Overall Thoughts on The INTEL H55 Platform
We come to the bitter-sweet ending where all the data has to broken down in terms we can all apply. First and foremost, each motherboard provided extremely stable platforms even under our chosen torture tests where they’re pushed extensively. Either of these three will make ideal home theater, media, and yes, even gaming PCs. Even though they’re not full sized ATX motherboards, they’re still extremely capable.
While we weren’t expecting much in the way of overclocking, all three break the mold compared to previous generations of boards that offer no such capabilities. Each one has a little something extra under the hood for performance. But, it’s features like USB 3.0, SATA3, and any added extra power features that make a micro-ATX an ideal HTPC platform. Given the capacities of the mainstream hard drives and the size of the average HD movie, the latest expansion features make it quick and easy to expand on the fly.
With the dust settled, we can finally give you our final thoughts on each board based on everything we’ve thrown at them today.
Final Thoughts on the ASUS P7H55D-M EVO
The ASUS P7H55D-M EVO offers both features and performance. The aggressive nature of the ASUS really feels like you’re getting your money’s worth. It’s a rather highly tuned platform that seems to just want to give you what you’re asking for. You get the latest expansion options like USB 3.0 and SATA6 along with with enthusiast grade strengths which include the best overclocking of the bunch. When you think it’s only going to give you $119.99US level performance, it surprises you with $180 level performance including the really cool enthusiast theme. This platform really was a nice surprise and earns our Editors’ Choice for this Shoot Out.
Final Thoughts on the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3
We’ve seen GIGABYTE’s operations first hand and the quality control that goes into each board (see our factory tour video). We now understand why their motherboards just seem to work so well with little effort. The GA-H55M-USB3 was the easiest and the simplest to setup and makes for a very stable platform. Performance was on queue with many of their enthusiast level motherboards including overclocking, but came out a bit slower than the ASUS since GIGABYTE engineers didn’t use any similar PLX chips on this particular board to boost performance. The board does offer some commendable overclocking which will please those who want just a little, or a lot, more performance from the $109.99US platform. The fact that it comes with so many expansion options as well really makes this board a fantastic value. That’s why we both award it our recommendation and a value added designation.
Final Thoughts on the MSI H55M-ED55
The ED55 is anything but plain. It offers a few innovative features like the touch sensor buttons and OC Genie which really is a very easy way to overclock the system which again isn’t a common feature for m-ATX boards. While the ED55 is a capable quality built platform, it lacks the latest USB 3.0 and SATA3 expansion features commonly associated with the Intel H55 media chipset which make the best HPTCs at the moment. Priced at $109.99 US, the DrMOS theme and OC Genie won’t be enough to sway consumers who want the latest expansion. However, knock off another $20 or so and the value would return for those looking to save.
Futurelooks H55 Micro ATX Shoot Out – Overall Score Card
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