Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 - A Tiny Powerhouse

Size Doesn't Matter

It used to be that small factor systems were pegged as lacking in performance and features. This statement is no doubt a sweeping one, since there have been some attempts, notably from Shuttle to create small factor motherboards that are as competent as a full-size version. However, Shuttle is catering to a niche market that's mostly made up of enthusiasts that are into assembling their own home theater PCs (HTPCs) or portable LAN gaming rigs.

With the entry of more chipset options with decent integrated graphics from both AMD and Intel, there's no longer a need to pay premium prices for such systems, especially if it's just for HTPC usage, where HD playback is the main attraction. Intel's , which brings the graphics controller onto the same die as the CPU, are a step forward in this direction together with the chipset.

Now Gigabyte and a few other manufacturers like ECS and Zotac have further reduced the footprint of this chipset to its bare essentials. With just one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot and a size slightly larger than the average palm, the Intel H55 Express chipset is now available in a mini-ITX form factor. Not only that, the motherboard manufacturer has added USB 3.0 as a sweetener for those who are looking further into the future. Here then is the Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3: 

The Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3

Given its mini-ITX form factor, the layout and space of this Gigabyte board are crucial factors. Immediately, we saw that the PCIe 2.0 x16 graphics slot is too close to the CPU socket and the DIMM slots. While one could probably fit in a graphics card with a dual-slot cooler (if your chassis has the allowance), taking it out could be quite troublesome since the release latch for the PCIe slot is very close to the socket.

The other issue is that the retention clip for the DIMM slots are too close to the installed graphics card, so removing or installing a memory module could be slightly tricky. It's not impossible but it will be harder. Gigabyte is probably counting on users not to be fiddling with their systems too much after the initial installation given the mainstream tilt of this board, but we can't help but feel that they could have gone with the single side retention mechanism that we have seen on ASUS (e.g. the ) and even MSI boards recently to solve this issue.

As for the board, you should know that it's based on Intel's H55 Express chipset, so the integrated graphics portion only works if you install a Clarkdale processor. The video outputs are the standard trio of HDMI, DVI and analog VGA while the BIOS allowed us to dedicate a maximum of 128MB of system memory to the graphics. Meanwhile, the dual-channel memory architecture accepts up to DDR3-1600MHz memory modules so there's even allowance for enthusiasts gunning for an overclocked system.

Audio comes courtesy of a Realtek ALC892R HD CODEC, which from our online search, seems to support bit streaming of Blu-ray audio through the HDMI port. The modest nature of this board also means that Gigabyte could go with just a 4+2 phase power delivery system, which is a huge contrast to the usual double-digit power phases touted by the company.

Storage options take a backseat, though there are four SATA 3.0Gbps ports onboard, with an eSATA option at the rear. They are located near the edge of the board, which should help when installing or removing drives. SATA 6Gbps however appears not to be a priority for Gigabyte, though as its model name says, this board supports USB 3.0 thanks to the ubiquitous NEC controller. There are a decent number of USB 2.0 ports too, and they all support Gigabyte's unique ON/OFF charge feature, where one can charge your iPod/iPhone/iPad devices while the PC is off and also at a faster than usual rate.

Finally, the distinctive features of any Gigabyte board is replicated here like it is a proper ATX board, from the solid capacitors used to the other highlights of Gigabyte's Ultra Durable 3 feature like double the copper content in the PCB layer. The whole list of Gigabyte features is too extensive to list here, so check out the specifications tab here on our website or Gigabyte's own website. Just so you know, old favorites like Q-Flash and Dynamic Energy Saver are all present. 

BIOS Settings

Gigabyte chose to go with a BIOS that's arguably as good and with as many options as its typical ATX boards for this mini-ITX board and it's a decision that we agree with wholeheartedly. It makes for a board that will easily get the thumbs up from any enthusiast, as not only are there options to increase voltages and clock speeds, everything is laid out in the usual Gigabyte manner that is quite user friendly, even for a new user.

As for overclocking, the integrated graphics core clock broke the 1GHz mark, at 1150MHz, up from its default 900MHz. This is a slight bump but it also happens to be the best we managed from the Intel H55 chipset. The base clock itself was not too shabby at 170MHz, which again more than matched the other H55 boards we tested previously. 

Test Setup

For our comparison, we took out all the H55 motherboards we tested previously and used an identical configuration for the Gigabyte H55N-USB3. This meant that the integrated graphics core was at its default clock speed, though the Gigabyte could only specify up to a maximum of 128MB of shared memory, unlike the 256MB on the other H55 boards here. We compared the following with the Gigabyte H55N-USB3:

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

And the test setup is:

• Intel Core i5-661 processor
• 2 x 1GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1333 (CAS 7-7-7-20) *the Intel DH55TC was running DDR3-1066
• Seagate 7200.10 200GB SATA hard drive (one single NTFS partition)
• Integrated graphics driver - Intel GFX_15.16.4.x.2009_PV
• Intel INF 9.1.1.1020
• Windows 7 Ultimate

The following system and gaming benchmarks were used:

• BAPCo SYSmark 2007 Preview (ver 1.05)
• Futuremark PCMark Vantage (ver 1.01)
• Futuremark 3DMark06 (ver 1.10)
• SPECviewperf 9.0
• Unreal Tournament 3 (ver 1.1)
• Quake 4 (ver 1.3)

Results - SYSmark 2007 Preview

Like the other Gigabyte H55 board compared, the Gigabyte H55N-USB3 surprised us with its SYSmark overall score of 195, which was a fair amount higher than the other boards. Similarly, the breakdown showed the Gigabyte boards having a strong lead in the Productivity segment, which boosted the overall score significantly. With this section of the benchmark consisting mostly of Microsoft Office applications, one may even see a slight increase in real-life performance with these Gigabyte boards. 

Results - Futuremark PCMark Vantage

Thanks to a rather outstanding performance in the HDD segment, the Gigabyte H55N-USB3 was also a top contender in PCMark Vantage, with an overall score that blew away the competition. Again, it's quite a surprise seeing how this is just a tiny board, but don't let its appearance fool you, the H55 chipset here seems to be performing more than equal to its peers. 

Results - SPECviewperf 9.0

After the above average scores that we had seen earlier, the Gigabyte H55N-USB3 was on par with the other boards in SPECviewperf 9.0.

Gaming Benchmarks

There was nothing spectacular about the performance of the Gigabyte H55N-USB3 in our gaming benchmarks. We had our hopes elevated by the earlier benchmarks but the gaming scores were all in line with the other H55 boards. That translates to decent gaming performance for integrated graphics, but it's not going to even reach the level of a mainstream discrete solution, so if non-casual gaming is your cup of tea, throw in a discrete graphics card at least. 

HD Playback Performance

It's in the HD playback that will be the decisive factor for those who intend to build a media center around this small motherboard. And the Gigabyte H55N-USB3 was more than up to the test. We tested the playback on our usual two Blu-ray discs and found it to be smooth with no lag. CPU utilization was also low enough; in the case of Black Snake Moan, the rate was drastically lower than before. We can likely attribute it to an upgraded version of CyberLink PowerDVD 9 though whether it was 8% or 22%, there should be no discernible difference to most users.

Power Consumption

Despite the fact that this was a mini-ITX board, we found that the power draw was a tad higher than the other H55 boards, which are mostly in micro-ATX form factor. It's not that much higher that one should worry about higher electricity bills, but it was indeed a shock. We also measured the temperature of the passive heatsink over the PCH at 43.5 degrees Celsius, which is not as cool as one would expect. Of course, the cramped nature of the board would probably affect the airflow slightly, and it's recommended that you take due consideration of this when plugging this board into a small chassis.

Conclusion

Are mini and micro-sized motherboards the trendy segment nowadays? It would seem that way, from the many vendors that are shrinking their boards down to these form factors. Even Intel's high-end X58 Express has had this treatment, like the . Part of the reason could be the improvements in integrated graphics in recent years, with AMD's 780G and 880G chipsets and now Intel's Clarkdale processors bringing a certain level of respectability to integrated solutions. Of course, nothing still beats discrete graphics for gaming, though we have definitely reached a level where HD video playback should be no challenge for any integrated graphics solution introduced in the past year or so.

Even among these new wave of competent mini-ITX boards however, the Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 should stand out, not just for the colorful fonts on its package. This small board is one of the few, maybe even, first board of its size to support USB 3.0. It's not something that everyone should get excited about, but with the possibility that this board will be used in HTPC setups, the presence of USB 3.0 does keep it viable for the next few years. Presumably, everyone will be rocking USB 3.0 drives by then and plugging in an external USB 3.0 HDD to transfer your media to the HTPC sounds like a good idea. If you're not that much of an early adopter, the eSATA port on the Gigabyte will tide you over should you need something faster.

Features wise, think of the Gigabyte H55N-USB3 as literally a shrunken version of Gigabyte's standard boards. The full complement of Gigabyte's features are present, from the quality and more costly components used to the software utilities and BIOS. The BIOS in fact is one of the better ones we have used for a mainstream board, which usually tend to have severely reduced options. The reason for this? The Gigabyte H55N-USB3 is a board that's not aimed at the average user. It's more for those who know what they want, with tweaking a big part of the equation. Overclocking is a real possibility on this board, and it was very forthcoming in our tests, matching and even edging out the other H55 contenders.

The Gigabyte H55N-USB3 has fewer storage options and only one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot for a single graphics cards but that is reasonable considering the form factor. What's not so cool are the minor issues we saw with the layout, with some potential conflicts due to the close proximity of certain components when installed. These are common problems for a board of its size, but we feel that they could be alleviated somewhat with a few design tweaks.

In terms of performance, this board was more than equal with its H55 peers, with above average scores in our system test suites. While the gaming and HD playback performance was on par with the competition, it's nevertheless a fine showing. We did find the power draw numbers to be a bit higher than the others but not significantly.

Finally, when it comes to the price, this Gigabyte board goes for around US$105 online. It's not as affordable as ECS' similarly equipped H55 board - ECS H55H-I - which costs around US$80, but then the ECS board lacks some of the features that are standard on a Gigabyte board, like a durable build with solid capacitors and a capable BIOS. The other viable contender in the mini-ITX space that we saw is the Zotac H55ITX-A-E, which is more costly at US$130, albeit with a Wi-Fi module included. With such competition in mind, it's clear that the Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 has a attractive balance of performance, features and prices that should appeal to users who wish to build a small form factor PC around it. More casual users who prefer a quality board with a user friendly BIOS will find it worth the price.

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