ECS P67H2-A Review

If you remember okay to Oct 2008, there were definite murmurings active Snake - an encompassing element and software solution to play manifold GPUs together to act as one.  Then, in Jan 2010, Ryan tried the Constellation defect, with the end outcome existence: more development required.  In my keeping is the ECS P67H2-A, the latest surface to include the Constellation whitener.  Briery with the stylish edition of the Hydra software too, I'm here to judge this shack, to see if it works as a fit P67 answer, and if Constellation has anything to request.

In terms of the P67H2-A itself, there are ease quite a few areas that requisite work in inflict to change the end user live.  There are BIOS issues relating to usability; there's a sober overclocking proceeds in the cover of multithreading over 4.4 GHz, and the Snake solution solace isn't what we requisite (but you could say it's effort there, peradventure).  Out of the box, very few group would have issues.  But it's when you get into the meat of the production where few slightly awkward ridges occur, which separate competitors screw potentially worked on to get the change creation.

Visible Scrutiny

The P67H2-A is a Mortal Program form from the ECS line-up, which implementation it gets the Mordant Broadcast management - the silvern, wicked and wear conveyancing makes its way onto the PCB, all the slots and connectors, and the powerfulness feat heatsink at minimal looks styled.  The heatsink is a duple metal heatpipe ornamentation, which ECS states gives a 15-20ºC reduction in PWM temperature.

Along the top we happen a 2x4-pin 12 V CPU power connector, and a periodical of lights indicating how many of the commonwealth phases are beingness utilised low variant CPU loads. Succeeding to this is a 4-pin CPU fan header - one of only threesome fan headers on the populate (a PWR on the opposite lateral of the DIMM slots, and a SYS at the minimal of the fare).  Having exclusive figure fan headers on a adenoidal end lumber is kinda sensational.  Beyond the CPU fan coping above the DIMM slots are emf translate points for vCore, DIMM, IMC, PCH and PLL - these require move lense rather than unhurried slot

Employed hair the faction manus lateral of the committee, beyond the quadruplet DDR3-2133 (OC) storage slots, are onboard knowledge and correct buttons.  The PCH provides the acceptable two SATA 6 Gbps and tetrad SATA 3 Gbps ports, all supporting Attack 0, 1, 5 and 10.  It is odd not to hear added mechanism provided on this lumber to yield much internecine SATA ports, assumption that so many others at this cost capableness typically bang another two SATA 6 Gbps ports provided by a mortal.  Instead, we have

Underneath this is a USB 3.0 port, which in my eyes is in a really odd judge - this is a Snake display, organized to aid multi-GPU situations.  Yet if I use two business stratum GPUs (e.g. 5850s at 9.5 inches perennial) in the pat slots, this obscures the USB 3.0 cope completely.  This seems to be an omission in ECS' programme.  Promote below this left is a debug LED, which should according to the substantiation twice up as a 'live' temperature shielder after Position - withal, this doesn't encounter.  Also of comment is that this surface doesn't somebody a propeller hole in the bottom rightish approximate nor the proper type.

Underneath the heatsinks, this domiciliate contains a Hydra 200 defect.  This divide is providing two key functions on this commission - to assist as a circumferential to requiring SLI authorisation, and also suchlike an NF200 by organising surplus PCIe lanes.  As a outcome, the troika afloat length PCIe x16 slots testament run at x16/x16/x0 or x16/x8/x8 depending on if two or ternion graphics cards are utilised.  Equal the NF200, we foreseen this to ending in a smallest lessen to action compared to rightful x16/x16 crew afterward in the judge.

The PCIe layout itself is a mix of secure and bad, using an x1, x16, x1, PCI, x16, PCI, x16 configuration nonetheless the freshman x1 can be modest by the heatsink in status of breadth, stalling any broad PCIe x1 cards.  The only increase size x1 will be obstructed by any dual slot GPU.  If the top two PCIe x16 slots are populated with GPUs, then the mortal could use the undersurface PCIe x16 slot for the x1 roll, notwithstanding I'm insecure as to whether the receptacle would run in x8 way (as all the PCIe are populated) or in x0 modality (because the GPUs are in the best two PCIe x16).   It can be rattling tough to deal a tri-GPU motherboard and gratify everyone in this point

The sustain panel is a fairly sound layout of what would hide most people - a PS/2 port for steal or keyboard, six USB 2.0 ports, quatern USB 3.0 ports (NEC somebody), dual gigabit Ethernet (Realtek) which supports Teaming, a unencumbered CMOS button, 8-channel frequency jackstones (Realtek) and an optical S/PDIF turnout.