Mini PCs are extremely enticing if you’re looking for something that can do most of what a full sized computer can do. This includes surfing the web and most productivity apps. While some are capable of HD playback, some aren’t as efficient when it comes to providing speedy video encoding, transcoding, and running many large applications at once. That means high performance gaming may not be an option. However, with the right platform, your own processor, memory, and video card of choice it’s possible to have it all and then some! Let’s have a look at the ECS Elitegroup H67H2-I motherboard and you’ll see how this is possible!
Features and Specifications
The foremost feature the H67H2-I boasts isn’t just its size. It’s the potential it offers once you add all the necessary aforementioned components. But, there are other worthy features like built- in Bluetooth, SATA 6Gbps, and USB 3.0 ports. It could be just what you need to build that impressive home theater PC. Our video overview below gives you a hands on look at what this new ECS mini-ITX board brings to the table. Grab a coffee, sit back for a few minutes and enjoy!
As you can see, ECS went with a slightly more attractive enthusiast inspired design with a darker PCB and similarly themed sockets and ports. This is also one of the few ITX boards to feature the full count analog audio ports in the back provided by its 8-channel Realtek ALC892 audio processor. Others include the arguably less powerful GIGABYTE GA-E350N-USB3 based on the AMD FUSION platform.
While this board offers ECS features like MIB III and includes XTU (Intel Extreme Tuning Utility) on the disc, we’ve only seen one ITX motherboard actually overclock well. Mini-ITX based systems really aren’t meant for overclocking as a rule of thumb and users really shouldn’t expect much beyond the CPU’s Intel Turbo 2.0 frequency cap. The supported 1333MHz DDR3 also give us reason to not expect anything special from this ITX motherboard. Realistically speaking, these platforms really don’t need overclocking to be excellent at what they were designed to do.
In terms of price point, an ECS H67H2-I Mini-ITX board should set you back about $129 US, but finding one in stock is a chore in itself.
Test System Configuration
We’re using a similar build to our recent P67 Round Up so that users can easily compare full ATX and mini-ITX performance. About the only major difference here is we had to upgrade the GTX 460 to a GTX 560 Ti. This allows us to potentially show even greater graphics performance. The rest of the test system looks like this …
- Processor: Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge
- Motherboard 1: ECS H67H2-I (as tested)
- Motherboard 2: Intel DP67BG Barrage
- Memory: Patriot Memory Division II 4GB 1866MHz @ 1333MHz (CAS 7)
- Video Card: MSI NVIDIA Geforce GTX 560 Ti TwinFrozrII
- OS Test Drive: Kingston 128GB V+ SSDNow
- SATA3 Test Drive: Seagate 2TB Barracuda XT
- USB 3.0 Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB Hard Drive w/Rosewill RX-358-U3B Enclosure
- Power Supply: Antec CP-850 Watt
- Operating System: Win 7 Pro 64-bit
Keep in mind that if you’re moving over to an ITX system, you’ll need to make sure your current computer case supports it with the correct mounting holes. Otherwise, you’ll need some nylon standoffs if you want to save yourself from buying a smaller case. Our mini-PC enclosure of choice is the Silverstone SG-07 with 600 watt power supply.
BIOS and Overclocking Notes
As I had suspected, the BIOS isn’t UEFI. It’s a standard BIOS that’s very easy to move through with ECS’ M.I.B. III software and is setup as one of the first pages for overclocking. There are other settings for making sure Intel Turbo Tech 2.0 is enabled which you’ll definitely want given that the fastest frequency approaches 3.85GHz with the Core i7-2600K processor. As for overclocking, the latest BIOS didn’t push the little board much past ITT 2.0 frequencies. Keep that in mind when buying RAM for the board as you can save some cash going for stock 1333MHz memory rather than the higher end stuff. As for any processor overclocking, a BIOS update may help now that all the B3 stepping boards are out there.
Benchmark Notes
To thoroughly sum up any performance differences between the ITX and ATX platforms, we’re using SYSMARK 2007, Cinebench R11.5, 3DMark11, RightMarkAudio Analyzer, Input/Output performance. Each program was left to their default installation set up so that you can compare your system to our scores. Each platform was tested in 3DMark11 using a single GTX 560 Ti in stock configuration.
Quality Control was done utilizing both our special intuitive senses and a laser thermometer checking for abnormal component temps and odd noises that result from poor implementation. Power Consumption was measured using a power meter from the outlet. Any abnormalities have been noted in the respective sections.
SYSMARK 2007
This program benchmarks a computer’s overall performance rating the system in E-Learning, Video Creation, Office Productivity, and 3D Modeling. E-Learning uses Adobe Flash to execute rich image, video, and audio in a web page presentation of learning materials. Video Creation creates a video rendering using special effects and images from multiple sources that are HD in content. Office Productivity uses common office applications used in communication, data processing, project management, and file manipulation. And, 3D Modeling, creates a flyby animation and photo-realistic building image using a large architectural presentation.
The results aren’t surprising since the P67 and H67 are very close in design. Both perform very closely. However, the DP67BG can overclock where as the H67H2-I simply can’t. The one thing that the P67 lacks is the video out function needed to benefit Sandy Bridge’s Intel Quick Sync feature which the H67 has. Let’s look at one benchmark that uses it next.
Media Espresso 6 – 1080p to 720p Transcoding
Intel Quick Sync is one hell of a feature built in to the Core i7-2600K’s on-die integrated PCIe graphics that makes super quick work of video transcoding. For this test, discrete video cards were removed from the H67H2-I test system. A 449MB video file was transcoded using both test systems.
The H67H2-I and the Core i7-2600K IGP completely leaves the DP67BG and its GTX 560 Ti in the dust. Again, this is because the H67 provides the support needed to make use of IQS. The P67 doesn’t support the feature thus there is no score. Overall, this is an extremely tangible performance benefit for anyone wanting to build a media PC and does lots of video encoding for any number of purposes.
CineBench R11.5
The H67H2-I renders like a pro when it come to CineBench. Intel Turbo holds pretty true compared to its larger P67H2-A2 sibling we reviewed in our round up which was just a tad slower. It keeps up quite well with our retail Intel DP67BG board.
3DMark11
We move on to the performance of the H67H2-I with an NVidia Geforce 560 Ti video card. Remember, this board has a PCI express slot. Check out the performance.
The full sized Intel DP67BG ATX board is just ever so slightly quicker in this benchmark. The great thing about the H67H2-I is that its single PCIE 2.0 slot helps transform the tiny platform in to a full fledged gaming system. Let us show you a game benchmark to drive it home.
Stalker – Pripyat Benchmark Demo
This is a free to download demo if you’re really curious just how well your DirectX11 video card can do under a more stressful gaming environment.
As you can see, both the ATX and ITX have no problems managing Stalker with a capable mid range GPU strapped to it. What’s most surprising is how easily the ECS hangs by the side of a larger sibling.
RightMark Audio Analyzer
Since there isn’t any way to add an audio card to this ITX board, I tend to give audio performance a bit more scrutiny. These little boards really need to work hard to get around the tight packing of circuits on such little real estate. A problem a full sized board doesn’t have.
Audio implementation proved to be pretty standard, but as expected, the tight packing of components does limit performance somewhat. Overall, audio is clear and reasonable as far as integrated audio goes. It isn’t the most voluminous throughout the entire range in terms of gaming and movies, but will get the job done. It just won’t bring you a high of a quality experience when pushed to the edge. Still, the overall score is “Good” compared to the ATX board which gets a similar overall score.
Input/Output Performance – CrystalDiskMark and SANDRA
Expansion and data port testing was very similar. Suffice it to say, USB 2.0 performance was basically identical and were omitted given its common performance characteristics across almost any platform. But, having SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 support is a huge benefit especially if you’re using the platform in a home theater capacity. USB 3.0 will make quick work of moving large movie files around. Both boards are comparable.
Quality Control and Power Consumption
You would think that larger ATX motherboards are harder to build than ITX motherboards. However, this is not really the case. Because there is less real estate (PCB) to spread things out upon, traces and components can get a bit cramped which can lead to some performance issues.
The ECS H67H2-I is pretty clean when it comes down to it. There aren’t any noticeable components noises or audio degradation which are two of the most common implementation quirks. It’s a pretty quiet little platform which is evident at full load during audio testing. And, power consumption is quite low on these scalable mini ITX motherboards compared to larger ATX parts.
Final Thoughts
The ECS H67H2-I (Mini-ITX) motherboard is very similar to the now legendary GA-H55N-USB3 by GIGABYTE. It proved that a small board can be configured in to a system that can fill just about any capacity. One could easily add some RAM, CPU, GPU, and hard drive or two for a very sweet media, or home theater PC. It’ll even support high definition content as well as encode and decode your movie files quite quickly thanks to the Sandy Bridge processor’s Quick Sync technology. That’s one huge benefit these H67 boards have over the P55/H55 and P67 chipsets.
As proven in our benchmarks, the ECS can also serve as a very strong mini-gaming system by just adding a capable performance level video card. There’s no reason you can’t enjoy a 1080p high end gaming experience. You can even save space as well.
Overall, the computing experience the H67H2-I offers is quite pleasant. Coupled with the latest expansion and Input/Output ports, it offers a greater experience over the previous generation Intel media chipsets. If we had one wish for these little platforms it would be for both Wi-Fi and a little better audio performance. For a mere $120 USD, it’s an affordable platform that will make any media or video game fan more than happy.
Pros
- Stable, reliable platform
- Bluetooth connectivity and security
- Supports Intel Quick Sync via H67 Chipset
- USB 3.0 and SATA 6Gbps support
- Some overclocking potential
- Price
Cons
- Wi-Fi would be very handy
- Only a standard Realtek audio processor
- Hard to find
Overall Rating: 8.75 / 10.0
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ECS Elitegroup H67H2-I LGA1155 Mini-ITX Sandy Bridge Motherboard – Photo Gallery
