ASUS P7H55D-M EVO Intel H55 mATX Motherboard Review

Conclusions
I had no idea what to expect from the new i5 processors and the H55 chipset. On-die graphics processing is a new concept and I could envision any number of issues that could have made it undesirable. But those issues never surfaced. Though the 3D graphics leave much to be desired, all other graphics performance were fine, which make the pair excellent for HTPC and non-gaming enthusiast’s rigs.

Although this is the first H55 motherboard I’ve used so I have no standard to compare it to, I have to say I am very pleased with it. It has all the features anyone would need, setup was simple, and stability is rock solid. That is what I expect from a motherboard from Asus.

I feel that the mATX form will be the desired one for the i5 600 Series/H55. As the graphics capabilities increase that might change, but at this time the best uses for the system is in rigs where the smaller footprint is preferred.

The P7H55D-M has all of Asus’ features, likely more than you would ever use. Board layout is excellent, made better by the absence of the Northbridge. Overclocking was a breeze, made more simple by the Target CPU Frequency display and a well laid out BIOS. Asus kept the bundle small to keep the price low, you don’t need much for an mATX rig anyway.

I found not a single thing I didn’t like about the motherboard.

The Asus P7H55D-M EVO runs $125 at my favorite online retailer. That makes it probably the lowest priced board in Asus’ EVO series, though it is the most expensive H55 board I found. But $125 still puts it in the economy-priced range, and considering that you won’t need a video card, and that you could easily run this system with a quality 400 watt power supply, you could definitely build a rig with the newest technology on the cheap.

ThinkComputers.org gives the Asus P7H55D-M EVO a 10 out of 10 score.

rating10 10 small

Pros:
– High performance and stability
– Small footprint desirable for HTPC or non-gaming enthusiast rig
– BIOS very overclock-friendly
– Excellent overclocker

Cons:
– None