ECS P67H2-A2

Now that the initial Intel Cougar Point chipset problems have been resolved, there is a plethora of motherboards on the market that support the latest Sandy Bridge processors. For enthusiasts, the current high-end SNB-supportive chipset is the Intel P67, of which there are also many different motherboards from various vendors. One of the P67 motherboards that attempts to provide some of the high-end features while at a mainstream price-point is the ECS P67H2-A2. This Elitegroup motherboard retails for less than $200 USD while it ships with two PCI Express x16 slots, USB 3.0, Serial ATA 3.0, and ECS overclocking features.

Features:

Processor
- LGA1155 socket for new 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 series processor/Intel Core i5 series processor/Intel Core i3 series processor/Intel Pentium processors/Intel Celeron processors
- Supports Intel Turbo boost 2.0 technology
- Support Hyper-Threading Technology CPU
- 8 Phase Power Design with VRD 12 Compliant
- DMI 20Gb/s

Chipset
- Intel P67 Express Chipset

Graphics
- Support ATI CrossFireX Technology
- Support NVIDIA SLI Technology

Memory
- Dual-channel DDR3 memory architecture
- 4 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM socket support up to 32GB
- Support DDR3 up to 2133(OC)/1866(OC)/1600(OC)/1333/1066 DDR3 SDRAM

Expansion Slots
- 2 x PCI Express Gen 2.0 x16 slots
- 1 x PCI Express x1 slot
- 2 x PCI slots

Storage
- Support by Intel P67
- 4 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s devices
- 2 x Serial ATA 6.0Gb/s devices
- 4 x Serial ATA 6.0Gb/s devices
- RAID0, RAID1, RAID5, RAID 10 configuration

Audio
- Realtek ALC892 8-Ch High Definition audio CODEC
- Compliant with HD audio specification

LAN
- Dual RealTek RTL8111E Gigabit Fast Ethernet Controllers with Teaming

BIOS
- AMI BIOS with 32Mb SPI ROM
- Supports Plug and Play, STR (S3) / STD (S4) , Hardware monitor, Multi Boot
- Supports ACPI & DMI
- Audio, LAN, can be disabled in BIOS
- F7 hot key for boot up devices option
- Support over-clocking
- Support eJIFFY
- Support eBLU
- Support eDLU
- Support eOC
- Supports ACPI 3.0 revision
- Support eSF
- Support eGS

Form Factor
- ATX Size, 305mm x 244mm

Contents:

The product packaging for the P67H2-A2 is just like the other motherboards we have reviewed in past years from ECS. Included with the ATX motherboard were eight SATA cables, an SLI bridge, a dual-port USB 3.0 cable with an optional adapter for an external 3.5-inch bay or expansion slot, the I/O shield, user manual, quick installation guide, driver CD, and USB caps. It is a fairly standard set of accessories, plus the USB 3.0 adapter, which is expected for a sub-$200 Sandy Bridge motherboards. Even with Sandy Bridge having launched at the beginning of the year, in mid-April there is still numerous P67 motherboards selling above $300 USD.