A high-end board for a low-end platform.
The H57 Express chipset, notable as the chipset of choice for this board, is a funny one. Practically identical in appearance to the popular P55 Express, there are a few subtle - though important - differences that keep it from being enthusiast-grade. First and foremost is a pipeline included on the chip called the Flexible Display Interface; an external link from the CPU to the rear I/O panel that allows the integrated GPU in Clarkdale chips to get outside and run rampant on your monitor. However, this doesn't increase its overclocking performance; in some cases, it even hinders it.
What is most disappointing about the H57 is the complete lack of Crossfire or SLI support in hardware, and while some vendors still list support for Crossfire, the fine print reads "Software only". Bringing this seemingly roundabout description of the chipset back into the motherboard, what it results in is a high-end price tag of $300, applied to a high-end motherboard that can't handle high-end graphics setups. Yes, the P55 boards are limited to dual 8x too, but at least they can handle dual 8x in hardware. Even stranger is that to buy this platform and use the graphical capabilities, you need to limit yourself to dualcore (again, the standard quadcore LGA1156 CPUs will still work, but in that case why not go P55?).
With the things that this board doesn't quite nail, there are some key features that it manages to hammer in satisfactorily. A great power delivery system is installed around the LGA1156 CPU socket, providing some clean (and stable) power to the chip. ASUS' own EPU power saving chip is also here, but doesn't come with the fanfare that it did at launch. The usual funky abstract art heatsinks are used around the socket, keeping temperatures under control and looking fabulous.
The standard four DDR3 slots are joined by standard 8- and 24-pin power connectors, the latter of which lies beside a MemOK! button. This supposedly tests memory stability at boot, which seems like a relatively superfluous feature that you'll only use in 0.1 per cent of situations, but hey - buttons sure are fun to press.
Amusing buttons aside, there's a disappointing lack of reset or power buttons on this board, nor is there a clear CMOS button. This is a huge oversight considering the price, and nor is there an LED POST screen or funky voltage readout panel - there's none of the usual premium frills here. Even the Realtek ALC889 audio chip used isn't its usual high-end Via VT2020 chip, signalling either low stock levels or a sheer case of the "we don't cares".
Those observant readers out there (I know you exist) will have noticed the inclusion of SATA and USB 3.0 on this board, providing two of each alongside six standard SATA 2.0 and four USB 2.0 ports. Thanks to the platform limitations however, ASUS has used a PLX chip onboard (see detail in the gallery) that takes the PCIe lanes and effectively doubles them, providing more bandwidth for the ports. However technically impressive this is, it comes at more expense - the PLX chip ain't cheap at roughly $US20 a pop. Nor does the inclusion particularly justify this huge price - competing P55 boards offer both USB and SATA 3.0 for prices around $170.
We did hit the chip's max clock of 4425MHz, but this only matched last month's $130 H55 board. For a board that doesn't offer that much over cheaper offerings and competing platforms, we seriously think it's an unnecessary product.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012