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HWM+HardwareZone.com Tech Awards 2011 Editor's Choice - Part 2

By Team HardwareZone - 4 Mar 2011

Best Mainstream Motherboard for Intel (Intel H55)

Best Mainstream Motherboard for Intel (Intel H55)

2010 saw the first attempt by Intel to integrate a graphics processing core to its processors. These 32nm Clarkdale processors come with Intel HD Graphics and while the level of integration for the graphics core doesn't come close to its 2011 followup, the recently launched Intel Sandy Bridge architecture, it's more than adequate for the mainstream users that are its target audience.

To fully utilize the integrated graphics core, these Clarkdale processors must be installed in a chipset based on Intel's H55 or H57 Express chipsets, which have the requisite display outputs. The H55 Express chipset, with its consumer slant, is accordingly the mainstream Intel chipset for this category. With many models to select from, we have taken some of the best models from each major vendor, taking in consideration the performance, features and value.

Nominees:

  • ASRock H55M Pro
  • ASUS P7H55-M PRO
  • ECS H55H-M
  • Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3
  • Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H
  • Intel DH55TC
  • MSI H55M-ED55

And the Winner Is...

With a BIOS that matches a full fledged board from Gigabyte, this USB 3.0 capable Gigabyte board takes our Best Mainstream motherboard for Intel H55.

While we have a variety of form factors to choose from, these board vendors managed to put their own unique touches to their products. The ASUS P7H55-M PRO comes with its proprietary technologies like TurboV; the ASRock H55M Pro has a unique dual set of mounting holes such that upgraders can continue to use their LGA775 coolers on this LGA1156 board; the MSI H55M-ED55 is a very capable board that scored in our power efficiency tests and with MSI's OC Genie technology.

However it is the Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 that stands out for leading the rest of the H55 cohort in terms of performance. Despite its mini-ITX form factor, it packs sufficient features to impress us, including USB 3.0 ports. The BIOS even caters to enthusiasts with overclocking options equal to Gigabyte's standard boards. Although it is a bit more costly than some of the other H55 boards, it's worth paying for and gets our vote for the Best Mainstream Intel motherboard.

Scoring Breakdown
Criteria/Model ASRock H55M Pro ASUS P7H55-M PRO ECS H55H-CM Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 Intel DH55TC MSI H55M-ED55
Performance 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 8.5 8.0 8.5
Features 8.5 8.0 7.0 9.0 9.0 7.0 9.0
Value 9.0 7.5 7.5 8.5 8.0 6.5 8.0
Overall 8.5 8.0 7.5 8.5 8.5 7.0 8.5
Price US$95 US$110 US$95 US$105 US$105 US$105 US$110

For more details on how we selected our winners, check out the full reviews and articles listed at the References section at the end.

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