Transcend's ASL3 weighs in at a slim 8.5"x12," fitting easily into our test bed cases. Given the relatively small size, it is no wonder that the ASL3 doesn't include some of the more luxurious amenities provided on more expensive ASUS and ABIT solutions, like additional IDE controllers or a dedicated audio processor. Nevertheless, Transcend has done an admirable job at fitting important features into limited PCB space.

Following a now-popular trend with motherboard manufacturers, Transcend has begun to phase out ISA slot usage, and ships the ASL3 with a 1xAGP/1xCNR/6xPCI configuration - a setup that we find ideal. Unfortunately, there is one fan header located under the AGP slot, which could cause a potential headache if you add an additional fan in the future. Additionally, the onboard audio connectors reside under PCI slots 1 and 2, which make upgrading to an add-on PCI audio solution a pain if you already have PCI devices installed.

The ASL3 features three DIMM slots to accommodate the relatively disappointing 512MB memory ceiling of the i815 chipset. On top of that, only two of the memory slots will accept PC133 memory. With all three slots occupied, memory should be run in PC100 mode for the purpose of stability. Unlike many manufacturers, who position the DIMM slots in a manner that interferes with longer AGP video cards, Transcend has done a good job of spacing the components far enough away from each other to not obstruct each other.

Unfortunately, the FC-PGA socket is surrounded by 1500-microfarad capacitors, making the installation of an oversized heatsink highly unlikely. Compounding the problem is a raised locking mechanism for the CPU, preventing our stock Intel heatsink to lay flush with the processor. If you plan on using a specialized cooling solution that occupies more area than the actual Socket 370 interface, prepare for a headache - we had to use a little non-standard cooling for our 1GHz test bed.

General front side bus settings can be set on the motherboard - 66, 100, and 133MHz. For further adjustment, Transcend enables FSB manipulation in the BIOS in 1MHz increments. Overclockers will also appreciate a jumper-selectable I/O voltage, although they will have to select between low, medium and high rather than actual voltages.

In line with what we'd expect from a quality motherboard, Transcend has included three fan headers, which should cover any cooling needs quite adeptly. The back plate is also pretty much standard for an i815E board - parallel port, PS/2 ports, one serial, one VGA-out, and necessary audio ports. Our review unit included the serial port that was replaced by the VGA-out connector; a nice addition on the part of Transcend. Wake-on LAN, IrDA infrared, and additional USB connectors are also available.