![]() ![]() The DH67BL may not be adventurous, and may not contain everything even a midrange system builder might like, but it's a satisfying tool for doing the job at a compellingly low price.The official description of Intel DH67BL LGA 1155 (Socket H2) micro ATX as supplied by the manufacturer. What means more is that the Intel Desktop Board DH67BL doesn't hamper the Sandy Bridge chips' built-in photo and video acumen, and therefore provides a fitting base for an everyday system focused on media chores. Representative results include 6.78 versus 6.84 in Cinebench R11.5 10,693 versus 10,916 in the PCMark Vantage full-system benchmark test and 2 minutes 57 seconds versus 2 minutes 59 seconds in Photoshop CS5-but the boards are aimed at different audiences, so such minor performance differentials don't mean much. About all we can say at this point is that, in almost every test (conducted with a Core i7-2600K and an Nvidia GeForce GT 430 video card), the DH67BL lags just behind its bigger brother, the Intel Desktop Board DP67BG. As we mentioned in our review of the Core i7-2600K CPU, the new Intel video platform is no great shakes in the gaming department, but displays impressive facility when handling photos and video, so this arrangement makes sense.Īs far as performance goes, we haven't tested many other Sandy Bridge motherboards yet, so there aren't many comparisons we can make. You can then output to either an HDTV or similar display with an HDMI cable, or to a traditional PC monitor via the DVI-I port. ![]() The board itself requires the usual 24-pin power connector and an additional single four-pin ATX connector from your power supply, making for easier compatibility with a wide range of PSUs.Īnother thing that makes the DH67BL a credible foundation for a home theater PC is that it's got the built-in hardware necessary to interface with the new graphics hardware in Sandy Bridge CPUs. (Just keep in mind that, if you add a video card, you lose those benefits.) In addition, you get a solid (if largely unremarkable) selection of rear-panel connectivity choices, including six USB 2.0 and two USB 3.0 jacks, one eSATA port, one Ethernet port, and eight-channel and a Toslink audio outputs. Otherwise, this is a decently outfitted motherboard with the typical Sandy Bridge accoutrements, including the new LGA1155 socket (which won't accept Intel's previous mainstream LGA1156 CPUs), four dual-channel 1,333/1,066-MHz RAM bays, the Series 6 chipset, and technology for displaying video using Sandy Bridge CPUs' new capabilities. You'll also find no header for a FireWire port, in case you have an older camera that uses it there are connectors for only three fans (one for the CPU, two for the chassis) and PCB real estate is at such a premium that Intel doesn't even have the space to identify the meaning of the header pins for the front-panel switches in a convenient place (the diagram is located near the center of the board, several inches away, in a less-than-obvious location). There are only five onboard SATA connectors, though two are of the newer (and faster) 6-Gbps variety. There are only three expansion slots, for one thing: a single PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 x16 slot for a video card, two PCIe x1 slots, and one standard PCI slot. Because the DH67BL is designed around the microATX form factor, the board simply doesn't have the room for all the amenities a consumer may want. These derive from the same source as the motherboard's convenience in this area: its size. But if all you're interested in building is a low-profile, media-minded system, it's a decent way to go as long as you keep its limitations in mind. That may give you a little bit of leeway to say that Intel's offering, the Desktop Board DH67BL ($107 list), isn't an exciting one-and, in fact, this highly no-frills board won't put up too many arguments. Intel's new second-generation Core (a.k.a., Sandy Bridge) processors have already proven their advanced capabilities when it comes to media manipulation, so a motherboard aimed at those wanting to build a PC for just that purpose is hardly a stretch. Best Hosted Endpoint Protection and Security Software.
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