ASUS P7H55D-M EVO Motherboard Review

Intel-land is becoming a very confusing place of late. An Intel Core i7 processor might be Socket 1366, or it might be Socket 1f156. A Core i5 processor might be dual core or quad core; it might have Hyper-Threading or not, or integrated video or other features, and there's no way to tell just from the name. And to make things even more confusing, there are now four consumer-level chipsets for Core i5 processors: the original P55, as well as the new H55, H57, and Q57 chipsets. The newer chipsets are required if you want to use the integrated video feature of some of the Intel 2010 Core Processor Family CPUs, and ASUS, as always, is ready with new motherboards to support the latest technology. In this review Benchmark Reviews covers the new ASUS P7H55D-M EVO motherboard, based on the Intel H55 chipsffet.

Starting with the Nehalem architecture processors introduced in late 2008, Intel's been taking functions previously relegated to the supporting chipset and moving them onto the processor. With tfhe original Core i5 and i7 processors, we saw the memory controller and some PCI-Express lanes (in the case of the Core i5) moved from the chipset into the CPU. With the new "Clarkdale" members of the Intel 2010 Core Processor Family, we see the old Intel Graphics Media Architecture (GMA) video controller moved into the processor as well, albeit as a separate chip rather than integrated onto the processor die. Intel has started using the term "platform controller hub" or PCH to refer to these new chipsets; the H55 chipset on the ASUS EVO is part of the generation code-named "Ibex Peak". This new architecture is something enthusiasts should be familiar with, as it will affect what you can do (especially with overclocking) with this platform.

Although USB 3.0, aka "SuperSpeed USB-3.0" has emerged as a performance star with high vendor and consumer interest, Intel's chip sets won't support it directly until sometime later this year. Unlike revision 3.x SATA 6Gb/s (SATA-III), whose performance advantages remain largely theoretical (at least until the wider availability of SATA-6G SSDs), the advantages of USB 3.0 speed can be used right now, which is why ASUS uses the NEC fD720200F1 SuperSpeed USB-3.0 chip to provide two USB 3.0 ports on the P7H55D-M EVO. There are lots of enthusiast-level features for this board, too, and we'll see how well they work.

About ASUSTeK Computer Inc.

ASUS, a technology-oriented company with a global staff of more than ten thousand and blessed with one of the world's top R&D teams, is renowned for high-quality products and cutting-edge innovation. As a leading company in the new digital era, ASUS offers a complete product portfolio to compete in the new millennium.

ASUS has an unyielding commitment to innovation and quality, a fact borne out by its corporate slogan-"Inspiring Innovation - Persistent Perfection"-and the numerous media, industry and governmental accolades it receives every year. In 2008, ASUS won 3,056 awards-receiving over 8 awards on average every day. The company's revenue for the same year was 8.1 billion U.S. dollars, and it topped the IT Hardware Category of the annual league table of Taiwan's Top 10 Global Brands with a brand value of 1.324 billion U.S. dollars. ASUS also ranks among the top 10 IT companies in Business Week's "InfoTech 100", and has been on the listing for 11 consecutive years.

Inspired by the diverse needs of consumers in all areas and phases of life, ASUS' foremost mission is to deliver truly innovative solutions that in turn inspire consumers to reach for greater heights of productivity and fun. By leveraging its intimate understanding of the requirements of today's digital home, digital office and digital person, ASUS has the honor of claiming many world's firsts-such as the introduction of the groundbreaking Eee PCTM, the ingenious use of renewable materials like leather and bamboo in notebooks and the incorporation of its proprietary power-saving Super Hybrid Engine technology into its notebooks and motherboards. By pioneering many new innovations, trends and technologies that have had a genuine impact on its customers' lives and the Earth at large, ASUS hopes to garner mindshare as well as market share.

To succeed in the ultra-competitive IT industry, ASUS focuses on speed-to-market, cost and service. That is why every ASUS employee strives to master the "ASUS Way of Total Quality Management" in order to fulfill the "Persistent Perfection" promise of the brand. Guided by these precepts, ASUS has developed a strong advantage in product design, technology, quality and value/cost. These advantages in turn constitute ASUS' formula for success-allowing marketing to communicate these strengths to win our consumers' hearts. f

The Intel H55 Chipset

Intel's original Socket 1156 chipset, the P55 Express, was introduced in the third quarter of 2009. Designed as a lower-performing, "mainstream" alternative to the expensive X58 chipset, it had dual-channel memory support instead of triple-channel, and instead of the 36 PCI Express lanes of the X58, it had but 8, leaving graphics cards to depend on the 16 lanes built into the Core i3 and Coe i5 processors. Motherboard vendors adopted this chipset with a vengeance, rapidly transforming it into the enthusiast platform of choice, to the point where a system built around a good P55 motherboard could offer performance equal to that of an X58-based system, for much less money. While some criticized the P55's lack of triple-channel memory support and its inability to supply two full x16 PCI-E lanes for CrossFire or SLI graphics setups, Benchmark Reviews' tests of P55-based motherboards such as the ASUS P7P55D EVO showed that specifications don't necessarily translated into real-world differences.

With the introduction of the new "Clarkdale" Core i3 and Core i5 processors with their integrated GPUs, Intel also introduced three new supporting chipsets: the H55 Express, the H57 Express, and the Q57 Express. All of these chipsets are built on a 65nm process and are largely identical, differing only in the details. The Q57 is a business-oriented chipset offering features (such as Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O and Trusted Execution Technology) that are irrevelant for home users; the H55 Express (used in the ASUS P7H55D-M EVO that's the subject of this review) and the H57 express are the consumer-level chips. Here's a short table comparing the major features of these chipsets with the P55:

The major difference between the P55 and the H5x series chipsets is the latter's support for the integrated graphics built into the Clarkdale processors. Based on Intels "Graphic Media Accelerator" (GMA), previously integrated into motherboard chipsets, the "iGPU" can't be used on a motherboard with the older P55 chipset, although the CPU in the processor will work fine (although most P55 motherboard will require a BIOS upgrade to use them).

With so many functions moved from the chipset to the CPU, the motherboard chipset becomes less important to the overall performance of the computer. Looking simply at the Intel specifications, the H57 seems to be a P55 with integrated graphics support, with the H55 giving up RAID, AHCI, and a couple of USB ports. Which of these chipsets you choose depends mainly on whether you have a Clarkdale processor with an iGPU.

ASUS P7H55D-M EVO Features

LGA1156 Intel Lynnfield/Clarkdale Processor Ready
This motherboard supports the latest Intel Lynnfield and Clarkdale processors in LGA1156 package, which has memory and PCI Express controller integrated to support 2-channel (4 DIMMs) DDR3 memory and 16 PCI Express 2.0 lanes providing higher graphics performance. Moreover, Intel Clarkdale integrated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) processors which goes with Intel H55 chipset with VGA out can bring you to the whole new experience of the next generation VGA performance. It also provides separated 3D, 2D and Video Engines to execute different graphic control in hardware.

PCIe 2.0 Double Speed; Double Bandwidth
This motherboard supports the latest PCIe 2.0 devices for double speed and bandwidth which enhances system performance.

Intel H55
The Intel H55 Express Chipset is the latest one-chipset design to support latest 1156 socket Intel Core i7/ Core i5/Core i3/ Pentium Processors. Intel H55 chipset improved performance by utilizing serial point-to-point links, allowing increased bandwidth and stability. Using Intel Core i5 6 Series and Core i3 5 Series and Pentium CPU with H55 Express Chipset to enjoy the latest Intel integrated graphic performance!

HDMI Support
Enjoy Full HD 1080p Multimedia Home-Theater Entertainment! High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a set of digital video standards that delivers multi-channel audio and uncompressed digital video for full HD 1080p visuals through through a single cable. Supporting HDCP copy protection such as Blu-ray Discs, HDMI provides you with the highest-quality home theater experience.

DVI Support
DVI (Digital Visual Interface) provides high visual quality of digital display devices such as LCD monitor. The interface of this motherboard supports dual VGA output both DVI-D/HDMI and RGB.

True USB 3.0
Realize the True Future!! - TRUE USB 3.0 Support! Experience ultra-fast data transfers at 4.8Gbps with USB 3.0--the latest connectivity standard. Built to connect easily with next-generation components and peripherals, USB 3.0 transfers data 10X faster and is also backward compatible with USB 2.0 components.

Dual-Channel DDR3 2133(O.C.) / 1333 / 1066 support
The motherboard supports DDR3 memory that features data transfer rates of 2133(O.C.) / 1333 / 1066 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the latest 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The dual-channel DDR3 architecture enlarges the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system performance.

GPU Boost
Instant iGPU Level Up! GPU Boost overclocks the integrated GPU in real time for the best graphics performance. User-friendly UI facilitates flexible frequency and voltage adjustments. Its ability to deliver multiple overclocking profiles also provides rapid and stable system-level upgrades.

ASUS TurboV
Easy, Real-Time O.C. Tunings. Feel the adrenaline rush of real-time O.C. - now a reality with the ASUS TurboV. This easy O.C. tool allows you to overclock without exiting or rebooting the OS; and its user-friendly interface makes overclock with just a few clicks away. Moreover, the ASUS OC profiles in TurboV provides the best O.C. settings in different scenarios.

Turbo Key
Touch-n-Boost! ASUS Turbo Key allows the user to turn the PC power button into an overclocking button. After the easy setup, Turbo Key can boost performances without interrupting ongoing work or games - with just one touch!!

ASUS 8+3 Phase Power Design
Longer Life & Higher Efficiency! Unleashes ultimate memory performances with independent power to core components, while providing fast transient response and stability for the CPU under heavy loading or overclocking modes.

ASUS EPU
System Level Energy Saving. The new ASUS EPU - the world's first power saving engine, has been upgraded to a new six engine version, which provides total system power savings by detecting current PC loadings and intelligently moderating power in real-time. With auto phase switching for components (which includes the CPU, VGA card / integrated GPU, memory, chipset, hard drives and CPU cooler / system fans), the EPU automatically provides the most appropriate power usage via intelligent acceleration and overclocking - helping save power and money.

MemOK!
Any Memory is A-OK! MemOK! quickly ensures memory boot compatibility. This remarkable memory rescue tool requires a mere push of a button to patch memory issues. MemOK! determines failsafe settings and dramatically improves your system boot success. Get your system up and running in no time!

ASUS Express Gate
0 to Internet in Seconds! Express Gate is an ASUS exclusive OS that provides you with quick access to the Internet and key applications before entering Windows.

ASUS Fanless Design - Heatsink solution
The crystal-shaped heatsink features 0-dB thermal solution that offers users a noiseless PC environment. Not only the bfeautiful shape upgrades the visual enjoyment for motherboard users, but also the heatsink design lowers the temperature of the chipset and power phase area through high efficient heat-exchange. Combined with usability and aesthetics, the ASUS crystal-shaped heatsink will give users an extremely silent and cooling experience with the elegant appearance!

Fan Xpert
Active Quiet & Cool. ASUS Fan Xpert intelligently allows users to adjust both the CPU and chassis fan speed according to different ambient temperature , which is caused by different climate conditions in different geographic regions and system loading.Built-in variety of useful profiles offer flexible controls of fan speed to achieve a quiet and cool environment.

EZ-Flash 2
Simply update BIOS from a USB flash disk before entering the OS. EZ Flash 2 is a user-friendly BIOS update utility. Simply launch this tool and update BIOS from a USB flash disk before entering the OS. You can update your BIOS only in a few clicks without preparing an additional floppy diskette or using an OS-based flash utility.

CrashFree BIOS 3
Simply restore corrupted BIOS data from USB flash disk. The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 allows users to restore corrupted BIOS data from a USB flash disk containing the BIOS file. This utility saves users the cost and hassle of buying a replacement BIOS chip.

O.C. Profile
Conveniently store or load multiple BIOS settings. Freely share and distribute favorite overclocking settings The motherboard features the ASUS O.C. Profile that allows users to conveniently store or load multiple BIOS settings. The BIOS settings can be stored in the CMOS or a separate file, giving users freedom to share and distribute their favorite overclocking settings.

ASUS Q-Design
DIY quickly, DIY easily! ASUS Q-DIMM enhances your DIY experience by speeding up and simplifying the DIY process!

Q-Connector
Make connection quick and accurate! The ASUS Q-Connector allows you to connect or disconnect chassis front panel cables in one easy step with one complete module. This unique adapter eliminates the trouble of plugging in one cable at a time, making connection quick and accurate.

S/PDIF-out on Back I/O Port
This motherboard provides convenient connectivity to external home theater audio systems via optical S/PDIF-out (SONY-PHILIPS Digital Interface) jacks. It allows to transfer digital audio without converting to analog format and keeps the best signal quality.

8-channel Audio
Enjoy high-end sound system on your PC! The onboard 8-channel HD audio (High Definition Audio, previously codenamed Azalia) CODEC enables high-quality 192KHz/24-bit audio output, jack-sensing feature, retasking functions and multi-streaming technology.

Noise Filter
Eliminate background noise while recording. This feature detects repetitive and stationary noises like computer fans, air conditioners, and other background noises then eliminates it in the incoming audio stream while recording

Gigabit Lan support
The on-board LAN controller is a highly integrated GbLAN controller. It is enhanced with an ACPI management function to provide efficient power management for advanced operating systems.

GreenASUS
The motherboard and its packaging comply with the European Union's Restriction on the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). This is in line with the ASUS vision of creating environment-friendly and recyclable products and packaging to safeguard consumers' health while minimizing the impact on the environment.

ASUS P7H55D-M EVO Specifications

Closer Look: ASUS H55

ASUS offers 6 motherboards based on the Intel H55 chipset, with a mix of micro-ATX and standard ATX form factors (not all motherboards will be available in all markets, though). The P7H55D-M EVO is the highest-spec micro-ATX motherboard ASUS offers, with features such as an E-SATA port, USB 3.0, IEEE 1394 (aka FireWire), and ASUS' "MemOK" feature to distinguish it from the other models in the line.

Aside from the user's manual, the accessories bundle comprises a driver disk, a PATA (IDE) cable, two SATA cables, and an I/O shield. ASUS also included two of its handy "Q connectors"— one for a USB port, should you have one of those cases whose USB port connectors are separate wires, and one for the front panel connector block— that makes connecting and disconnecting these items easy.

Since it's a micro ATX motherboard, its size is the standard 9.6" by 9.6" and it'll fit in pretty much any computer case. The board layout is standard micro ATX, but the memory slots are close enough to the socket so that large CPU coolers might overhang the first and second slots (The cooler I used in testing this board did completely overhang the first memory slot). Note that the memory slots are ASUS' special design with ejector levers only on one end, which on this board prevents them from interefering with any SATA cables in the adjacent SATA connectors.

The P7H55D-M EVO offers the standard array of internal interfaces. Just below the bright blue H55 heat sink in the middle of this image are the black IEEE 1394 port, three blue USB 2.0 ports, a white COM1 port for the optional back-panel DB9 serial connector, and the front panel header block. The blue PATA interface connector, courtesy of a Marvell chip that also provides an E-SATA port, is at the right edge of the image.

On the back panel we see the usual collection of ports. A few things are different here, though: note the single purple (keyboard) PS/2 port, the three video ports (HDMI, VGA, and DVI), and the two bright blue USB ports below the gigabit Ethernet port. These are true USB 3.0 ports, courtesy of an NEC USB controller. Any two of the three video ports can be used simultaneously, and the connected monitors can either comprise one large desktop, or mirror each other.

Sinc this is a micro-ATX motherboard, there's not much room for slots. ASUS includes a 16x PCI Express slot, two 1x PCI Express slots, and a legacy PCI slot. Near the top of this image you can see the two four-pin PWM fan connectors for the CPU and chassis fans.

Let's dig a little deeper into this motherboard in the next section.

P7H55D-M EVO Detailed Features

The ASUS P7H55D-M EVO motherboard benefits from ASUS' "Hybrid design" features of Hybrid OS and Hybrid Phase. The Hybrid OS feature refers to the small "ASUS Express Gate" ROM-hosted OS that quickly allows the user to quickly boot into a minimal OS with simplified browser, chat, and e-mail features. Hybrid Phase refers to ASUS' "8+3 power phase" design. This feature actively adjusts the voltages and power phases used for the CPU, chipset, RAM, HDD, and fans to achieve lower power draw with higher efficiency, a feat made possible by ASUS' custom "EPU-6 Engine" chip.

The CPU area is uncluttered and the low-profile heat sinks on the MOSFETs won't interfere with most coolers. ASUS uses ferrite chokes and high-quality Japanese solid capacitors for the CPU's power circuitry.

While the Intel H55 Platform Controller Hub is a "mainstream" chipset, ASUS loads their H55 board with overclocking and enthusiast features. First, there's the 8-pin EPS-12V power connector, to ensure the processor can get enough power for high overclocks. Next, the "MemOK!" button, which resets the memory timings to known good values without changing other BIOS settings— helpful when you've pushed your memory just a bit too far. The only other enthusiast features I would have liked to see included would be on-board power and reset switches, and a "Clear CMOS" switch rather than a jumper.

ASUS provides 6 SATA 3G ports on the P7H55D-M EVO. The H55 doesn't support RAID, and normally doesn't support AHCI modes for your hard drives, but ASUS, working closely with Intel, has managed to implement AHCI on this board anyway, so you can turn this mode on in the BIOS and gain the advantages of hot swapping and native command queuing. A Marvell 88SE6111 controller chip provides a legacy PATA-style IDE port and the back panel E-SATA port, while a VIA 6315N IEEE-1394 controller supports both an internal FireWire 400 port as well as a back panel connector.

Although the SATA ports are vertical, rather than the increasingly-common 90-degree angle, there's plenty of clearance even with a large graphics card installed.

While the H55 chipset has both integrated "Intel High Definition Audio" and a gigabit Ethernet controller, ASUS has opted to use a Realtek 8112L Ethernet chip and a Realtek HD 8-channel audio chip as well, with both wired and optical S/PDIF outputs. The 8112L is near the NEC D720200 USB 3.0 controller. The NEC USB controller is designed to interface to a PCI-E lane for its connection to the rest of the system, and ASUS' implementation uses a PCI-E lane from the Clarkdale processor, providing superior USB 3.0 performance over other H5x motherboards, which use a PCI-E lane from the H55 chip. However, the P7H55D-M EVO will drop back to using an H55 PCI-E lane to support the D720200 USB 3.0 controller if you have a separate graphics card, since in that case the processor's PCI-E lanes will be used to support the graphics card.

Enthusiasts sneer at Intel's GMA-based integrated graphics, and rightly so. But for everything except gaming, it's a nice chip, able to decode Blu-Ray content and handle High Definition Content Protection (HDCP) with little load on the CPU, and run large monitors at high resolutions. I successfully ran two monitors simultaneously, a 1920x1200 screen using VGA and a 1680x1050 screen using DVI, from the H55 EVO's built-in video outputs. Windows 7's Aero effects were just as smooth and pretty as they are on any other system, and the GMA offers display options that would be very useful for a home theater setup, as shown below. Note, though, that you cannot use the integrated video in conjunction with a separate graphics card: plugging a graphics card into the motherboard disables the iGPU.

With its high-quality components and overclocking features, ASUS is obviously aiming this board at the enthusiast market. Let's see how well it does.

Testing and Results

Intel's been moving more and more features off the chipset and onto the processor. This has ramifications for testing and overclocking; specifically, it reduces the significance of the motherboard in overclocking. For example, when the memory controller was built into the Northbridge chip, this chip and its surrounding support and power circuitry played a large part in any overclocking endeavor, but now that the memory controller's built into the CPU, this is no longer a factor (in the Intel Core i5-661 BX80616I5661 processor we're using for these tests, the memory controller is actually in the on-chip GPU).

Intel H55 Test System

• Motherboard: ASUS P7H55D-M EVO (Intel H55 chipset) with BIOS version 0086
• Processor: Intel Core i5-661(BX80616I5661)
• CPU Cooler: 3R System Ice Age Prima Boss II
• System Memory: 4GB (2x 2GB) OCZ Dual-Channel 1600 mHz DDR3 CL 9-9-9-24
• Primary Drive: Seagate ST3120026AS 120GB
• Power Supply: Antec TruePower New TP-750 750 watt 80-Plus Bronze
• Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium x64

Benchmark Software

• Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition v5.30.1900
• MAXON CINEBENCH 11.5
• Resident Evil 5 Benchmark Demo (DirectX 10, no MSAA, no motion blur, medium settings)
• ATTO Disk Benchmark 2.41

Support Hardware

• P3 International Kill-A-Watt EZ (model P4460) Power Meter

Everest Benchmarks

EVEREST Ultimate Edition is an industry leading system diagnostics and benchmarking solution for enthusiasts PC users, based on the award-winning EVEREST Technology. During system optimizations and tweaking it provides essential system and overclock information, advanced hardware monitoring and diagnostics capabilities to check the effects of the applied settings. CPU, FPU and memory benchmarks are available to measure the actual system performance and compare it to previous states or other systems. Furthermore, complete software, operating system and security information makes EVEREST Ultimate Edition a comprehensive system diagnostics tool that offers a total of 100 pages of information about your PC.

I tested the ASUS P7H55D-M EVO motherboard both with a Core i5-661 processor and a Core i5-750 processor. For the Core i5-661 tests, I ran both at the stock clock speed of 3.33GHz as well as the highest stable overclock I could reach, 4.64GHz. I'll go into more detail on the overclocking aspect in another section.

All of the CPU benchmarks used in our test bed— Queen, Photoworxx, ZLib, and AES— rely on basic x86 instructions, and consume very low system memory while also being aware of HyperThreading, multi-processors, and multi-core processors. Since these tests large isolate the processor and memory subsystem from the rest of the computer, they're ideal for direct processor-to-processor comparisons. To test the effects of the iGPU on performance, I ran the tests with the iGPU providing video as well as with a separate graphics card, whose use automatically disables the iGPU.

Clarkdale processors like the i5-661 move the memory controller from the CPU die to the iGPU. This might have been necessary to give the iGPU tighter control of the shared memory it must use for a video buffer, but performance suffers: whille significant improvement in bandwidth is possible with overclocking, it's still not enough to compete with the much slower-clocked (2.67GHz) i5-750. ASUS can design their board to support these very high overclocks, but they can't do anything about the 661's memory controller. Removing the iGPU from the test (by inserting a graphics card, which disables the iGPU) improves scores very slightly— a maximum of only 3.6%.

Everest CPU testing is another story, where the overclocked 661 edges out the stock-clocked 750 in two of the three tests (the AES test results are not shown here since the 661's "New AES" instructions give it over ten times the AES performance of the i5-750, which causes the rest of the chart to scale down too far to read! For details, see our review of the Intel Core i5-661 BX80616I5661 processor).

CINEBENCH 11.5 Benchmarks

CINEBENCH is a real-world cross platform test suite that evaluates your computer's performance capabilities. CINEBENCH is based on MAXON's award-winning animation software CINEMA 4D, which is used extensively by studios and production houses worldwide for 3D content creation. MAXON software has been used in blockbuster movies such as Spider-Man, Star Wars, The Chronicles of Narnia and many more. The CINEBENCH benchmarks tests both CPU performance (with single- and multi-threaded rendering tests) and Open GL graphics performance with an animated car chase scene. Note that CINEBENCH scores are only valid when compared against scores produced by the same version of CINEBENCH.

CINEBENCH CPU Test

CINEMARK's CPU test renders a photorealistic, if abstract, scene. The test comes in two versions: one that uses all cores and threads possible, and another that's restricted to a single core. The test results are abstract numbers that are only useful for comparison against other systems in CINEBENCH 11.5 tests.

Which processor you use in the ASUS P7H55D-M EVO affects the results, but perhaps not in the way you'd think. Despite the Core i5-661's much higher clock speed, in the multi-threaded test we can see that four physical cores, even at a significantly lower clock frequency, trump two physical cores with Hyper-Threading, as the Core i5-750 turns in about 30% better performance than the Core i5-661 BX80616I5661. The single core test with each processor at its stock frequency is a wash, with identical scores for each processor. I'd have expected the Core i5-661 to win here due to its significantly higher clock, but perhaps its slower memory subsystem held it back. Overclocking the 661 to 4.6GHz enables it to eke out a narrow win in the multi-threaded test and almost 50% better performance in the single-core test.

CINEBENCH Rendering Test

This procedure uses a complex 3D scene depicting a car chase which measures the performance of a graphics card in OpenGL mode. The performance depends on various factors, such as the GPU processor, but also on the drivers used. The graphics card has to display a huge amount of geometry (nearly 1 million polygons) and textures, as well as a variety of effects, such as environments, bump maps, transparency, lighting and more to evaluate the performance across different disciplines and give a good average overview of the capabilities of your graphics hardware. The result given is measured in frames per second (fps).

For this test, the Core i5-750 wasn't included. I tested i5-661 with its integrated GPU at both stock and overclocked frequencies, as well as with two discrete graphics cards, an NVIDIA 9400GT and an NVIDIA GT240 (GDDR3 version).

Intel's previous GMA integrated graphics solutions don't have a great reputation among gamers, and results like these are why. A feeble 1.92 frames per second at the stock clock can be stretched to 2.58 frames per second at the overclocked level, but even a 2008-vintage 9400GT budget card, currently available for as little as $42, provides more than twice the performance. A GT240 provides about 8 times the frame rate of the overclocked 661.

Resident Evil 5 Benchmarks

Built upon an advanced version of Capcom's proprietary MT Framework game engine to deliver DirectX 10 graphic detail, Resident Evil 5 offers gamers non-stop action similar to Devil May Cry 4, Lost Planet, and Dead Rising. The MT Framework is an exclusive seventh generation game engine built to be used with games developed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and PC ports. MT stands for "Multi-Thread", "Meta Tools" and "Multi-Target". Games using the MT Framework are originally developed on the PC and then ported to the other two console platforms.

On the PC version of Resident Evil 5, both DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 modes are available for Microsoft Windows XP and Vista Operating Systems. Microsoft Windows 7 will play Resident Evil with backwards compatible Direct3D APIs. Resident Evil 5 is branded with the NVIDIA The Way It's Meant to be Played (TWIMTBP) logo, and receives NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision functionality enhancements.

NVIDIA and Capcom offer the Resident Evil 5 benchmark demo as a free download from their website, and Benchmark Reviews encourages visitors to compare their own results to ours. Because the Capcom MT Framework game engine is very well optimized and produces high frame rates, this a good test to run on less powerful graphics cards. For this test I used the DirectX 10 version of this benchmark at a resolution of 1280x1024 with medium quality. Since the Core i5-661 iGPU does not support anti-aliasing, it's turned off for the discrete card tests. Test scenes from Area #3 and Area #4 require the most graphics processing power, and the results are collected for the chart illustrated below.

Despite these minimal quality settings, the iGPU, even overclocked, can't provide playable frame rates. The difference between the iGPU and the 9400GT is much narrower here than in the CINEBENCH rendering test: the 9400GT turned in twice the frame rate of the iGPU in that test, but here the difference is much less, just a couple of frames per second. The GT240-GDDR3 card produces solidly playable frame rates at these modest settings.

USB 3.0 Performance

Intel hasn't yet included USB 3.0 support in any of its chipsets, so manufacturers who want to provide this feature on their motherboards are obliged to do so via a third-party chip, in this case NEC's ubiquitous D720200F1 controller. The NEC controller uses one PCI-E "lane" to interface USB devices to the rest of the system, and this is where ASUS' implementation gets interesting.

PCI Express lanes are provided by both the Core i5-661 processor and the H55 Platform Controller Hub. But there's a crucial difference: the H55 only supports the PCI-E 1.0 specification, which tops out at 250Mb/second per lane, whereas the 661's PCI-E lanes support the PCI-E 2.0 specification, which doubles bandwidth to 500Mb/second per lane. Other H55 motherboards with USB 3.0 support use a PCI-E lane from the H55; but the P7H55D-M EVO motherboard will switch between the H55 and 661 lanes depending on the circumstance.

Here's how it works: if you don't have a separate graphics card— that is, if you're using the iGPU on the Core i5-661 processor— then the processor has some unused PCI-E lanes and ASUS can connect one of them to the NEC USB 3.0 controller. If you do have a graphics card in the PCI-E x16 slot, then the CPU's PCI-E lanes are in use, and the motherboard switches the NEC controller to use a PCI-E lane from the H55. This implementation should provide superior USB 3.0 performance if you're not using a separate graphics card, but how much difference does it really make?

To find out, I tested two SATA storage devices, a circa-2003 120G Seagate Barracuda and a 120G OCZ Vertex SSD, with an SIIG USB 3.0 docking station, using the ATTO Disk Benchmark tool to measure the transfer rates for each device connected to the P7H55D-M's USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports; in the latter case, I tested both with (H55) and without (661) a video card. The results are summarized in the chart below:

I have to admit I was surprised by the results. Using USB 2.0, the creaky 6-year-old hard disk and speedy SSD are neck and neck, with read and write rates that differ by only a few percent. Since the SSD is much faster than the hard disk, this indicates that the throughput of the SSD (at least) is being limited by the USB 2.0 interface.

Stepping up to the H55-supported USB 3.0 (i.e. with a graphics card in the system), both drives post much better performance numbers, with the Barracuda hard drive improving its read rate by 78% and more than doubling its write throughput. But look at the SSD performance: reads increase by a whopping 265% and writes increase by over 100%! This clearly shows that USB 2.0 throughput is a limiting factor even for very old hard disks.

Removing the video card and re-running the tests shows no improvement for the Barracuda: the numbers posted for the previous test represent the best the old hard drive can do. But SSD performance takes another huge jump, increasing read and write speeds by 52% and 72%, respectively, over their H55-supported values. So ASUS is right: their trick of using the processor's PCI-E lanes when possible does provide a substantial performance boost...if you have a USB 3.0 device fast enough to make use of it.

P7H55D-M Power Consumption

Life is not as affordable as it used to be, and items such as gasoline, natural gas, and electricity all top the list of resources which have exploded in price over the past few years. ASUS helps by including the latest version of their "EPU" power-saving technology with the P7H55D-M EVO; when enabled, this feature intelligently manages the power to the processor and other systems, dropping voltages and power phases under idle and low-load conditions to minimize power consumption. However, note that this feature will work best at stock processor speeds; overclocking will disable many of its power-saving features.

Graphics cards aside, the processor is the largest single user of power in your computer. The Intel Core i5-661 used in these tests has the highest rated maximum power consumption of any of the new Clarkdale processors, at 87 watts, while the other processors in the family max out at 73 watts; possibly this is due to the higher standard speed of 900MHz on the iGPU— other processors in the Clarkdale lineup run their iGPUs at 733MHz. However, it's likely that the iGPU's power usage is much less than even a low-end graphics card, since it uses your existing system memory which will be using power in any case, while a discrete graphics card would have to power memory, PCI-E interface circuitry, and so forth.

To measure system power consumption, Benchmark Reviews uses the Kill-A-Watt EZ (model P4460) power meter made by P3 International. A baseline test is taken as the system is allowed to boot into Windows and rest idle at the login screen for three minutes before power consumption is recorded. Once the baseline reading has been taken, Lavalys EVEREST Ultimate Edition is loaded and the System Stability Test is run with 100% stress on the CPU and FPU for five minutes; to simultaneously stress the iGPU, I ran a simultaneous instance of Furmark.

The purpose of this test is to show the difference in power consumption between idle and loaded processor states. At the standard clock speed, I ran the tests with the SpeedStep, C1E, and C-State Tech features enabled (for maximum efficiency); they were disabled for the overclocking tests.

Remember that these figures represent the power consumption of the entire test system, and not just the motherboard and processor. Even so, the figures for the stock-clocked processor are quite low: under 100 watts with both the CPU and iGPU at full load. The picture does change with the overclock, though: 4.64GHz is nice from a performance point of view, but you'll pay for it with double the power consumption (although we we'll see in the next section, ASUS gives you some interesting options in this regard). You'd need third-party processor cooling to maintain this overclock, though, and the very high core voltage required for stable operation is just beyond what Intel considers to be prudent for the Core i5-661, so long-term operation at this level is probably not a good idea.

P7H55D-M Overclocking Features

With Intel moving more features from the chipset to the processor, the motherboard's role in overclocking arguably changes from overclocking its own components to supporting the overclocking of the processor and memory. And while it might seem that an H55 motherboard's role is best realized in a small, quiet home theater PC (and indeed the ASUS P7H55D-M EVO would serve well in this situation), ASUS has nonetheless stuffed this motherboard with all the hardware and software features required to support extreme overclocking. After all, it's hard to argue with a stable 4.64GHz Core i5-661!

Hardware Overclocking Support

On the hardware side, ASUS provides a robust "8+3 phase" power supply with ferrite chokes and solid capacitors to ensure the processor and components have clean, stable power; an 8-pin EPS-12V connector ensures adequate power is available. The system provides the fast transient response needed: when going from idle to full load under a heavy overclock, the processor's power consumption can more than double in less than a millesecond. If your motherboard's power supply isn't up to the task, a sudden voltage drop might occur that could crash the system. The ASUS P7H55D-M EVO was stable under all testing.

ASUS also provides a number of features that make overclocking on this motherboard simple and convenient. If you crank your memory frequency too high and render your system unbootable, pressing and holding the "MemOK!" button on the motherboard for a few seconds will reset the memory speed to a known good configuration without resetting your other BIOS changes. I did miss the power and reset switches and "clear CMOS" button found on ASUS' other enthusiast-level motherboards, though.

Software Overclocking Support

This is where the P7H55D-M EVO really shines. Not only does ASUS include the very comprehensive "AI Tweaker" section in their BIOS, but they also include a number of Windows-hosted overclocking utilities. First, I looked at the BIOS, since this is where I'm used to doing overclocking. The main AI Tweaker screen offers several "quick" overclocking options from the "Ai Overclock Tuner" item: Auto, which is the default setting, runs everything at stock speeds, while XMP will adjust the base clock frequency to run your memory at its XMP-defined settings (if you have XMP memory). If your memory's overclockable, but doesn't have an XMP profile, you can use the D.O.C.P. (DRAM OverClocking Profile): set your memory's rated speed, and the Ai tuner will adjust your BCLK so that your memory runs at that speed. Manual allows complete control of all parameters. I used Manual for my tests.

A somewhat mysterious option is the BCLK/iGPU Frequency Sync Mode item; according to the explanation at the right of the screen, if it's disabled, iGPU frequency will be adjusted according to the base clock, while iGPU voltage will be adjusted according to the base clock if it's enabled. The default Auto option's effects aren't described, and ASUS' manual doesn't mention the option at all. I left the setting at Auto and adjusted the iGPU frequency and voltage manually for my tests.

Additional sections of the Ai Tweaker page offer very detailed control over memory timings and voltage. ASUS suggests setting the timing mode to "1N" for best performance...if your memory will handle it.

The iGPU settings aren't in the Ai Tweaker section; they're in the Uncore selection of the Advanced section. But as our tests show, there's really no reason to overclock the iGPU, although you'll need to underclock it if you're overclocking the processor.

The Ai Tweaker settings are impressively comprehensive, but I found the Windows-hosted software to be more interesting. Some of the software, such as the EPU-6 Engine and GPU Boost, are driver-level items that enabled functions but have no user interface of their own. But the Turbo V and Turbo Key utilities are what made overclocking this board a pleasure, with a little support from Fan XPert.

Versions of the Turbo V utility are becoming common across ASUS' line; basically, it lets you adjust the voltage and frequency to both the processor and the iGPU (you must have installed the GPU Boost driver for the latter feature to work) in real time, right inside windows:

Simple drag the sliders to the settings you want and click "Apply" to instantly adjust your board. You can save any group of settings in a "profile" and recall it from the menu. The advantage of homing in on your best overclock this way is that the settings are not saved in the BIOS: so if you crash or freeze— and you will, of course— your system will reboot with the stock timings and you can try again. Once you find the settings that work best for you, you can either manually enter them into the BIOS, or simply pick them off the menu in the Turbo V utility.

The relationship between the CPU base clock (BCLK) frequency and the iGPU frequency is a matter of some mystery: neither Intel nor ASUS provide any documentation on the relationship, but tests show there definitely is one, probably based on some multiplier. I had to reduce the stock 900MHz frequency of the iGPU to 700MHz in order to achieve stable operation at a BCLK of 185MHz, but the true frequency the iGPU was running at is unknown.

You can configure the "GPU Boost" feature to automatically overclock the iGPU when its load increases, but frankly this strikes me as almost useless: as seen in the performance tests above, the iGPU, even overclocked, is useless for gaming, and it performs to spec just fine at the stock speeds.

Turbo Keyis a small utility that works with the profiles you created in Turbo V:

It's very simple, yet very useful: when it's enabled, your computer's power button acts as a toggle between stock clock speeds and voltages, and whatever profile you've selected. This is perfect for a system like this, as you can benefit from the low power consumption of a Core i3 or i5 system, and instantly crank it up for gaming or other CPU-intensive activities. Remember the doubled power consumption I noted earlier? Now, this consideration almost vanishes, since you need only tap the power button to switch back to a low-power mode when you're done with whatever you were doing that needed the extra performance.

ASUS' Fan XPert allows you to set performance profiles for the CPU fan and chassis fan. You can select from pre-defined profiles such as "Silent" (slow fans), "Turbo" (fast fans), and "Intelligent" (temperature-based fan speeds), or create your own profiles for the either fan.

Overclocking Results

Using an Intel Core i5-661 processor, I managed to get a stable overclock at a BCLK frequency of 185MHz at 1.4 volts, resulting in a core frequency of 4.64GHz, with the GPU frequency set to 700mHz (although what frequency it was really running at, probably more than 700mHz, is unknown). The system would boot and run Windows at a base clock of 190mHz (4.75gHz) but would fail under stress testing. I could use the Turbo Key utility to switch between normal and overclocked profiles, even in the middle of a performance test, with no problems.

ASUS H55 EVO Final Thoughts

With Intel moving more and more features into the processor, it becomes harder for motherboad manufacturers to distinguish their products, especially with lower-end systems where price is a major consideration. Along with many others, ASUS resorts to making their boards "pretty", with attractive color schemes and exotic anodized aluminum heat sinks.

Pretty is nice, but as an engineer friend once said, "It's dark inside the box": once your computer's built, the board's appearance doesn't matter (unless it's in a windowed case). What does matter are quality, reliability, and features. You can find these attributes in motherboards from many vendors, of course, but ASUS has a well-earned reputation for setting the bar high in these areas, and they certainly do with the P7H55D-M EVO...especially considering its price. This board is stuffed with extras, from the very desirable and useful USB 3.0 support to enhanced audio and Ethernet connectivity and great overclocking features.

I have to admit that coming into this review I wasn't expecting too much: the H5x chipsets didn't strike me as the basis for an enthusiast-level platform, and frankly the whole idea of an "enthusiast" machine built around this motherboard still seems a little odd. But one of the things I've learned in testing various products is that at the end of the day, the test results are what matter...and you could build a very nice, very fast (and yet very low-power most of the time) system around this motherboard, adding a discrete graphics card if it was needed in your application.

Still, the ASUS P7H55D-M EVO is an odd duck of a product: I suspect Clardale processor purchasers will not, as a rule, be overclocking enthusiasts, but I didn't think the P55 platform would turn out the way it did, either.

P7H55D-M Conclusion

This is my first formal motherboard review, so the only context I have is my own experience with motherboards, which in the past 18 months or so has been with three X58 motherboards and a single enthusiast-level ASUS P55 motherboard. This probably prejudiced me going into this review, since I prefer high-end products and didn't see the ASUS P7H55D-M EVO as such. But after testing, I was very impressed by this product.

ASUS is standardizing on a blue/silver/white color scheme for most of their motherboards, with a red/black color scheme reserved for the "Rampage" and "Maximus" series boards. The color scheme works well on this board, especially in the bi-color heat sinks around the processor socket. However, the brownish solder mask coloring of the rest of the board doesn't blend well with its overall appearance.

The construction quality of the board was top-notch. Solid capacitors, ferrite-core chokes, and neat component layout are all features of a product where the designers sweated the details. Should something happen anyway, ASUS backs this board with a three-year warranty.

Performance-wise, this board is impressive: it never faltered under testing, even under conditions far in excess of Intel's voltage and power specifications. ASUS has designed a lot of headroom into this board, frankly more than I would expect at this price point. Functionally, the board's extra features make the difference between "just another nice HTPC motherboard" and "a real enthusiast's motherboard."

There are only a few places where I felt the board could be improved. I missed having physical power, reset, and clear CMOS buttons; and parts of the Ai Tweaker section of the BIOS are undocumented (ASUS is still working on the BIOS for this board; we received a new BIOS in the middle of this review that fixed some problems) Also, there are only three fan headers...while perhaps a reasonable number for a micro-ATX board, the target audience for this board will want more.

The H55/Clarkdale processor combo is not someone one would expect to be the basis of an enthusiast platform. If all you want is a good-performing HTPC, there are many excellent sub-$100 motherboards available that will do just fine. But what it really boils down to is your choice of components: while the P7H55D-M EVO represents a solid value, the Core i5-661 processor I used in this test is, in my opinion, overpriced at $209.99 at NewEgg. I think a better processor choice for this motherboard would be the Intel Core i3-540 for $139.99. It gives up Turbo Boost and a few MegaHertz of speed (3.06GHz as opposed to the 661's 3.33GHz), but should offer similar overclocking headroom and video performance. A system built around this motherboard and the Core i3-540 would make an excellent home theater or second PC at a relatively low cost with very good overall performance.

As of March 2010 the ASUS P7H55D-M EVO is available for $124.99 at NewEgg, with many other online retailers also stocking this motherboard. You can certainly buy cheaper H55-based boards, but this price represents an excellent value for the level of features and functionality this board offers.

Pros:

+ 8+3 phase power delivery, 8-pin EPS-12V connector
+ Solid capacitors and ferrite core chokes
+ Many overclocking features such as Mem-OK button
+ SuperSpeed USB-3.0 ports
+ Enhanced Ethernet and audio support
+ 3-year product warranty
+ Lots of overclocking headroom

Cons:

- No on-board power, reset, and clear CMOS buttons
- Some parts of the BIOS are undocumented
- Large CPU coolers may interfere with first two RAM sockets
- H55 chipset lacks RAID and AHCI storage support

Ratings:

• Performance: 9.50
• Appearance: 8.00
• Construction: 9.50
• Functionality: 9.75
• Value: 9.00

Final Score: 9.15 out of 10.

Excellence Achievement: Benchmark Reviews Golden Tachometer Award.

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