GIGABYTE GA-H67N-USB3-B3 (rev. 1.0) Pro Reviews

I am very pleased to see that today Mini-ITX form-factor is no longer associated with limited functionality or low performance. All platforms we have just discussed in our roundup are good choices for a performance system. They all support contemporary high-speed Sandy Bridge processors, fully-functional graphics cards and popular interfaces. At the same time it is particularly nice that miniaturization doesn’t lead to price increase, which is the case with the mobile platforms. In other words, if you are looking to buy a new computer, then Mini-ITX form-factor definitely should be considered as one of the worthy alternatives. Especially, since systems like that save a ton of space and fit seamlessly with home environment. As for the LGA1155 Mini-ITX mainboards in particular, we can conclude that there are a lot of really great products in the market today. However, it won’t be as hard to choose the right one, as you may have thought in the beginning of this article. There are two types of compact mainboards on Intel H67 chipset. The first type is a multi-functional combine with maximum of features. Mainboards like that are equipped with Wi-Fi adapters, have a lot of interface ports and often boast some unique features, like Bluetooth or larger number of USB 3.0 ports. The second type is a durable contemporary mainboard without any luxurious extras that supports all contemporary interfaces, like USB 3.0 and SATA-600, but at the same time is not overloaded with additional components. It is totally up to the user in each particular case to decide which mainboard type would be a better choice. But in our opinion, it makes more sense to take solutions without Wi-Fi and other similar bonuses. You can always add a unit like that with PCI Express or USB interface at a later time. And in this case you can even have a better quality choice. The makers of overloaded mainboards rarely use the best controllers. For example, all Wi-Fi controllers on the mainboards tested (where available) today didn’t support 5 GHz frequency range at all.