Review of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3 motherboard. Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3 and GA-H57M-USB3 are a tempting pair of LGA1156 microATX boards Testing the audio path based on the Realtek ALC889 codec

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Despite the fact that boards based on Intel H57/H55 chipsets are designed mainly for the use of Clarkdale processors with an integrated graphics core and are made in the MicroATX form factor, they are quite suitable for assembling high-performance computers. As confirmation of this, Gigabyte introduced the H55M-UD2H board with support for AMD CrossFire technology, which has two PCI Express Graphics (PEG) slots. Expansion options for this model also include a FireWire serial bus controller, a ParallelATA interface controller, as well as support for a number of “obsolete” ports - PS/2, COM and FDD.

⇡ Gigabyte H55M-UD2H board specification

Gigabyte H55M-UD2H
CPU	- Core i7/Core i5/Core i3 Bclk 133 MHz - Socket LGA1156 connector - Supports Intel Turbo Boost technology
Chipset	- Intel H55 (PCH) - Communication with processor: DMI
System memory	- Four 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM DIMM slots - Maximum memory capacity 16 GB - DDR3 1066/1333/1666* memory supported - Dual channel memory access possible - Intel XMP technology support
Graphic arts	- Two PCI Express x16 slots - Supports AMD CrossFireX technology - Intel HD Graphics support
Expansion options	- Two 32-bit PCI Bus Master slots - Twelve USB 2.0 ports (six built-in + six additional) - Two IEEE1394 ports (FireWire; one built-in + one optional) - High Definition Audio 7.1 sound - Gigabit Ethernet network controller
Overclocking options	- Changing the Bclk frequency from 100 to 600 MHz in 1 MHz steps; multiplier change - GPU frequency change up to 2000 MHz - Change voltage on CPU, PLL, memory, IMC, ViGPU and chipset - Gigabyte EasyTune 6 utility
Disk subsystem	- One channel UltraDMA133/100/66/33 Bus Master IDE (JMicron JMB368; supporting up to two ATAPI devices) - SerialATA II protocol support (six channels - H55) - Support LS-120/ZIP/ATAPI CD-ROM
BIOS	- 2x 64 Mbit Flash ROM - Award BIOS with support for Enhanced ACPI, DMI, Green, PnP Features and Trend Chip Away Virus - Gigabyte Q-Flash technology - Gigabyte DualBIOS technology - Gigabyte @BIOS support - Support for CMOS profiles
Miscellaneous	- One port for FDD - One serial port (COM) - Port for PS/2 keyboard or mouse - STR (Suspend to RAM) - SPDIF In/Out
Power management	- Wake from modem, mouse, keyboard, network, timer and USB - Primary 24-pin ATX power connector - Additional 4-pin power connector
Monitoring	- Monitoring CPU temperature, system temperature, voltage, rotation speed of all fans (2) - Gigabyte SmartFan technology - Gigabyte Dynamic Energy Saver 2 technology
Size	- MicroATX form factor, 244x230 mm (9.6" x 9.0")
No data

The packaging of the Gigabyte H55M-UD2H board is as follows:

Equipment The delivery set includes the following items:

motherboard;
User manual in English + brief installation instructions;
Smart 6 Utilities User Guide;
DVD with software and drivers;
one ATA133 cable;
two SerialATA cables;
plug for the rear panel of the case.

On the one hand, the package package of the Gigabyte H55M-UD2H board cannot be called rich, but on the other hand, it is completely similar to the package package of the ASUS P7H55-M Pro board, which we tested not so long ago. In particular, for six SerialATA ports there are only two corresponding cables in the box and not a single power adapter. Also, the kit does not include brackets with external USB 2.0, FireWire and COM ports.

As for the documentation, we had no complaints about it. In the box, the user will find complete and brief user manuals, as well as a description of the Gigabyte Smart 6 series utilities. The contents of the DVD include a complete package of drivers and proprietary utilities. However, the shell has some errors due to which the software must be found on the DVD and installed manually:

⇡ Gigabyte H55M-UD2H board

Despite the MicroATX form factor, Gigabyte engineers installed two PCI Express Graphics slots on the board.

The first PEG slot is fully functional; it is connected directly to the processor and all 16 bus lines are allocated to it. The second PEG slot is serviced by the Intel H55 chipset and is allocated only four PCI Express bus lanes. In addition, the board has a couple more PCI slots.

Note that the installed video card blocks the latches of the DIMM slots, which will cause some inconvenience during assembly. Connecting FDD and ParallelATA cables is also difficult, since the corresponding connectors are located between the DIMM slots and the main (24-pin) power connector, which has a thick wiring harness. An additional 4-pin power connector is installed on the right edge of the board.

Next to the processor socket there is a 4-pin CPU_FAN connector for the corresponding cooler. There is also another four-pin connector SYS_FAN on the board. In our opinion, only two fan connectors are clearly not enough for a board that claims to be a system for computer enthusiasts.

The board has four 240-pin DIMM slots for DDR3 memory modules. They are divided into two groups of two slots, with alternating colors. To use dual-channel memory mode, you need to install modules in slots of the same color. Note that the board supports DDR3-1066/1333/1666 memory, and the maximum total memory capacity is 16 GB.

⇡ Expansion options

Thanks to the Intel H55 chipset, the board supports six SerialATA II ports. Five corresponding ports are colored blue and located near the chipset, and the sixth port is located on the rear panel of the board.

The board supports the ParallelATA interface using an additional JMB368 controller.

As a result, the total number of connected disks is eight. The board has twelve USB 2.0 ports - six are located on the rear panel, and another six are connected using brackets (not included). The board also supports another type of serial bus - IEEE1394 ("FireWire"), for which a TSB43AB23 controller manufactured by Texas Instruments is installed on the board. As a result, the board supports two FireWire ports - one is located on the rear panel, the other is connected using a bracket (not included).

The Gigabyte H55M-UD2H board has eight-channel PB Audio, and the ALC889 chip is used as a codec.

The board also features a high-speed Realtek RTL8111D (Gigabit Ethernet) network controller connected to the PCI Express (x1) bus.

The corresponding connector (RJ-45) is located on the rear panel of the board, which has the following configuration:

Note that the board has an absolutely complete set of video outputs, namely VGA, DVI, HDMI and DisplayPort. However, we emphasize once again that to use them you need one of the new Intel processors with an integrated graphics core.

Traditional component diagram:

Now let's talk about BIOS settings.

⇡BIOS

The BIOS of the Gigabyte H55M-UD2H board is based on the Award BIOS version, and its volume is 64 Mbit (8 MB). The board supports DualBIOS technology, as it has two BIOS chips installed - the main one and the backup one.

The main BIOS screen looks like this (after pressing the “secret” combination Ctrl+F1):

All memory settings are located in the overclocking functions section:

There you can also set the RAM operating frequency using a multiplier.

Now let's look at the section on system monitoring.

The board monitors the current processor and system temperatures, voltage and speed of both fans. Additionally, the user can control the speed of the CPU cooler using the SmartFan feature.

It should be noted that the user gets access to all technologies that are supported by modern Intel processors:

The board's BIOS contains a firmware update utility called Q-Flash:

The first buyers of the H55M-UD2H board will have to work with this particular program, since the Gigabyte @BIOS Windows utility does not yet recognize this model:

We also note a number of useful utilities, united in a group called Gigabyte Smart6:

Another useful technology is the ability to save all BIOS settings as a profile and, if necessary, load them. The Gigabyte H55M-UD2H board supports eight independent profiles:

And finally, we note that it is possible to adjust the amount of memory allocated for the needs of integrated graphics:

⇡ Overclocking and stability

Before moving on to overclocking, let's take a look at the power converter. It has a 7-phase design (4+3) with four 270 µF capacitors and 13 820 µF capacitors.

By the way, the power converter of the memory controller (which is integrated into the processor) is made according to a three-phase circuit, as is the converter of the memory subsystem.

Overclocking functions are concentrated in the "MB Intelligent Tweaker" section, in which the information component is very well developed.

The parameters directly responsible for overclocking are located in the following subsections:

List of overclocking functions:

Pay	Gigabyte H55M-UD2H
Changing the CPU multiplier	+
Change Bclk	100 MHz to 600 MHz (1 MHz)
Vcore change	0.5 V to 1.9 V (0.00625 V)
Vmem change	1.3 V to 2.6 V (0.02-0.1 V)
Changing Vimc	1.05 V to 1.49 V (0.02-0.05 V)
Change Vpll	1.6 V to 2.54 V (0.02-0.1 V)
Vpch change	0.95 V to 1.5 V (0.02-0.1 V)
Changing ViGPU	0.92 V to 1.4 V (0.05 V)
PCI-E Change	90 MHz to 150 MHz (1 MHz)

Now let's move on to practical overclocking. So, the Gigabyte H55M-UD2H board showed the following results - stable operation at a Bclk frequency of 184 MHz with a Clarkdale core processor.

Continuing the topic of overclocking, we note the proprietary overclocking utility Gigabyte EasyTune 6:

Unfortunately, this program Bye does not allow overclocking the built-in graphics core. In general, the ability to increase this frequency appeared only in the beta version of BIOS F5m:

And, as if justifying the beta status of this firmware, the system was unstable at a video core frequency of more than 800 MHz. Let us recall that the same result on the same processor and ASUS P7H55-M Pro board was 1066 MHz, which made it possible to obtain a fairly noticeable increase in speed in 3D applications.

⇡ Performance

Standard frequency Bclk:

The following equipment was used in the test system:

Test equipment
CPU	Processor Intel Core i3 530 (LGA1156; 2.93 GHz; Clarkdale core)
Cooler	Boxing
Video card	Intel HD Graphics
Sound card	-
HDD	Samsung HD160JJ
Memory	2x 1024 MB

Most recently, a new family of Clarkdale processors with an integrated video core was introduced. The system logic of the 5th series Intel H57, H55 and Q57 Express was developed specifically for these processors, a feature of which is support for the FDI (Flexible Display Interface) digital interface for outputting the video signal built into the GPU processor. Just like solutions based on the Intel P55 Express chipset, platforms based on Intel H57 and H55 Express have an Intel LGA1156 processor socket. More details about the architecture of the new chipsets, differences and other features can be found in the review of the Intel DH55TC motherboard, which is a kind of “reference” from the processor manufacturer. In today's review we will look at the GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard on Intel H55 Express from one of the leading motherboard manufacturers, GIGABYTE, and try to see the differences from the “standard”.

GIGABYTE has expanded its lineup with four solutions based on Intel H55 Express system logic and one based on Intel H57 Express.

First, let's briefly describe them.

The most budget model in the series is. It is made in the microATX form factor and does not have additional controllers that could expand the capabilities of the disk subsystem. There are only two slots for RAM, but despite this, the board supports DDR3-2133+ memory. The GIGABYTE GA-H55M-S2H motherboard does not belong to the Ultra Durable 3 category, so the bulk of the capacitors on it are of the usual type with liquid electrolyte, with the only exception being the power supply unit for the processor and RAM.

Today we will talk about the motherboard in more detail, but, nevertheless, we will briefly describe it. Compared to the first model, it has a number of small advantages:

Four RAM slots;
External eSATA port;
DisplayPort;
FireWire controller with two IEEE 1394a ports;
Compliant with Ultra Durable 3 technology.

The motherboard differs from the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H by supporting the USB 3.0 interface (two ports of the NEC D720200F1 chip) and the presence of an additional SATA controller to support two SATA ports with the ability to organize RAID 0, 1 and JBOD. It can also be noted that on the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3, unlike previous models, the processor power supply has been strengthened, as evidenced by the appearance of an 8-pin power connector and the use of different types of power transistors.

The model differs from the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H, which we will look at today, in its greater expansion capabilities. Since it is made in the ATX form factor, this made it possible to implement two more PCI slots on the GIGABYTE GA-H55-UD3H. Some of the disadvantages of the GIGABYTE GA-H55-UD3H include the absence of a FireWire controller and the absence of a DisplayPort video output on the interface panel.

The most “advanced” motherboard in the series at the moment can be considered based on the Intel H57 Express chipset. The difference between the older chipset and the Intel H55 Express is a larger number of USB ports and PCI Express lines. Another important difference between the Intel H57 Express chipset is the ability to organize RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 5 and 10 on SATA ports. In all other respects, the GIGABYTE GA-H57M-USB3 motherboard repeats the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3 model. And first of all, it stands out for the presence of a USB 3.0 controller with two ports on the I/O panel.

It is noteworthy that none of the models based on Intel H55 and H57 Express chipsets received support for the SATA 3.0 interface. In addition, you can notice that all models use a similar processor power supply, although the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3 and GIGABYTE GA-H57M-USB3 presumably use a more powerful node, which is worth paying attention to if you plan to seriously overclock the processor.

GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard specification:

Manufacturer

	Intel H55 Express
CPU socket
Supported processors	Intel Core i7/Core i5/Core i3
Memory used	DDR3 1666/1333/1066/800 MHz
Memory support	4 x 1.5 V DDR3 DIMM dual channel architecture up to 16 GB Non-ECC and Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory support
Expansion slots	1 x PCI-E x16 (x16 PCI Express 2.0 lanes) 1 x PCI-E x16 (x4 lanes) 2 x PCI 2.2
Disk subsystem	Intel P55 Express chipset supports: 5 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s 1 x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s JMicron JMB368 chip supports: 1 x IDE ATA-133/100/66/33
Sound subsystem	Realtek ALC889, 8-channel High-Definition Audio codec supports internal S/PDIF port
	Controller T.I. TXB43AB23 supports 2 IEEE 1394 ports
LAN support	Gigabit network controller Realtek RTL8111D
	24-pin ATX power connector 4-pin ATX12V power connector
Cooling	Aluminum radiator
Fan connectors	1 x for CPU cooler 1 x for case fan
External I/O ports	1 x PS/2 ports for keyboard or mouse 1 x optical S/PDIF 1 x D-Sub 1 x DVI-D 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x IEEE 1394a 1 x LAN (RJ45) 6 audio jacks
Internal I/O ports	6 x USB 1 x FDD 5 x SATA 1 x IDE 1x S/PDIF input 1x S/PDIF output 1 x IEEE 1394a 1 x COM CD input Front panel audio connectors System panel connector
	2 x 64 Mbit Flash ROM, Award BIOS, PnP 1.0a, DMI2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b DualBIOS support
Overclocking options	Frequency change: BCLK, PCI-Express, memory. Changing voltage on: processor, memory and chipset
Proprietary technologies	@BIOS Q-Flash Xpress BIOS Rescue Download Center Xpress Install Xpress Recovery2 EasyTune Dynamic Energy Saver 2 Smart 6 Auto Green Q-Share
Equipment	2 x SATA cable 1 x UltraDMA cable Instructions and Guide 1 x DVD with drivers and software Stub
Form factor Dimensions, mm	microATX 244 x 230
Products webpage	The latest version of BIOS and driver can be downloaded from the support page.

The capabilities of the Intel H55 Express chipset are almost fully implemented on the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard: all six PCI Express lanes are used, there is support for all four video outputs and 12 USB ports. There was not enough space on the board for only two more PCI slots. In addition, the functionality has been expanded by several controllers. In particular, the iTE IT8720 chip is used to support legacy COM and FDD ports, and the JMicron JMB368 chip is used to operate the IDE ATA-133/100/66/33 interface.

We received the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard for testing without any accessories or original packaging. Judging by the manufacturer's photograph, the packaging is very bright. It features Ultra Durable 3 technology and a package of 6 proprietary Smart 6 utilities. The Smart 6 complex should improve system performance, reduce boot time, manage security and help restore necessary system files with one click.

GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard components (obtained from official sources):

DVD with software and drivers for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7;
User manual in English, brief installation instructions;
two Serial ATA cables;
UltraDMA cable;
company sticker;
plug for the rear panel of the case.

The package package of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H, as expected, is small and includes only the essentials.

All capacitors on the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard are polymer, and the chokes have a ferrite core, as required by Ultra Durable 3 technology.

The system logic cooling system is small, since the Intel H55 Express chipset has low power consumption. During testing, the radiator was simply warm.

Despite the fact that the PCB of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard is small, the layout has only one drawback - a long video card will block the latches of the RAM slots.

As we have already noted, the Intel H55 chipset supports six SATA ports, one of which is external, and twelve USB ports, half of which are located on the interface panel.

There are not many slots for expansion cards on the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H - two PCIE x16 and two PCI. The bottom PCIE x16 slot has only four PCI Express lanes, and they are provided by the chipset and their bandwidth corresponds to the PCI Express 1.1 specification. The GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard, like all other solutions in this series, supports CrossFireX technology in the x16+x4 configuration, which limits the possibilities of pairing a pair of video cards.

Among the other interfaces of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard, we can highlight the presence of the T.I. FireWire controller. TSB43AB23, which has two ports - external and internal, as well as the presence of a Realtek RTL8111D gigabit network controller.

The audio codec is an 8-channel Realtek ALC889 HDA codec, the front panel connector of which supports HDA and AC`97 output formats.

The processor's 6-phase power supply supports Dynamic Energy Saver Advanced technology. Near the memory slots you can find four indicators that display the number of working phases. The power supply unit is equipped with a 4-pin power connector and does not have additional cooling elements on transistors.

To control the power supply of the memory controller built into the processor, a 2-phase PWM controller ISL6322G is used.

The processor core is powered by a 4-phase power supply based on the ISL6334 PWM controller. In general, such a power supply should provide support for all processors in the LGA 1156 package, and also does not interfere with their moderate overclocking.

The rear panel of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard has the following ports: one PS/2 for keyboard or mouse, optical S/PDIF, VGA and DVI video outputs, HDMI and DisplayPort high-definition interfaces, IEEE 1394a port, six USB ports, eSATA, RJ45 connector for network connections, as well as six connectors for 8-channel audio.

One of the disadvantages of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H is the presence of only two fan connectors. Both fan connectors are 4-pin, which means they support PWM power mode.

BIOS of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard based on the Award code with a fairly wide range of settings with which you can overclock the system.

All the settings necessary for overclocking are located in the “MB Intelligent Tweaker (M.I.T.)” section, and the settings are divided into groups. In addition, this section monitors some system parameters, such as processor and memory frequencies, processor and chipset temperatures, as well as the current voltage on the processor and memory.

The settings required for overclocking are summarized in the table:

Parameter	Menu name	Range
Processor technologies	C1E, TM2, EIST, Virtualization Technology, Multi-Threading Intel Turbo Boost Teach, Virtualization
QPI bus multiplier
CPU multiplier
System bus frequency, MHz
Memory divider	System Memory Multipllier (SPD)
PCI Express Bus Frequency	PCI Express Frequency
Proprietary dynamic overclocking technology		Cruise, Sports, Racing, Turbo, Full Thrust
Processor signal amplitude		700, 800, 900, 1000 mV
PCI Express bus signal amplitude	PCI Express Clock Drive	700, 800, 900, 1000 mV


RAM Latency		CAS Latency, tRCD, tRP, tRAS, tRRD, tWTR, tWR, tWTP, tRFC, tRTP, tRAW, CMD, tRD
CPU voltage, V		0.50000 - 1.9 V
QPI/Vtt bus voltage, V
Northbridge voltage
PLL supply voltage
Integrated GPU voltage	CPU VAXG Voltage
Voltage on memory modules, V
	DRAM Termination

The number of settings in the BIOS of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard is really very large.

The “Advanced Core Features” section contains settings for managing processor technologies.

Among all the settings, we can highlight the ability to change the QPI bus multiplier. Unlike motherboards based on Intel P55 Express system logic, there are much more multipliers, which allows you to more accurately determine its frequency during overclocking.

The GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard supports XMP profiles for overclocking RAM modules, although their use is not required.

Also in the BIOS it is possible to configure RAM timings and sub-timings in full.

The number of settings designed to increase the supply voltage of components is also sufficient for good overclocking.

For example, the voltage on the processor can be increased to 1.9 V, which in some cases will be more than enough. Moreover, it is gratifying that critical and high voltage values are wisely highlighted in bright colors.

The voltage on the chipset can be increased up to 1.5 V. This voltage value is even excessive for the Intel H55 Express chipset, on which the supply voltage can not be increased or increased only slightly even with very strong overclocking of the processor.

Another new setting that can be highlighted is CPU VAXG Voltage, which allows you to increase the supply voltage on the integrated GPU.

In the monitoring section “PC Health Status” you can monitor:

temperature of the motherboard and processor;
rotation speed of the processor cooler and case fan;
voltage on the processor core and RAM;
voltage on power lines +5 V and +12V.

In addition, in this section you can enable the automatic control function of the CPU Smart FAN Control processor cooler. Unfortunately, automatic control of the rotation speed of the case fan is not provided.

Overclocking options

The system bus clock speed of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard with an Intel Core i7 661 processor was increased to 230 MHz.

Testing

The following equipment was used to test the capabilities of motherboards.

CPU	Intel Core i5 661 (LGA1156, 3.33 GHz, L3 4 MB)
	Scythe Kama Angle Rev. B
RAM	2x DDR3-2000 1024 MB Kingston HyperX KHX16000D3T1K3/3GX
Video card	ASUS EN9800GX2/G/2DI/1G GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB GDDR3 PCI-E 2.0
HDD	Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS, 500 GB, SATA-300, NCQ
Optical drive	ASUS DRW-1814BLT SATA
power unit	Seasonic SS-650JT Active PFC, 650 W, 120 mm fan
	CODEGEN M603 MidiTower, 2x 120 mm in/out fans

Test results:

The performance test results on the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard were slightly worse than on the Intel DH55TC motherboard. It is difficult to say what this is connected with, since the main parameters on both systems were the same (checked several times): either the Intel board uses hidden features, or updated BIOS versions should be expected for products from other manufacturers.

Working with integrated video

A similar picture is observed when testing the integrated GPU: there is a slight difference in the performance of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H and the Intel DH55TC, and not in favor of the first.

Energy consumption

	Energy consumption, W
	GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H + Intel Core i5-661	Intel DH55TC + Intel Core i5-661	ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO + AMD Phenom II X3 720
Simple (no load)

Stress load on the integrated video core (FurMark)
Stress load on the processor and integrated video core (EVEREST + FurMark)

The system based on the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard has higher power consumption than the similar system based on the Intel DH55TC motherboard. This happens primarily because by default the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H sets the processor supply voltage to a higher value. Secondly, it is equipped with a large number of controllers, which also slightly increase power consumption.

The competing AMD platform with the AMD Phenom II X3 720 processor and a motherboard based on the AMD 785G system logic with an integrated Radeon HD4200 video core has higher power consumption, but its cost in this case will be lower.

Testing the audio path based on the Realtek ALC889 codec

Overall results (RightMark Audio Analyzer)

16-bit, 44.1 kHz

The built-in Realtek ALC889 audio codec shows very good results, so we think it will be enough for the vast majority of owners.

conclusions

The GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard can be a good basis for a work, multimedia or even gaming system. This model supports a number of GIGABYTE proprietary technologies (UltraDurable 3, Smart 6), has a FireWire controller, is equipped with a high-quality audio codec and supports four types of video outputs. This allows you to connect any monitor to it. In the BIOS of the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard you can find a very large number of settings necessary for overclocking with a wide control range and small steps. The only thing that will not contribute to high overclocking results is not the most powerful processor power regulator with a 4-pin ATX12V power connector. In the GIGABYTE model range based on the Intel H55 Express chipset, there are also models with a more powerful power supply unit, so if you are interested in overclocking, you should pay attention to the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3 or GIGABYTE GA-H57M-USB3, which in addition have support for USB 3.0. If serious overclocking is not expected and there is a desire or need to save a little, then the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H will be a good choice.

Sea Sonic for providing the equipment for the test bench.

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The age of socket 1156 is already coming to an end, everyone has long been updated to 2011, but I decided to try this build.

I cannot convey the riot of emotions that I experienced when unpacking the parcel.
An interesting story about how I chose the product.

I found a suitable board at a good price.
The seller has 4 options.

I added it to my order and wrote to the intermediary: I need ASUS!!

Answer: ok, and increased the price

What has arrived?

Very similar, it also has an 8 pin power supply and a VRM heatsink.(sarcasm)

The issue was resolved with support, a refund was made to my Account, I will order it with the next parcel.
It was the seller who deceived me, not the intermediary. And I saved money by not requesting a photo of the product.

The motherboard is used and in a form that is far from commercially available. Does the seller have a warehouse in a barn in a swamp?
Very unhappy with the appearance, but the packaging was excellent.

It was delivered in a regular box, the motherboard was wildly wrapped in bubble wrap, and the socket was covered with a piece of paper from a glossy magazine.

Link to manufacturer's website

This is what the new board looked like

The thing that upset me, because I wasn’t eager to buy it: the lack of a radiator in the VRM zone, 4-pin power supply, only two slots for RAM. Only "power" capacitors are solid-state.

Characteristics

Size: microATX 244mm x 210mm

Now back to the main thing: why socket 1156? It's all about the processors; decommissioned server Xeon x3440, which are analogues of the first generation i7, cost ridiculous money.

I found a very convenient sign online.

Prices for older models are no longer relevant (lower)

For tests I ordered x3440 and x3470 (prices are $15/$26, respectively.)

What do we have in this case? For a thousand rubles - i7, which can be decently overclocked on the bus (BCLK)
What are the risks of overclocking? An increase in the temperature of both the processor itself and the motherboard components, especially the VRM zone.
This means you need to install relatively expensive cooling per cent and buy an expensive motherboard.
How expensive is everything? A minimally adequate motherboard costs from 36 bucks, is that the one I wanted to get? Asus p7h55-m
There is a radiator on the power circuits, the power phases are not enough, of course.

ASUS P7P55D is already significantly more expensive, about $60 at Tao. (+ delivery)

There are even more advanced options, but here the price/performance ratio drops.

I received the most Beachy motherboard for testing without radiators and 5 power phases.

The review will be narrowly focused.
This parcel arrived.

Used motherboard box

Condition... hmm.

There are only two connectors for propellers: the CPU and one Sys Fan, which is located at the bottom of the board.

Point one, performance.

The output area on the front panel is labeled, everything is clear. We close PW.

The motherboard started up.
In the BIOS section, integrated peripherals tab, switch the operating mode to AHCI

To boot from a flash drive, set USB-HDD as a priority.
Windows loaded, updated, etc., etc. I installed all the drivers, and now the main thing.

Point two, acceleration- its main task.

I'll hide it under the spoiler

Open the first settings of the first line of the BIOS
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The latest BIOS version is F3.

The first line of the sub-menu will show the current state of the PC.

You may notice that the bus, instead of the standard 133 MHz, has already been overclocked by me to 186 MHz. At the same time, the CPU frequency is 3.5 GHz, and the memory is 1800 MHz, with timings of 10-11-11-28.
Point two: Advanced frequency settings.

Strange, but working with a multiplier is allowed, but problematic. To check the overclocking capabilities of the bus, I set the multiplier to 9 and then could not roll back to 19, so I reset the BIOS. In general, don't touch it.
The QPI multiplier was set to the minimum, because As the bus overclocks, the QPI bus frequency will increase.

Advanced CPU core features:

It is recommended to turn off turbo boost and energy saving algorithms.

To access bus overclocking you need a section BCLK control move to position Enabled.
Maximum memory multiplier: x10.
I didn't touch the rest.

Manual timing settings are possible. In auto mode, the motherboard set normal values, did not change.

Advanced voltage settings

There is no direct control of the processor voltage, but you can change the DVID values.
There are options: auto, normal, numerical values above and below normal. With a 186 bus, the processor works stably without increasing the voltage.

Ideal overclocking method:
1) Set the minimum processor multiplier. (x9)
2) We limit the memory multiplier to the minimum (x6)
3) Set the BCLK bus to 200 MHz and change it step by step based on the result.
* the system has started and is stable in heavy benchmarks -> after the run we increase it by 2 (5) units.
* the system did not start or is not stable in heavy benchmarks -> lower by 2 (5) units.
4) If Windows starts, but crashes in tests / crashes after startup, increase the processor voltage by one step.

The motherboard does not have heatsinks in the VRM zone, so overclocking was carried out without increasing the voltage.
The cooler came in handy because... The board is not in the case.

After running LinX, the temperature on the power circuits is about 82 degrees and is not evenly distributed. (in apartment 30+C)

In everyday tasks (games too), the processor is loaded at 0-50% of its maximum and the VRM temperature is about 50C
Already ordered radiators.

Is this antiquity worth attention? Yes, definitely.
In synthetics it loses to my i7 7700, which is logical, BUT! Considering the price, its gaming performance is remarkable.
Stability test example

System config:
x3440, 3.5 GHz, Tower Deepcool GAMMAXX S40, Rx460, SSD 120GB, 4+4 1600 MHz RAM.

The processor has enough strength to load the 1060, details in the CPU review very soon.

Power consumption with rx460
peak 245 W

idle 90-95W

The cost including delivery from China of two sets is $210.

You can limit yourself to the built-in one and take an i3 or i5, you will get a very budget PC for work.

Thanks for watching, to be continued.

GIGABYTE has expanded its lineup with four solutions based on Intel H55 Express system logic and one based on Intel H57 Express.

First, let's briefly describe them.

Today we will talk about the motherboard in more detail, but, nevertheless, we will briefly describe it. Compared to the first model, it has a number of small advantages:

Four RAM slots;
External eSATA port;
DisplayPort;
FireWire controller with two IEEE 1394a ports;
Compliant with Ultra Durable 3 technology.

GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard specification:

Manufacturer

	Intel H55 Express
CPU socket
Supported processors	Intel Core i7/Core i5/Core i3
Memory used	DDR3 1666/1333/1066/800 MHz
Memory support	4 x 1.5 V DDR3 DIMM dual channel architecture up to 16 GB Non-ECC and Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory support
Expansion slots	1 x PCI-E x16 (x16 PCI Express 2.0 lanes) 1 x PCI-E x16 (x4 lanes) 2 x PCI 2.2
Disk subsystem	Intel P55 Express chipset supports: 5 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s 1 x eSATA 3.0 Gb/s JMicron JMB368 chip supports: 1 x IDE ATA-133/100/66/33
Sound subsystem	Realtek ALC889, 8-channel High-Definition Audio codec supports internal S/PDIF port
	Controller T.I. TXB43AB23 supports 2 IEEE 1394 ports
LAN support	Gigabit network controller Realtek RTL8111D
	24-pin ATX power connector 4-pin ATX12V power connector
Cooling	Aluminum radiator
Fan connectors	1 x for CPU cooler 1 x for case fan
External I/O ports	1 x PS/2 ports for keyboard or mouse 1 x optical S/PDIF 1 x D-Sub 1 x DVI-D 1 x HDMI 1 x DisplayPort 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x IEEE 1394a 1 x LAN (RJ45) 6 audio jacks
Internal I/O ports	6 x USB 1 x FDD 5 x SATA 1 x IDE 1x S/PDIF input 1x S/PDIF output 1 x IEEE 1394a 1 x COM CD input Front panel audio connectors System panel connector
	2 x 64 Mbit Flash ROM, Award BIOS, PnP 1.0a, DMI2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b DualBIOS support
Overclocking options	Frequency change: BCLK, PCI-Express, memory. Changing voltage on: processor, memory and chipset
Proprietary technologies	@BIOS Q-Flash Xpress BIOS Rescue Download Center Xpress Install Xpress Recovery2 EasyTune Dynamic Energy Saver 2 Smart 6 Auto Green Q-Share
Equipment	2 x SATA cable 1 x UltraDMA cable Instructions and Guide 1 x DVD with drivers and software Stub
Form factor Dimensions, mm	microATX 244 x 230
Products webpage	The latest version of BIOS and driver can be downloaded from the support page.

GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H motherboard components (obtained from official sources):

DVD with software and drivers for Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7;
User manual in English, brief installation instructions;
two Serial ATA cables;
UltraDMA cable;
company sticker;
plug for the rear panel of the case.