P55 vs P55A vs H55

dcerny

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Jul 12, 2010
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I am looking for a new MB for the i5 CPU and want to make sure that I understand the differences between them.

As I understand it, the P55 is a basic board that supports the I5. The P55A add support for USB3.0 and SATA 6Gb/s. H55 does NOT support USB3 or SATA 6GB/s, but adds support for video output, which means that if I am a non-gamer, I really don't need a GPU. Is that right or am I way off?

What else do I need to worry about in choosing an MB for a home office system that will most likely have the i5-750 CPU (i3-540 is a possibility). Are there huge differences between various manufacturers, MSI, Gigabyte and ASUS, for example?

Thank you for your help.

David
 
P55 mobos usually have the most features.
The A your're referring to is a Gigabyte reference for boards equipped with usb3 and sata3 in their P55 line-up.
Their are plenty of H55 boards with usb3 and sata3.
There are also H57 boards now.
You don't need an i5 750 for an office pc and it doesn't have graphics on the chip.
i3 and i5 processors(i5 750 excluded) have graphics on cpu chip.
An H55 mobo and an i3 530 or 540 would be fine for office work.
Here's some boards.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%2050001314%20600007888%20600008075&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&CompareItemList=280%7C13%2D128%2D437%5E13%2D128%2D437%2DTS%2C13%2D128%2D430%5E13%2D128%2D430%2DTS%2C13%2D128%2D429%5E13%2D128%2D429%2DTS%2C13%2D131%2D625%5E13%2D131%2D625%2DTS