Intel's H67 chipsets were released in unison
with the first desktop processor from Intel to integrate a graphics core
directly into the CPU die. The upshot of the new graphics core packed
into 32nm Sandy Bridge CPUs is that graphics get better for everyone who
buys PCs from the likes of Dell, or other large system integrators.
While all Sandy Bridge CPUs have the
integrated graphics core tucked away inside, to access it you need an Intel
H67 (or Intel Z68)motherboard.
Boards like the Biostar TH67XE that PCSTATS reviewed for you
today support one PCI Express 2.0 x16 videocard, but more than likely will never
see any discrete graphics outside of the Sandy Bridge iGPU. Biostar's TH67XE
motherboard features one DVI, one HDMI, one Display Port and one Analog video
output - it supports dual monitors as well.
Biostar's TH67XE motherboard is a
no-frills approach to the Intel H67 + Sandy Bridge HD2000/3000 GPU. It's a
microATX form-factor motherboard that can fit into nearly any case, with robust
graphics and storage options. Most importantly it is very affordable.
If you're building a media center or home
theatre PC you'll find that the Biostar TH67XE is well suited to meet those
requirements; it has support for HDMI output and hardware acceleration of video
transcoding. You can also take advantage of the Biostar TH67XE motherboard's
high level of integration and assemble a really low cost PC system that's
entirely suitable for an office or home use - the power comes from the excellent
Intel 2nd generation Sandy Bridge Core i3/i5/i7 processor after
all. The Biostar TH67XE motherboard retails for about $90 CDN ($90 USD, £60
GBP) so it offers quite a lot on the value front.
As you've seen in the benchmarks, PCMark Vantage
doesn't take much of a hit when systems run on integrated graphics, although
Intel's integrated graphics core is still pretty tame by mainstream discrete
videocard standards.
Bottom line, the Biostar TH67XE is a compact motherboard
that manages to live up to Sandy Bridge's excellent performance reputation.
There's not much for tweakers or overclockers to get excited about here, but
that's to be expected with all Intel H67 chipsets. If you can live within
non-overclocking limitations you'll be well served by the microATX Biostar
TH67XE motherboard.
Related Articles
Here are a few other articles that you might enjoy as
well...
- Intel DH67BL Intel H67 Express Motherboard Review
- Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD7-B3 Intel P67 Motherboard Review
- Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD5-B3 Intel Z68 Motherboard Review
- Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD Intel Z68 Motherboard &
Intel 20GB SSD Review
- MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 Motherboard Review
- ECS P67H2-A Black Extreme B3-stepping Intel P67 Motherboard
Review
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