ECS Elitegroup P55H-A

Back in September we published a launch-day Linux preview of Intel's Lynnfield processors and provided Core i5 / Core i7 benchmarks. With that initial testing of the Lynnfield processors and the new Intel P55 Chipset we had used an Intel DP55KG "Kingsberg" motherboard, but since then many P55 motherboards from different vendors have flooded the market. One of the P55 motherboards to be introduced for the budget-conscious consumer is the P55H-A, which comes from ECS Elitegroup. This motherboard is very reasonably priced while offering support for up to DDR3-2200MHz memory (in an overclock mode), solid capacitors, dual PCI Express x16 slots, and S/PDIF audio support.

Features:

Processor
- Support the Intel LGA1156 Core i7 and Intel Core i5 processors

Chipset
- Featuring the Intel P55 Express Chipset

Memory
- Dual-channel DDR3 memory architecture
- 4 x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM socket support up to 16GB
- Support DDR3 up to 2130+(oc)/1333/1066/800 DDR3 SDRAM

LAN
- RealTek 8111DL Gigabit Fast Ethernet NIC

BIOS
- AMI BIOS with 16Mb SPI ROM
- Supports Plug and Play, STR(S3)/STD(S4), Hardware monitor, ACPI & DMI
- Audio, LAN, can be disabled in BIOS
- Support Page Up clear CMOS Hotkey
- F11 hot key for boot up devices option
- Support over-clocking
- Supports ACPI 3.0 revision

Form Factor
- ATX Size, 305mm*244mm

Contents:

The ECS P55H-A arrived in a package that was colorful and covered with fancy graphics on the front to attract gamers and enthusiasts. Like most ECS products, on the inside are a limited number of accessories for the Intel motherboard. Included with the P55H-A were four Serial ATA data cables, one IDE ribbon cable, I/O panel, ECS user's guide, quick install guide, an ECS driver CD, and a CD for ECS eJIFFY. ECS eJIFFY is effectively their spin of SplashTop, which we have covered for years and in fact were the first to cover. Unfortunately, eJIFFY resides on the hard drive and not with the BIOS. It's effectively just a lightweight, easy-to-use Linux distribution that can be installed to the hard drive if you choose. ECS claims that eJIFFY will boot in around eight seconds.