We think EVGA H55 is a little bit overpriced for what it is. Of course it isn’t a vanilla H55 motherboard, however we expected it to have an HDMI output and on-board SPDIF connectors. The absence of these features prevent you from using this motherboard for building an HTPC (Home Theater PC) out-of-the-box (you still can convert the included DVI-D output into HDMI and add SPDIF outputs by adding an I/O bracket).

On the good side, EVGA H55 has a professional-grade audio codec, providing astonishing 104 dB signal-to-noise ratio on its analog inputs and 108 dB signal-to-noise ratio on its analog outputs, allowing you to work professionally editing and converting audio (e.g., converting VHS tapes and LPs to the digital format) without the need to buy an add-on audio card.

As already explained, the manual was able to be useless in six different languages together with the spec sheet on the manufacturer website and the product specification page on the manufacturer website. EVGA doesn’t go very specific about the hardware configuration of this motherboard anywhere (e.g., audio codec and other chips are not specified, support for CrossFire is not mentioned, the speed of the second PCI Express x16 slot isn’t clear enough, RAID support is not mentioned), which is quite frustrating, especially when you think about the price tag of this motherboard.

If you are looking for a fully loaded socket 1156 motherboard targeted to Core i3 and Core i5 CPUs with integrated video, we advise you to wait unit the forthcoming MSI H57M-ED65 arrives on the market. It will provide more features than EVGA H55 and a better voltage regulator circuit at a comparable price.