Gigabyte H55M-UD2H - Features

Many of the features found on the Gigabyte H55M-UD2H are unsurprisingly similar to those on the Asus P7H55-M Pro. Chipset supported functionality will be the same on both products, of course, though the implementation of a few key features is a little different on the H55M-UD2H.

The Gigabit LAN support for example is provided by a Realtek RTL8111D, whereas Asus used the Realtek RTL8112L controller. The RTL8111D is a much more commonly used controller that utilizes the PCI Express bus. There is very little information available regarding the RTL8112L and therefore we are not exactly sure how these controllers compare.

The same Realtek ALC889 HD audio codec has been used on both boards, offering support for 16/20/24-bit SPDIF input and output with up to 192kHz sample rate. As mentioned before, this is one of the more impressive Realtek HD Codecs and it is an excellent addition to the H55M-UD2H.

Also once again the JMicron JMB368 was used to provide a single PATA port. This chip allows the H55M-UD2H to support older PATA devices, which is not exactly necessary but still a potentially useful feature for some users.

Gigabyte went one step further and included the iTE IT8720 controller to support a floppy disk drive. While we can understand the possible need for PATA support, surely floppy disk drive support can be dropped.

Gigabyte has included Firewire support by integrating a Texas Instruments TSB43AB23 chip which can handle a pair of IEEE1394a ports (1 on the back panel, 1 via the IEEE 1394a bracket connected to the internal IEEE 1394a header). Of course the expansion bracket is not included, nor is any USB 2.0 brackets to utilize the other six ports.