Overclocking the GIGABYTE GA-H55N-USB3
Typically, m-ITX boards aren’t really meant for overclocking. Due to the supported CPU features like Turbo, it stands to reason that there is something more to this board.
The H55N-USB3 effortlessly holds 190MHz automatically and clocked all the way up to 210MHz with 1.4 volts, pushing the processor to about 4.6GHz. There’s clearly a range of performance here that will please both extreme overclockers regular enthusiasts.
3DMark Vantage
Starting off the beatings is 3DMark Vantage. If you aren’t sure how your system compares to others, there’s a large database online that you can match up against.
I was actually expecting a little different results here. But, after running the benchmark several times between the boards, it shows there’s very similar circuitry at work. As you can see by the GPU core, a GTX 480 makes it a 3D graphics eating beast. Differences in results are statistically insignificant.
PCMark Vantage
PCMark Vantage is more of an overall productivity and multimedia benchmark. Here, the H55ITX gets a nice score in Communications probably due to its WiFi feature. The integrated audio codecs are similarly configured, but the H55N scores just a bit higher. We’ll explore more carefully in our audio testing coming up.
SANDRA CPU Math and Multimedia
These are pretty good scores compared to previous generation CPUs. The little H55N just seems a little more agile here. It could be due to a little extra something between the board’s BIOS and memory. But in reality, results are statistically insignificant due to such a low percent difference.
CineBench R11.5
Both platforms make a run for number one. The H55N-USB3 just barely pulls past the H55ITX. I credit the H55N’s saucier, more aggressive BIOS. It likes Turbo just a tad more and eeks ahead slightly.
GraySky x.264 Encoding
This is easily reproducible benchmark free for download. All that encoding gives the CPU, memory, and sub systems something to chew on. Not too shabby a platform in either case when coupled with a HyperThreaded CPU. Again, the H55N-USB3 seems slightly more aggressive.