Introduction

Intel's Clarkdale is a multiple purpose CPU + GPU. It has been designed by Intel to offer a wide range of performance and price opportunities. To cover this properly Intel has decided to release multiple chipsets. These are not completely different, but contain subtle differences that establish each in its own market.

At the bottom is the entry level H55 which lacks RAID support and a few other higher end functions. Next up on the list is the H57 which does contain RAID support and is a little more functional and powerful than the H55. The last is more of an extension than a top-end chipset; this is the Q57. It is more of a business level offering and has support for Intel's Active Management Technology. This last item would make an excellent option for use in a business environment.

With our coverage of the 32nm Core i5 661 we saw H55 performance. Now we take a look at a H57 based board from GIGABYTE. This board is very much a higher end product than the H55 and has been added to by the engineers at GIGABYTE. This is the GA-H57M-USB3 and as the product name implies, it contains USB 3.0 support. Follow on with us as we find out if the H57 from GIGABYTE truly offers better performance for your Clarkdale loving.