Firstly, this is not an "enthusiast" board; if you're looking for a top-of-the-range small system you will have to spend more money. However, for my use (ITX HTPC server with RAID array) it works great:
- 1 SATA600 port for OS boot SSD; 3 SATA300 for HDDs - they won't need more. Thus you can have your RAID array - I use software RAID (advantage you can move your array to any other system).
- 2 Gigabit ports, can either use it as a VPN gateway or to bridge 2 different networks.
- 1/2 height mini-PCIe slot for wireless card, e.g. Intel 6200/6300 (you can make your own holes for external antenna). I am not sure it supports mSATA SSD though.
- Supports 16GB or more DDR3L, so you can have a small, low-power VM server.
With a Pentium G2xxx (Ivy Bridge naturally) you can have a MB+CPU just a bit over £100 that is more powerful than the Core i5 / Westmere system I replaced! It a shame Intel cripples low-end CPUs so much, otherwise they would run rings around older CPUs.
For more features, the higher end H77 boards are decent value, but why pay more unless you need them?
| Brand | Gigabyte |
|---|---|
| Product Dimensions | 24.99 x 24.99 x 5.99 cm; 798.32 Grams |
| Item model number | GA-B75N |
| Manufacturer | Gigabyte |
| Form Factor | Micro ATX |
| Processor Socket | LGA 1155 |
| Processor Count | 4 |
| Computer Memory Type | DDR3 SDRAM |
| Number of USB 2.0 Ports | 4 |
| Voltage | 1.5 Volts |
| Are Batteries Included | No |
| Item Weight | 798 g |
