Review Score:
With Sandy Bridge in a state of hiatus for the next couple of months, a specific sector of our audience may decide to opt for the previous-generation platform which is now thoroughly tried and tested. These people are more likely to be building a media system which doesn’t require all the processing grunt that Sandy Bridge has to offer.
Foxconn have sent us their H55MX-S motherboard to test which features an Intel H55 chipset and adopts a compact Micro-ATX form factor. Both of these features make it ideal for a mid-size HTPC as the Intel H55 chipset features integrated graphics and the Micro-ATX form factor provides a compromise between size and features.
Specification
| CPU | Supporst Intel Socket LGA1156 processors Intel Core i7, i5 and i3 |
| Chipset | Intel H55 |
| Memory | -2x 240-pin DDR3 DIMM sockets -Supports up to 8GB of memory -Dual channel DDR3 1333/1066MHz |
| LAN | Realtek 10/100/1000Mb/s LAN chip |
| Expansion Slots | -1x PCI Express x16 slots -1x PCI Express x4 slots -2x PCI slot |
| Onboard SATA |
-6x SATA connectors -300MB/s transfer rate |
| I/O (back panel) | -1x PS/2 port -1x Serial port -6x USB2.0 connectors -1x DVI-I port -1x HDMI port -1x Optical S/PDIF output port -1x RJ-45 LAN port -8-channel Audio Ports |
| Form Factor | Micro ATX |
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February 7, 2011
#1
Yeah that doesnt look to be that good. the board layout, sata ports etc are badly designed. Fair score.
February 7, 2011
#2
I dont think overclocking is that big a deal on a product like this, but there are weaknesses in quite a few other areas which are well noted.
February 7, 2011
#3
Seems ok for a basic media center, but the pricing is putting it against better products.
February 7, 2011
#4
Foxconn make a lot of products for other companies but this isn’t one of their best, thats a cert.
February 7, 2011
#5
Poor value for money for such a stripped out board.
February 7, 2011
#6
If they dropped the price to 50 quid then it would make more sense.
February 7, 2011
#7
The bios needs an overhaul. its silly for them to offer overclocking in software and not in the bios.
February 8, 2011
#8
This harware is OK for a media PC because you don’t need Sandy Bridge? What about transcoding? A media PC needs Sandy Bridge the most, for transcoding and reduced power dissipation. HD media streaming is actually very challenging for hardware.