small point, as we have seen several FC-PGA motherboards and Slockets using angled retention arms that can interfere with larger CPU coolers. ABIT has also moved the BX chipset as far away from the CPU as possible, again giving you the maximum amount of real estate for the cooler. As a testament to their design, we were able to use 3DCool.com's monolithic (app. 3”x3” base) Socket Freezer with the BX133-RAID.