Introduction

The new Intel Sandy Bridge processors went down a storm at the CES 2011 exhibition, where it was officially launched. It was definitely the talk of the show, with numerous media, publications and websites raving about its performance and features. We've already published a review on both the Core i5-2500K and Core i7-2600K processors, as well as the Intel DP67BG motherboard, which came with the review kit. And we have to say, we agree with what others are saying ... the new Intel Sandy Bridge processors are something quite special.

We mentioned in our review of the Intel Sandy Bridge processors, that it comes an onboard graphics processor (not sure why Intel calls it the other way round - Processor Graphics), but it's one of the unique features which make it extremely attractive. It may not be as powerful as a discrete graphics card, but does supports a range of 3D technologies, which is more than plenty for any mainstream user. These include support for Blu-ray playback, full HD, Clear Video Technology, DX10.1 and HDMI.

To take advantage of these new Sandy Bridge processors, Intel have introduced two new chipsets ... the P67 and H67. The P67 chipsets are mainly found on full size ATX motherboards, and are aimed at the higher-end performance users. While the H67 are has many integrated features, such as integrated video outputs, which are ideal for mainstream users, as well as HTPC and media PC users.

In this review, we'll be taking a look at the Intel DH67BL motherboard, which utilises their new H67 chipset. The DH67BL is part of the media series range of motherboards from Intel, and is aimed at the mainstream market. It complements perfectly when matched with Intel's 2nd generation of Core processors (Sandy Bridge), which we reviewed last week. As I've said before, a large majority of  Intel motherboards are made by one of many Intel's board partner, and it is no different with the DH67BL.

Intel's new P67 chipsets are primarily designed for motherboard aimed at the mainstream market, and offers improved performance over the older H55 chipset, thanks to its new onboard processor graphics. It now includes SATA3 and support for DDR3-1333, and as mentioned earlier it also features full HD, Blu-ray playback and HDMI.

Other onboard features include 6 x USB2.0, 2 x USB3.0, gigabit ethernet, 7.1 channel audio, RAID support, eSATA and dual video outputs including DVI and HMDI. There's also SPDIF optical output and an array of audio connectors. So as you can see ... the DH67BL has plenty of connectivity, which is perfect HTPC and media PC users.

It will be interesting to see how well this combination of a H67 motherboard coupled with a Sandy Bridge prcoessor (Core i7-2600K) will perform ... as opposed to a motherboard based on Intel's previous H55 chipset with the older Clarkdale processor (Core i5-650). I'm expecting decent performance, especially with the new onboard processor graphics, which is what the new Sandy Bridge is all about.

Since the Intel DH67BL motherboard is primarily designed for the mainstream market, we've decided not to conduct any overclocking tests on this motherboard. However, we will be looking at its overall performance during our benchmarks, and see if the onboard  processor graphics really can handle today's applications.

We'll be testing the Intel DH67BL motherboard, using the following components, including the new Intel Core i7-2600K procesor (LGA 1155), 4Gb Crucial Ballistix Tracer, Arctic Cooling Freezer13 CPU cooler and a Thermaltake ToughPower XT 875W power supply. 

OK, let's take a closer look at the specifications and features of the Intel DH67BL motherboard and see what it can do for us ...

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