ECS Elitegroup P55H-AK LGA1156 ATX Motherboard Review – Page 4

RMAA Audio Performance

The P55H-AK utilizes a Realtek ALC889 audio codec which we know is capable of supporting 24-bit 192Hz audio frequencies. Just using the stock included audio driver software, I gave all three (48, 96, and 192Hz) frequencies a test.

24-bit 48Hz Results

Like many integrated solutions, the board scores an Average score in the tests. The thing to note is the Total Harmonic Distortion is on the poor side. More on that at the end.

24-bit 96Hz Results

Surprisingly, the board does a bit better with this higher, nicer 96Hz test. Again, the THD was on the poor side. Let’s cover that next.

24-bit 192Hz Results

And, the final 192Hz test results were Good. It just seemed there was no getting past the THD scoring poorly. The distortion could be heard at the beginning of each note in the RMAA tests. In fact, I could hear that same distortion during games where the audio levels instantly increased dramatically. As long as you don’t crank up the audio too high too quickly, it should suffice the average gamer or user.

On the same note based on our humble professional opinion, a premium priced board like this should have offer a clean integrated solution capable of being noise free and score no less than average on each of the tests. In fact, we would be more than satisfied if it scored good across the board and ecstatic with very good results.

Final Thoughts

The ECS Elitegroup P55H-AK motherboard does deliver on most every feature you can’t readily get on lesser platforms. Full speed SLI or CrossfireX performance via three NVidia or ATI video cards is just one of many. The integrated PLX PCIe chip does indeed provide a better freeway of sorts for all that SATA3 and USB 3.0 data to travel more freely. We’d all love to see some better SATA3 performance. But, we’ve pretty much seen the maximum we’re going to get from the weak Marvell controller.

Enthusiasts should find the overclocking potential more than enough to satisfy. I really can’t fault any motherboard capable of pushing 200 to 210MHz CPU bus clocks. In terms of gaming, this platform is ready to kick any game’s butt when coupled with at least a single or dual MSI Cyclone or ZOTAC GTX 46o AMP configuration. Unfortunately, the integrated audio comes up short as we noted in testing. I would expect any motherboard carrying a $299 price tag to offer better audio.

Ultimately, this is one of the few full speed gaming motherboards out there. At $299 US or less, it’s still a bit cheaper than the competition. In the end, I find myself recommending the ECS P55H-AK to gamers and budget overclockers. Just add a discrete audio solution to finish off the build.

Pros