Feature Articles

Counting Down to 2011 - Sandy Bridge Motherboards Preview

By Vincent Chang - 15 Nov 2010

ECS H67H2-M

ECS H67H2-M

So far, we have been getting mostly P67 motherboards, but with more than a month to the actual launch, there's time for the H67 boards to roll in. As the new Intel processors all come with integrated graphics, looking at how that performs will be one of our main focus. Let's take a look at the first H67 board in our lab, the ECS H67H2-M.

Like the ECS P67H2-A, this H67 version is based on the Black series, though in a microATX form factor and with much less extreme features than the P67. It means that instead of two or three PCIe x16 slots, there's just the one if you require a discrete graphics card. Else, ECS has its '4most Display' feature, which is what it calls the quartet of DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort and VGA outputs at the rear I/O panel.

The board comes with two SATA 6Gbps ports (black) and three SATA 6Gbps ports (white) from the H67 chipset. EtronTech's USB 3.0 controller is included onboard by ECS for two USB 3.0 ports at the back instead of the more common NEC version. Like many boards, Realtek's ALC892 HD CODEC provides the onboard sound while another Realtek chip handles the Gigabit Ethernet. ECS managed to fit power and reset buttons onboard, with even a POST LED display. Clearing the CMOS is also made easy with a button at the rear I/O.

Besides the hardware, ECS also boasts some of its own proprietary features, like eJiffy, a Linux based, quick boot solution similar to ASUS' ExpressGate. Then there are two features or marketing terms that should be familiar to users of Gigabyte motherboards - EZ Charger, which helps to charge your USB devices faster by providing more current and Rapid 333, which is its umbrella term for supporting the faster USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps.

 Solid capacitors are used throughout this mATX H67 board from ECS. It has the same black and gray color scheme used by ECS' Black series.

Four kinds of display outputs are available, though we have yet to test this board to verify how many displays can be used simultaneously. A useful Clear CMOS button is accompanied by the usual USB ports. There aren't that many however, especially after you reserve two for your keyboard and mouse.

The SATA ports from the chipset are aligned facing outward to avoid interfering with your graphics card. Black for SATA 6Gbps and white for 3Gbps. The EZ charger mentioned is ECS' feature of providing more power through its USB ports to improve the speed of charging your devices. It's something we have seen from Gigabyte.

Nothing unusual here with the dual-channel memory architecture that supports up to 16GB of DDR3 1333MHz memory.

Power and reset buttons along with USB headers.

You don't get too many expansion slots on a mATX board. A single PCIe x16, a pair of PCIe x1 and one PCI slot.

It's the first time we have seen EtronTech as the provider of the USB 3.0 controller. Good to know that there are more alternatives out there.

At least the cooling system with its heat-pipes resembles the ECS P67H2-A, except with one less heatsink.

It's obvious that the microATX form factor and the different chipset limits the amount of premium features that can be added to this ECS board. The rear panel is packed by the four different display outputs so USB ports could be quite scarce and we recommend that you make full use of the onboard headers. While there are a decent amount of features and components onboard, there are no glaring layout issues and we look forward to putting the board to the test soon.

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