"Integrated" chipsets. Two motherboards based on Intel H55 Express. Chipset Intel® H55 Express Intel chipset h55 RAM
for budget processors Nehalem
So, at the very beginning of January 2010, Intel almost completed the glorious era of processors based on the Core microarchitecture. Now, ironically, only ultra-budget models under the Celeron trademark for Socket 775 will be produced on Core (for some time yet), which will be the subject of one of our upcoming articles. Well, today - about Socket 1156, which got the lion's share of Intel desktop processors - Core and Pentium. As you already know from the introduction of processors based on the Clarkdale core, the updated platform includes new chipsets - H55 and H57 - among the possible applications. However, it cannot be said that the use of new chipsets is an indispensable condition or that it allows you to fully unlock the potential of new processors: somewhere the potential will be revealed more fully, and somewhere it will be completely hidden :). Well, let's get acquainted with the first "integrated" chipsets for Nehalem (or rather, Clarkdale).
Intel H55 and H57 Express
Well, why the chipsets are called "integrated" (in quotation marks), you obviously already know very well: this is usually what they call solutions with integrated video, but now GPU left the chipset and moved to the CPU in the same way as the memory controller (in Bloomfield) and the controller PCI Express for graphics (in Lynnfield) earlier. In accordance with this, the range of Intel products has slightly changed: the former letter G has been replaced by H. By the way, we have a complaint about the range of new products. The fact is that the H55 and H57 are really very close in terms of functionality, and the H57 of this pair is definitely the older one. However, if we compare the capabilities of new products with the hitherto lonely chipset for Socket 1156 - P55 processors, it turns out that H57 is the most similar to it, having only two differences, just due to the implementation of the video system. H55 is the youngest ICH PCH in the family, with reduced functionality. It is clear that our opinion of Intel is not a decree, and chipsets are ranked in accordance with positioning, for which the money is charged (the conditional selling price of P55 and H55 is $40 versus $43 for H57). However, to put it simply, the current H55 should have been called the H53, and the current H57 should have been released under that name. But enough words, let's take a look at the specifications.
The key features of the H57 are as follows:
- up to 8 PCIEx1 ports (PCI-E 2.0, but with PCI-E 1.1 data rate);
- up to 4 PCI slots;
- the ability to organize a RAID array of levels 0, 1, 0 + 1 (10) and 5 with the Matrix RAID function (one set of disks can be used in several RAID modes at once - for example, two disks can organize RAID 0 and RAID 1, for each array its own part of the disk will be allocated);
- 14 USB 2.0 devices (on two EHCI host controllers) with the ability to individually disable;
- High Definition Audio (7.1);
As we promised in the P55 review, the newcomer's differences were minimal. The architecture has been preserved (one microcircuit, without division into north and south bridges - de facto it is just the south bridge), all the traditional "peripheral" functionality has remained unchanged. The first difference is the implementation of a specialized FDI interface in the H57, through which the processor sends the generated screen image (be it a Windows desktop with application windows, a full-screen demonstration of a movie or a 3D game), and the task of the chipset is to pre-configure display devices to ensure timely display of this image to the [desired] screen (Intel HD Graphics supports up to two monitors). Of course, we will talk more about the capabilities and features of the new generation of Intel integrated graphics in a separate article, but here we have nothing more to add, since the company, unfortunately, does not provide any additional information about the FDI organization. However, there is nothing new in the very fact of additional interfaces between the processor and the chipset (previously between the chipset bridges), and when we talk about the DMI bus as the only corresponding communication channel, we mean only the main channel for general purpose data transmission, no more, and some highly specialized interfaces have always existed.
The second difference on the block diagram of the chipset is impossible to notice - however, it is also impossible to notice it in objective reality, since it exists only in the reality of marketing. Here, Intel takes the same approach that segmented chipsets of the previous architecture: the top chipset (currently X58) implements two full-speed interfaces for external graphics, the mid-range solution (P55) - one, but split into two at half speed, and the junior and integrated products of the line (these are just the heroes of today's review ) - one full-speed, without the ability to use a pair of video cards. It is quite obvious that the actual chipset of the current architecture cannot affect the support or lack of support for two graphical interfaces (yes, P45 and P43 were obviously the same chip). It's just that during the initial configuration of the system, the motherboard based on the H57 or H55 "does not detect" options to organize the operation of a pair of PCI Express 2.0 ports, while the motherboard based on the P55 manages to do this in a similar situation. The real, "iron" background of the situation to a simple user, in general, does not matter. So, SLI and CrossFire are available on P55 based systems, but not on H55/H57 based systems. (However, we will not exclude from consideration the option when CrossFire is organized by installing a second video card in the x4 (PCI-E 1.1) slot from the chipset - with a corresponding drop in performance.)
Now let's evaluate the capabilities of the H55: 
- support for all Socket 1156 processors (including the corresponding Core i7, Core i5, Core i3 and Pentium families) based on the Nehalem microarchitecture when connected to these processors via the DMI bus (with a throughput of ~2 GB/s);
- an FDI interface for receiving a fully rendered screen image from the processor and a block for outputting this image to the display device(s);
- before 6 PCIEx1 ports (PCI-E 2.0, but with PCI-E 1.1 data rate);
- up to 4 PCI slots;
- 6 Serial ATA II ports for 6 SATA300 devices (SATA-II, the second generation of the standard), with support for AHCI mode and functions like NCQ, with the ability to individually disable, with support for eSATA and port splitters;
- 12 USB 2.0 devices (on two EHCI host controllers) with the ability to individually disable;
- MAC controller gigabit ethernet and a special interface (LCI/GLCI) for connecting a PHY controller (i82567 for implementing Gigabit Ethernet, i82562 for implementing fast ethernet);
- High Definition Audio (7.1);
- binding for low-speed and obsolete peripherals, etc.
There are already some changes in support for traditional peripherals - though not too significant (it's almost impossible to determine by eye how many USB ports a chipset supports). It is clearly seen that the regression in this case "rolls back" the situation at the time of the ICH10 / R south bridges: the H55 is devoid of exactly those changes that allowed us (jokingly) to suggest the name ICH11R for the P55. H55 is in its pure form ICH10, and without the letter R: the junior chipset of the Intel 5x line also did not receive the functionality of a RAID controller. Of course, the FDI interface was added to the list of ICH10 features in this case, and it is equally obvious that the H55 does not support SLI / CrossFire, and indeed two [normal] graphical interfaces in general - however, we do not expect such capabilities from the south bridge ?
Summarizing the differences: the most budget solution in the new line has 12 USB ports instead of 14 in P55/H57, 6 PCI-E ports instead of 8 and does not have RAID functionality. The "peripheral" PCI Express controller still formally complies with the second version of the standard, however, the data transfer rate over its lines is set at PCI-E 1.1 (up to 250 MB / s in each of two directions simultaneously) - ICH10, definitely.
How bad or good is the peripheral support of the new chipsets? In the case of H57, this is still the same maximum, but not unique for today set. In the case of the H55, I suppose many will notice the lack of RAID (but, of course, not the grandiose limitation of the number of USB ports to 12 pieces). Actually, buyers, perhaps, would not have noticed (few people still need more than one hard drive at home), but how to sell motherboards without RAID? Well, quite cheap microATX-models, of course, will be released anyway - Intel, for example, offers such a solution as a reference for the new platform. But more serious products without the usual attribute… hardly. This means that they will unsolder an additional RAID controller, bringing the already excessive number of SATA ports to 8-10. On the other hand, perhaps the H55 will have its own well-defined niche, and more demanding (or not knowing exactly what they want) buyers will be offered models based on the H57. The difference in the selling price of the chipsets ($3) is unlikely to significantly affect the price of the final product.
The new chipsets do not implement any promising technologies, although motherboards supporting USB 3.0 and Serial ATA III are already on sale. But in the case of Intel, we can only expect serious innovations in the new platform for Sandy Bridge, but for now, manufacturers will test discrete controllers (on boards or expansion cards).
Let's add just a couple of words about heat dissipation. More is not needed here, since there are no reasons to change the heat dissipation of the same H57 in comparison with the P55 - formally, taking into account the applications that integrated chipsets have brought, TDP has been increased from 4.7 W for the "classic" P55 to 5.2 W for newcomers. And this means - more motherboards of any rank with a moderate and completely Spartan cooling system; no - pretentious compositions of heat pipes and overheating.
Conclusion
In conclusion of the article, let's try to answer the question posed 4 months ago: what chipset motherboard should I choose when buying a processor with socket 1156? First of all, you need to understand that incompatibility between different chipsets and processors of this socket is not fatal. Any of these processors will work in a board on any of these chipsets, the only question is whether its owner will lose integrated graphics, for which he has already paid anyway. Everything seems to be simple: if you want to use the built-in Clarkdale graphics, take the H57. If you want to create a normal (we don't say "full", 2 x16) SLI/CrossFire - take the P55. You can't be together. And in the most probable intermediate case, when exactly one external video card is planned to be used as video? In this case, there is no difference at all between P55 and H57, and even the selling price does not play a role here - you will buy the motherboard in the store, and not the chipset crystal near the checkpoint at the Intel factory. Probably, a model based on the H55 would have cost you a little less, but there is a suspicion that they will not produce really attractive modern boards based on this chipset. There is a choice, and although there is no more attractive choice (for which many would be ready to pay more just in case), we can say for sure that all the richness of processors for Socket 1156 has worthy chipset support.
Product release date.
Lithography
Lithography indicates the semiconductor technology used to produce integrated chipsets and the report is shown in nanometer (nm) indicating the size of the features embedded in the semiconductor.
Estimated power
Thermal Design Power (TDP) indicates the average performance in watts when the processor's power is dissipated (when running at base frequency with all cores engaged) under a complex workload as defined by Intel. Review the requirements for thermoregulation systems in the datasheet.
Embedded options available
Available Options for Embedded Systems indicate products that offer extended purchasing options for smart systems and embedded solutions. Product specifications and terms of use are provided in the Production Release Qualification (PRQ) report. Contact your Intel representative for details.
Integrated Graphics ‡
The integrated graphics system delivers stunning graphics quality and performance, as well as flexible display options without the need for a separate graphics card.
Graphics system output
The graphics system output defines the interfaces available for interacting with device displays.
Intel® Clear Video Technology
Intel® Clear Video Technology is a set of video encoding and processing technologies built into the processor's integrated graphics system. These technologies make video playback more stable and graphics more clear, vivid and realistic.
PCI support
PCI support indicates the type of support for the Peripheral Component Interconnect standard
PCI Express Edition
The PCI Express edition is the version supported by the processor. PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) is a high-speed serial expansion bus standard for computers to connect hardware devices to it. Different versions of PCI Express support different data transfer rates.
PCI Express Configurations‡
PCI Express (PCIe) configurations describe the available PCIe link configurations that can be used to map PCIe PCH links to PCIe devices.
Max. number of PCI Express lanes
The PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signal pairs for receiving and transmitting data, and is also the basic element of the PCIe bus. The number of PCI Express lanes is the total number of lanes supported by the processor.
USB version
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard connection technology for connecting peripherals to the computer.
Total number of SATA ports
SATA (serial data interface used to connect storage devices) is a high-speed standard for connecting storage devices such as hard drives and optical drives to the motherboard.
Integrated network adapter
Integrated network adapter assumes the MAC address of the built-in Intel Ethernet device or ports local network on the system board.
Integrated IDE adapter
IDE Interface is an interface standard for connecting storage devices that indicates that the disk controller is integrated into the disk and not a separate component on the motherboard.
T CASE
The critical temperature is the maximum temperature allowed in the processor's integrated heat spreader (IHS).
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) ‡
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O augments virtualization support on IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® (VT-i) processors with I/O virtualization features. Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O helps users improve system security, reliability, and I/O device performance in virtualized environments.
Compliant with Intel® vPro™ platform ‡
The Intel vPro® platform is a set of hardware and technologies used to build end-to-end business computing systems with high performance, built-in security, advanced management features, and platform stability.
Intel® ME Firmware Version
Embedded Intel® Management Engine (Intel® ME) leverages the platform's built-in management and security application capabilities for remote out-of-band management of networked computing resources.
Intel® Remote PC Assist Technology
Intel® Remote PC Assist Technology allows you to request remote technical assistance from your service provider when you experience a PC problem, even when the OS, network software, or applications are not working. This service was discontinued in October 2010.
Intel® Quick Resume Technology
Driver Intel technologies® Quick Resume (QRTD) lets you use your Intel® Viv™ Technology PC as a consumer electronics device that can be turned on and off instantly (after initial boot if enabled).
Intel® Quiet System Technology
Intel® Quiet System Technology reduces system noise and heat generation with intelligent fan speed control algorithms.
Intel® HD Audio Technology
The Intel® High Definition Audio subsystem supports more channels at higher quality than previous integrated audio systems. In addition, the technology required to support the latest audio formats is integrated into the Intel® High Definition Audio subsystem.
Intel® AC97 Technology
Intel® AC97 Technology is an audio codec standard that defines a high-quality, surround sound-enabled audio architecture for PCs. It is the predecessor to the Intel® High Definition Audio subsystem.
Intel® Matrix Storage Technology
Intel® Matrix Storage Technology provides security, performance, and scalability for desktop and mobile PC platforms. By using one or more hard drives, users can take advantage of increased performance and reduced power consumption. When using multiple drives, the user receives additional protection against data loss in the event of a hard drive failure. Predecessor of Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology‡
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology enhances secure command execution through hardware enhancements to Intel® processors and chipsets. This technology provides digital office platforms with security features such as measured application launch and secure command execution. This is achieved by creating an environment where applications run in isolation from other applications on the system.
Anti-theft technology
Intel® Anti-Theft Technology helps keep the data on your laptop secure in case it's lost or stolen. To use Intel® Anti-Theft Technology, you must subscribe to an Intel® Anti-Theft Technology Service Provider.
The date the product was first introduced.
Lithography
Lithography refers to the semiconductor technology used to manufacture an integrated circuit, and is reported in nanometer (nm), indicative of the size of features built on the semiconductor.
TDP
Thermal Design Power (TDP) represents the average power, in watts, the processor dissipates when operating at Base Frequency with all cores active under an Intel-defined, high-complexity workload. Refer to datasheet for thermal solution requirements.
Embedded Options Available
Embedded Options Available indicates products that offer extended purchase availability for intelligent systems and embedded solutions. Product certification and use condition applications can be found in the Production Release Qualification (PRQ) report. See your Intel representative for details.
Integrated Graphics‡
Integrated graphics allow for incredible visual quality, faster graphic performance and flexible display options without the need for a separate graphics card.
graphics output
Graphics Output defines the interfaces available to communicate with display devices.
Intel® Clear Video Technology
Intel® Clear Video Technology is a suite of image decode and processing technologies built into the integrated processor graphics that improve video playback, delivering cleaner, sharper images, more natural, accurate, and vivid colors, and a clear and stable video picture.
PCI Support
PCI support indicates the type of support for the Peripheral Component Interconnect standard
PCI Express Revision
PCI Express Revision is the version supported by the processor. Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (or PCIe) is a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard for attaching hardware devices to a computer. The different PCI Express versions support different data rates.
PCI Express Configurations‡
PCI Express (PCIe) Configurations describe the available PCIe lane configurations that can be used to link the PCH PCIe lanes to PCIe devices.
Max # of PCI Express Lanes
A PCI Express (PCIe) lane consists of two differential signaling pairs, one for receiving data, one for transmitting data, and is the basic unit of the PCIe bus. # of PCI Express Lanes is the total number supported by the processor.
USB revision
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard connection technology for attaching peripheral devices to a computer.
Total # of SATA Ports
SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) is a high speed standard for connecting storage devices such as hard disk drives and optical drives to a motherboard.
Integrated LAN
Integrated LAN indicates the presence of an integrated Intel Ethernet MAC or the presence of the LAN ports built into the system board.
Integrated IDE
IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) is an interface standard for connecting storage devices, and indicates the drive controller is integrated into the drive, rather than a separate component on the motherboard.
T CASE
Case Temperature is the maximum temperature allowed at the processor Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS).
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) ‡
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) continues from the existing support for IA-32 (VT-x) and Itanium® processor (VT-i) virtualization adding new support for I/O-device virtualization. Intel VT-d can help end users improve security and reliability of the systems and also improve performance of I/O devices in virtualized environments.
Intel® vPro™ Platform Eligibility‡
The Intel vPro® platform is a set of hardware and technologies used to build business computing endpoints with premium performance, built-in security, modern manageability and platform stability.
Learn more about Intel vPro®
Intel® ME Firmware Version
Intel® Management Engine Firmware (Intel® ME FW) uses built-in platform capabilities and management and security applications to remotely manage networked computing assets out-of-band.
Intel® Remote PC Assist Technology
Intel® Remote PC Assist Technology enables you to request remote technical assistance from a service provider if you encounter a problem with your PC, even when the OS, network software, or applications are not functioning. This service was discontinued in October 2010.
Intel® Quick Resume Technology
Intel® Quick Resume Technology Driver (QRTD) allows the Intel® Viv™ technology-based PC to behave like a consumer electronic device with instant on/off (after initial boot, when activated) capability.
Intel® Quiet System Technology
Intel® Quiet System Technology can help reduce system noise and heat through more intelligent fan speed control algorithms.
Intel® HD Audio Technology
Intel® High Definition Audio (Intel® HD Audio) is capable of playing back more channels at higher quality than previous integrated audio formats. In addition, Intel® HD Audio has the technology needed to support the latest and greatest audio content.
Intel® AC97 Technology
Intel® AC97 Technology is an audio codec standard which defines a high-quality audio architecture with surround sound support for the PC. It is the predecessor to Intel® High Definition Audio.
Intel® Matrix Storage Technology
Intel® Matrix Storage Technology provides protection, performance, and expandability for desktop and mobile platforms. Whether using one or multiple hard drives, users can take advantage of enhanced performance and lower power consumption. When using more than one drive the user can have additional protection against data loss in the event of hard drive failure. Predecessor to Intel® Rapid Storage Technology
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology‡
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology for safer computing is a versatile set of hardware extensions to Intel® processors and chipsets that enhance the digital office platform with security capabilities such as measured launch and protected execution. It enables an environment where applications can run within their own space, protected from all other software on the system.
Anti-Theft Technology
Intel® Anti-Theft Technology (Intel® AT) helps keep your laptop safe and secure in the event that it's ever lost or stolen. Intel® AT requires a service subscription from an Intel® AT–enabled service provider.
H55 and H57 Express are two "integrated" chipsets from Intel.
Integrated video solutions are usually referred to as solutions, but now the GPU has left the chipset and moved to the CPU, as well as the memory controller and the PCI Express controller for graphics, so these chipsets are "integrated" in brackets.
H55 and H57 are very close in functionality, but H57 is the older and H55 is the younger ICH PCH in the family, with reduced functionality.
If we compare the capabilities of these chipsets with the chipset for Socket 1156 - P55 processors, it turns out that the H57 is the most similar to it, having only two differences in the implementation of the video system.
Key features of H57:
. up to 8 PCIEx1 ports (PCI-E 2.0, but with PCI-E 1.1 data rate);
. up to 4 PCI slots;
. the ability to organize a RAID array of levels 0, 1, 0 + 1 (10) and 5 with the Matrix RAID function (one set of disks can be used in several RAID modes at once - for example, two disks can organize RAID 0 and RAID 1, for each array its own part of the disk will be allocated);
. 14 USB 2.0 devices (on two EHCI host controllers) with the ability to individually disable;
H55 Specifications:
Support for all Socket 1156 processors (including the corresponding Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, and Pentium families) based on the Nehalem microarchitecture when connected to these processors via the DMI bus (with a bandwidth of ~2 GB/s);
. an FDI interface for receiving a fully rendered screen image from the processor and a block for outputting this image to the display device(s);
. up to 6 PCIEx1 ports (PCI-E 2.0, but with PCI-E 1.1 data rate);
. up to 4 PCI slots;
. 6 Serial ATA II ports for 6 SATA300 devices (SATA-II, the second generation of the standard), with support for AHCI mode and functions like NCQ, with the ability to individually disable, with support for eSATA and port splitters;
. 12 USB 2.0 devices (on two EHCI host controllers) with the ability to individually disable;
. Gigabit Ethernet MAC controller and a special interface (LCI/GLCI) for connecting a PHY controller (i82567 for Gigabit Ethernet implementation, i82562 for Fast Ethernet implementation);
. High Definition Audio (7.1);
. binding for low-speed and obsolete peripherals, etc.
The architecture is one chip, without division into north and south bridges (de facto, this is just the south bridge).
The H57 has a specialized FDI interface, through which the processor sends the generated screen image (be it a Windows desktop with application windows, a full-screen demonstration of a movie or a 3D game), and the task of the chipset is to pre-configure display devices to ensure timely display of this image on the desired screen ( Intel HD Graphics supports up to two monitors).
Any of the processors with socket 1156 will work in a motherboard on any of these chipsets, the only question is whether the owner of integrated graphics will not lose it, for which he has already paid anyway.
If you want to use the built-in Clarkdale graphics - take the H57.
If you want to create a normal (2 x16) SLI/CrossFire - take the P55.
When you plan to use one external video card as video, there is no difference at all between the P55 and H57.
04/12/2010 | Quality |
1 - Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H 2 - MSI H55M-E33 3 - Test results. Conclusions Show as one page
With the announcement of the 32nm Core i5-6xx, Core i3-5xx and Pentium G processors based on the Clarkdale core, Intel introduced the H55, H57 and Q57 Express chipsets, which allow using the graphics core built into the new CPUs under Socket LGA1156. Previously, the GPU function was performed by the northbridges of integrated chipsets. Now modern central processing units are acquiring an increasing number of various controllers, while chipsets are only responsible for the communication capabilities of finished systems.
We have already talked about the new line of chipsets in the material devoted to Clarkdale processors. Then the emphasis was placed on the CPU. In this review, we will look at a couple of representatives on Intel-based H55 Express, which differs from its older counterparts in somewhat limited functionality.
Like the entire line of chipsets that support the integrated graphics core in new LGA1156 processors, the Intel H55 has an FDI (Flexible Display Interface) bus, which allows the video signal from the GPU to be transmitted via the PCH chip to the connectors on the rear panel of the motherboard. Recall that the "set" of the system logic Intel P55 Express, presented together with processors based on the Lynnfield core, is deprived of such an opportunity, but has backward compatibility with the solutions of the Clarkdale family. In this case, the video core is simply not involved, although the ability to use 16 PCI Express 2.0 lanes according to the x8 + x8 formula remains valid.
To limit the younger chipset, the number of USB ports was reduced from 14 to 12, and PCI Express lanes from 8 to 6, which is not so critical for home or office use. According to the specifications, the PCI-E interface belongs to the second generation, but its bandwidth belongs to the first. Also, the H55 lacks the ability to organize RAID arrays. But again, not all users need them so much, and many manufacturers install external controllers on their products to expand the functionality of end products. As a result, even with an additional chip, boards based on the Intel H55 Express are cheaper than those on the more advanced H57. And when every ten counts, then, of course, the choice is obvious.
In this article, we will get acquainted with motherboards manufactured by Gigabyte and MSI, which belong to the middle price category. All basic product data are listed in the table below.
| Model | ||
| Chipset | ||
| Processor socket | Socket LGA1156 | Socket LGA1156 |
| Processors | Core i7, Core i5, Core i3 and Pentium G | |
| Memory | 4 DIMM DDR3 SDRAM 800/1066/1333/1600* (OC), 16GB max | 4 DIMM DDR3 SDRAM 800/1066/1333/1600*/2000*/2133* (OC), 16GB max |
| PCI slots | 1 PCI Express 2.0 x16 1 PCI Express 1.1 x16 (x4) |
1 PCI Express 2.0 x16 2 PCI Express 1.1x1 |
| PCI slots | 2 | 1 |
| Integrated video core (in processor) | Intel HD Graphics | Intel HD Graphics |
| Video connectors | D-Sub, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort | D-Sub, DVI and HDMI |
| Number of connected fans | 2 (4pin) | 3 (1x 4pin and 2x 3pin) |
| USB 2.0 ports | 12 (6 connectors on the rear panel) | |
| ATA-133 | 1 channel (two devices, JMicron JMB368) | |
| Serial ATA | 5 channels SATA-II (Intel H55) | 6 channels SATA-II (Intel H55) |
| eSATA | 1 channel (H55) | - |
| RAID | - | - |
| Built-in sound | Realtek ALC889 (7.1, HDA) | Realtek ALC889 (7.1, HDA) |
| S/PDIF | Optic | - |
| Built-in network | Realtek RTL 8111D (Gigabit Ethernet) | Realtek RTL 8111DL (Gigabit Ethernet) |
| Firewire 1394 | 2 ports (one on board, Texas Instruments TSB43AB23) | - |
| LPT | - | + (on board) |
| COM | 1 (on board) | 2 (on board) |
| BIOS | Award | AMI |
| Form factor | microATX | microATX |
| Dimensions, mm | 244x230 | 244x240 |
| Additional features | Dual BIOS | Jumper for overclocking the system by 10%, 15% and 20% of the nominal |
maternal Gigabyte board GA-H55M-UD2H came to testing without any delivery kit. Retail boards will need to ship with a drive with software, instructions, one IDE cable, two SATA cables and a bracket for the rear panel.
Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H is made on a corporate blue textolite in the microATX form factor, which allows you to assemble small systems and media centers. Of the supported processors, all modern models for Socket LGA1156 are declared, including even server solutions of the Xeon family. Naturally, the latter is not particularly advertised. In addition to the standard third-generation DDR memory frequencies, it is possible to use DDR3-1600 brackets. For Core i7 processors, in this case, it will be enough to set the appropriate multiplier, and for younger models, you will already have to increase the base frequency, since they are limited by a memory multiplier equal to x10.
The design of the board has some flaws, but they are not critical for such a form factor. So, the DIMM slots are close to the graphical interface, the IDE and FDD connectors are located between the main power connector and the last memory slot. In addition, one SATA connector will be blocked after installing a large graphics card.
But, as a rule, in systems based on such boards, the memory rarely changes, floppy drives and IDE drives are not used now, and four drives, including DVD cutters, will be more than enough for the average user. Moreover, the Intel H55 Express chipset lacks support for RAID arrays, and the GA-H55M-UD2H does not have any external controllers to make up for this shortcoming. The rest of the product is solid, no complaints.
The processor power subsystem is built in a 4-phase scheme based on the Intersil ISL6334 PWM controller. Two more phases (Intersil ISL6322G) are provided for the memory controller and one (Intersil ISL6314 chip) for the integrated graphics core. The board belongs to the Ultra Durable 3 series, so polymer capacitors and chokes with ferrite cores are used in all power circuits. The GA-H55M-UD2H uses a regular ATX12V as an additional processor power connector.
The chipset is cooled by a small aluminum radiator, since the low TDP level of the H55 chip, equal to 5.2 W, allows this. There are two 4-pin connectors on the board for connecting fans.
The functionality of the Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H is actually limited by the capabilities of the chipset itself: six SATA II channels, twelve USB 2.0 ports (six on the rear panel), two PCI slots and two PCI Express x16 slots, one of which has only four high-speed interface lines from H55. On this model, a COM port is also divorced, but you will have to find a bar with a connector yourself.
The parallel interface for connecting IDE drives is implemented using the widely used JMicron JMB368 chip. The sound subsystem is based on the Realtek ALC889 HDA codec, the Gigabit Ethernet network is based on the Realtek 8111D chip.
Due to the dense mounting on the board, the Texas Instruments TSB43AB23 controller responsible for two IEEE1394 ports is located under the last PCI-E x16 slot - the missing high-speed interface lines just contributed to this.
On the rear panel there is a universal PS / 2 connector, six USB ports, an optical S / PDIF, a network connector, D-Sub, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort video interfaces, as well as six audio connectors, one eSATA and FireWire.
Of the features of the Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H, we note the proprietary Dual BIOS technology, which allows, if one of the two chips with the BIOS microcode is damaged, to still boot the system and restore the problem chip. True, if some serious failure occurs, for example, when updating the BIOS from under the OS, then no technology will save you and the board will have to be taken to a service center.
By the way, the contacts for resetting the CMOS memory are located near the SATA connectors - usually the company's engineers place them as far as possible from the edge of the board, almost in its center. If you install a video card of the GeForce GTX 2xx or Radeon HD 58xx class, then you still won't be able to close the contacts and the accelerator will have to be removed from the case. In this case, this is not important, since the motherboard is not of the level to install such video adapters on it, and you will not need to reset CMOS every day.
BIOS
The BIOS of the Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H board is based on Award Software's microcode, and its ability to fine-tune and overclock the system is no different from the capabilities of full-format solutions designed for enthusiasts.
All the necessary settings for tuning and overclocking are located in the MB Intelligent Tweaker (M.I.T.) section. As usual for Gigabyte products, all items in the sections appear after pressing the Ctrl+F1 key combination in the main menu.
There are several more sections in MB Intelligent Tweaker (M.I.T.) responsible for general information about the system, setting the frequencies of various nodes, memory and voltages. It also displays the BIOS version, current frequencies, memory size, processor and chipset temperatures, voltage on memory modules and Vcore.
M.I.T. Current Status allows you to view current information on the installed processor, multipliers of various system nodes, frequencies, temperatures of a single core, the amount of RAM and its timings.
The Advanced Frequency Setting contains settings for the processor multiplier, QPI bus, and memory. It is possible to change the base frequency from 100 to 600 MHz and the PCI Express frequency from 90 to 150 MHz. You can also adjust the amplitude of the processor and PCI Express signals, as well as the time delays between the CPU and chipset clocks.
The Advanced CPU Core Features subsection is designed to manage the technologies supported by the processor. Note that in the first BIOS versions, up to F4, the function to disable Hyper-Threading in the Core i5-6xx did not work, and when it was activated, the system simply hung after saving the settings.
In the Advanced Memory Settings section, as the name implies, memory settings are concentrated, namely the ability to select XMP profiles, multiplier, settings mode and timings. The Performance Enhance parameter allows you to either speed up the memory subsystem (Turbo and Extreme modes), or increase the board's overclocking potential (Standart). DRAM Timing Selectable allows you to use modules with default settings taken from SPD brackets, or adjust timings for all channels at once (Quick mode) or individually for each (Expert). This is useful when "mismatched" or problematic modules are installed on the system.
Advanced Voltage Setting allows you to change all the main system supply voltages: processor, memory controller, graphics core built into the CPU, chipset, memory.
The range of changes is listed in the following table:
| Parameter | Range of changes |
| CPU Vcore | 0.5 to 1.9 V in 0.00625 V steps |
| Dynamic Vcore (DVID) | -0.8 to +0.59375V in 0.00625V steps |
| QPI/Vtt Voltage | 1.05 to 1.49V in 0.05-0.02V steps |
| Graphics Core | 0.2 to 1.8V in 0.05-0.02V steps |
| PCH Core | 0.95 to 1.5V in 0.02V steps |
| CPU PLL | 1.6 to 2.54V in 0.1-0.02V steps |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.3 to 2.6V in 0.1-0.02V steps |
| DRAM Termination | 0.45 to 1.155V in 0.02-0.025V steps |
| Ch-A Data VRef. | |
| Ch-B Data VRef. | 0.64 to 1.51 in 0.01-0.05V steps |
| Ch-A Address VRef. | 0.64 to 1.51 in 0.01-0.05V steps |
| Ch-B Address VRef. | 0.64 to 1.51 in 0.01-0.05V steps |
The PC Health Status section is responsible for system monitoring. Here you can track the values of the main voltages, the temperature of the processor and motherboard, the speed of the two connected fans. You can also set up a notification about CPU overheating or a stop of a fan and automatic adjustment of the speed of rotation of the impeller. In the latter case, the fans must have connectors with a control contact.
For BIOS updates a built-in Q-Flash utility is provided. It is enough to connect a flash drive with microcode to the board and update it.
The motherboard was tested with a discrete video card, so the settings related to the GPU built into the processor are not reflected in the BIOS Setup screenshots (except for the supply voltage). If you use the integrated video core, then the user will be able to select the amount of memory for the needs of the video system (maximum 128 MB) and the frequency of the graphics processor.
Overclocking
To find out the overclocking potential of the board, the following configuration was assembled:
- Processor: Intel Core i5-660 (3.33 GHz);
- Memory: G.Skill F3-10666CL7T-6GBPK (2x2 GB, DDR3-1333);
- Cooler: Prolimatech Megahalems + Nanoxia FX12-2000;
- Video card: ASUS EAH4890/HTDI/1GD5/A (Radeon HD 4890);
- Hard drive: Samsung HD252HJ (250GB, SATAII);
- Power supply: Seasonic SS-750KM (750 W);
- Thermal interface: Noctua NT-H1.
With these settings, the board behaved stably up to Bclk 220 MHz, which is quite good for a product of this price category and mATX form factor. For further overclocking, the QPI bus multiplier was lowered to x16, and the voltage on it had to be increased to 1.39 V. But even with these settings, we managed to pass tests at a base frequency that exceeded the previous result by only 5 MHz. By reducing the processor multiplier to x15 and increasing the chipset supply voltage to 1.16 V, 230 MHz has already been conquered - and this is quite a worthy result.
But for overclocking Lynnfield processors, the Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard is clearly not suitable. The fact is that with activated Hyper-Threading technology, the Xeon X3470 processor was overclocked to 3.8 GHz, after which the power supply went into protection. It was possible to start the system only after some time (I had to disassemble the stand, then reinstall all the components in their places and additionally change the processor to Core i5-660). When virtual multi-core was disabled, the system remained stable at 3.8 GHz, but experiments to further increase the frequency were no longer carried out. Perhaps we just came across such a copy of the GA-H55M-UD2H, but extra caution does not hurt users.
It is also worth recalling that the maximum allowable voltages for Clarkdale processors are at the level of 1.4 V for the processor, 1.4 V for the Uncore unit (QPI bus, memory controller and third-level cache), 1.65 V for memory modules and 1 .98V for CPU PLL. The integrated graphics core can safely transfer 1.55 V, but such a value may be required (it all depends on the CPU instance) when overclocking the processor without a discrete graphics card or when raising the frequencies of the video core itself. Also, do not forget about the temperature regime of the CPU, which should not exceed the 85-degree threshold.
Our next member also refers to compact solutions that allow you to build small media centers or office machines. Although for the latter, the cost of ready-made systems based on the LGA1156 platform is currently too high.
The board comes in a small purple-and-white box, on the lid of which the main features of the product are marked.
The kit included the following:
- instructions for the motherboard;
- quick guide to system assembly;
- instructions for working with images of hard disk partitions;
- a guide to using Winki (embedded OS, but not included in the kit for our region);
- disk with drivers;
- two SATA cables;
- rear I/O bar.
Like the previous model, MSI H55M-E33 is made in the microATX form factor. In contrast to the red textolite and multi-colored connectors previously used for the production of inexpensive boards, the Taiwanese company has almost completely switched to a single strict style for its products of various price categories. Now, whether the board is based on the Intel X58 Express or the Intel G41 Express, everything will be made on a brown PCB with black and blue connectors and gray heatsinks. From the aesthetic side, it looks much nicer than a multi-colored New Year's garland. But the latter is especially valued in the Asian region. But we, of course, do not understand them.
MSI H55M-E33 supports all modern LGA1156 processors and DDR3 memory up to 2133 MHz, of course, in overclocking mode. The Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard discussed above is also capable of working with modules at this frequency - you simply have to raise the base frequency and reduce the processor multiplier if you want to leave the CPU running in the nominal mode.
The layout of the elements on the board is more or less thought out, and apart from the DIMM slots, there is practically nothing to complain about. But again, for such compact solutions, this disadvantage can be ignored. A pair of SATA connectors are rotated 90° relative to the board, so they will not be blocked when installing a large video card.
The processor is powered by a 4-channel circuit based on the uP6206AK controller from uPI Semiconductor Corp. For the rest of the CPU blocks, there is one more channel on the Intersil ISL6314. Thanks to APS (Active Phase Switching) hardware technology, the number of processor power phases can change depending on the degree of system load, which should have a positive effect on the board's energy efficiency. The connector for connecting additional power is a regular, four-pin.
The PCH chip is cooled by a small aluminum heatsink. The number of fan connectors is limited to three, including a 4-pin processor connector. This is more than enough.
The functionality of the board is even somewhat lower than that of the GA-H55M-UD2H, although the price difference is about ten dollars. There is one graphical interface, two PCI-E x1, regular PCI, six SATA, 12 USB ports - everything that is determined by the specifications of the chipset and processor. Nothing extra. Although, the board also has blocks for LPT and COM ports. But for them you still need to look for strips with connectors.
From external controllers standard set- JMicron JMB368 is responsible for the IDE, the audio path is assembled on Realtek ALC889, and the network is on the Realtek 8111DL chip.
The back panel looks a little modest: two PS / 2, six USB ports, D-Sub, DVI and HDMI, one network port and six audio jacks.
For lovers of hardware overclocking, when the system itself selects the necessary parameters to increase the processor frequency, the board has a DIP switch (OC Switch technology) that allows you to overclock the system by 10, 15 or 20% of the nominal value.
BIOS is based on AMI microcode. The number of various adjustable parameters allows you to fine-tune the system quite finely.
All the necessary parameters for overclocking are concentrated in the Cell Menu section. Here you can immediately change the number of active processor cores, disable energy-saving technologies and Turbo Boost, control the frequencies of Bclk (100-600 MHz) and PCI Express bus (90-190 MHz), CPU and memory multipliers, as well as supply voltages. The QPI multiplier on our board, alas, was blocked.
In addition to OC Switch, Auto OverClocking Technology is provided for overclocking. It is enough to activate it, reboot the system and the board itself will select the necessary parameters to increase the processor frequency.
Management of a large number of technologies supported by the processor is already in the CPU Feature subsection.
You can find out information about the memory modules installed in the system in the Memory-Z subsection, and the timings themselves can already be configured in Advanced DRAM Configuration. The parameters are available for two channels at once.
The supply voltage range is shown in the following table:
| Parameter | Range of changes |
| CPU Voltage | |
| CPU VTT Voltage | 0.451 to 2.018V in 0.005-0.006V steps |
| GPU Voltage | +0.0 to +0.453V in 0.001V steps |
| DRAM Voltage | 0.978 to 1.898V in 0.006-0.009V steps |
| PCH 1.05 | 0.451 to 1.953V in 0.005-0.006V steps |
Monitoring is limited by the voltages on the board's power lines, on the processor and integrated graphics core, the rotation speed of three fans, and the CPU and system temperatures. You can also configure fan control in this section.
The M-Flash section is intended for updating the BIOS. Only the file must be located in the root of the disk, otherwise the board will not find it. Also, in case of damage to the microcode, it will be possible to boot from the flash drive and restore the BIOS.
Enthusiasts will appreciate the ability to save up to six profiles with system settings in the Overclocking Profile section, each of which can be briefly named using any Latin characters.
It will also be possible to adjust the number of "start-stops" in case of unsuccessful overclocking, until the system starts to boot with more benign default settings.
Software
In addition to the drivers, the MSI H55M-E33 comes with a few more utilities. One of them is MSI Live Update 4, designed to update the BIOS. But it is better to do this process using M-Flash, since there is a possibility of failure during firmware from under operating system, which can lead to failure of the board.
Control Center is designed to monitor, overclock and control power-saving features.
Overclocking
It would seem that there are plenty of settings for overclocking, there are all the necessary supply voltages to change. But knowing MSI's love to cut down the BIOS functionality of cheap motherboards, one can't hope for decent overclocking. In this case, the limiting factor was the inability to change the QPI bus multiplier. Fortunately, Clarkdale processors tolerate the high frequency of this interface well, which can exceed the 4 GHz threshold.
To overclock the board, we used the same configuration as for the GA-H55M-UD2H. The voltage on the processor was raised to + 0.287, the rest of the settings were the same as when testing a competitor.
Concerns about overclocking were confirmed - the board stably passed tests at a base frequency of no more than 183 MHz. The QPI bus at the same time worked at 4405 MHz, which ultimately gave a data transfer rate of 8810 MT / s. Increasing the CPU VTT voltage did not lead to a better result.
Interestingly, once the MSI H55M-E33 was able to boot at a base frequency of 200 MHz (QPI 9600 GT/s!). Moreover, such an indicator was achieved randomly - it was not possible to repeat it again.
If you don’t want to bother with overclocking, but you want to increase system performance, you can use Auto OverClocking Technology, which itself will select all the necessary parameters to increase the processor frequency. But there is one thing here. Our test Core i5-660 board overclocked to 4.0 GHz, with Turbo Boost the frequency was 4.15 GHz. At the same time, the memory worked at 1280 MHz, the CPU supply voltage rose by + 0.179 V, but for some reason the modules stood at 1.72 V.
Such strange behavior with the memory supply voltage is not a peculiarity of this representative of the product line based on the Intel H55. All MSI boards with the auto-overclocking feature that we visited in our test lab were notable for constantly raising the voltage to such a value, while the modules always worked at a frequency close to 1333 MHz. Unfortunately, we have not received an answer yet. Therefore, it is possible to recommend using such technology only at your own peril and risk.
The percentage-fixed overclock available when using the OC Switch sets the same voltages as in auto mode. Only when raising the Bclk frequency by 10 and 15 percent does the memory work with a x5 multiplier, and with 20% overclocking - with x4.
Test configuration
Testing was carried out on the same
There is no clear leader in Lavalys Everest, all participants are equal in terms of memory subsystem performance. After integrating the memory controller, and indeed the entire northbridge into the processor, it becomes almost pointless to test motherboards, since the difference between them is negligible and can easily be attributed to a testing error. Exceptions can only be raw versions of the BIOS, which can just affect performance.
Archiving
Synthetic game packages on the boards do not manifest themselves unambiguously - in 3DMark'06 the GA-H55M-UD2H is more productive, in 3DMark Vantage it is already the MSI H55M-E33.
Products in games behave similarly. One has more fps on the model from Gigabyte, the other - on MSI. But keep in mind that testing was carried out at low resolution and average graphics quality. With normal settings, there will be no difference between the boards in games.
conclusions
As before, Intel still offers solutions for various market segments without any hint of universality. Want integrated graphics? Please, but you won't be able to install two video cards in full-fledged CrossFireX or SLI mode later - for this, as usual, chipsets of a different level are provided. The same AMD in its arsenal has an integrated set of system logic with the ability to organize a bunch of Radeon series cards. On the other hand, the number of users who want to switch from integrated graphics to tandems is not so large, most likely, in the future there will be a purchase of only one, but a powerful video card. And in this case, solutions based on new Intel chipsets for the LGA1156 platform look great. Unlike products based on the P55 Express, the new products allow you to use the functionality of the integrated graphics core in Clarkdale processors, while they are cheaper, and for the mass user this is much more important than an additional PCI Express slot. The lack of support for RAID arrays in the Intel H55 is also not critical for many.
The Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard, based on the Intel H55 Express, has good functionality and quality for its price group. The model has all the necessary video connectors, and even a FireWire controller. The possibilities of BIOS Setup will be enough not only for an ordinary user, but also for the most demanding enthusiast. But in terms of overclocking, it is only suitable for new processors made using the 32-nm process technology. A weak power subsystem does not allow overclocking solutions based on the Lynnfield core to high frequencies - for them it is better to look at more expensive products.
MSI H55M-E33 is a representative of inexpensive, but high-quality solutions based on the most affordable chipset of the new Intel line. The Spartan delivery kit will be enough to assemble a simple system or media center. True, without a hint of the use of FireWire devices. Changeable parameters in the BIOS are enough to customize the computer for yourself. It will even be possible to overclock the processor by 20 percent, but no more. But for some reason, MSI products with auto-overclocking functions still suffer from a serious drawback, which consists in exceeding the allowable supply voltage of memory modules during overclocking. In this case, the company's programmers have more work to do.
Test equipment was provided by the following companies:
- Gigabyte - Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard;
- Intel - Intel Core i5-660, Xeon X3470 processor;
- Master Group - ASUS EAH4890/HTDI/1GD5/A video card;
- MSI - Motherboard MSI board H55M-E33;
- Noctua - Noctua NH-D14 cooler, Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste;
- Syntex - Seasonic SS-750KM power supply.
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