I received the first of what I hope will be many 1155 mini-ITX motherboards today in the form of an Intel DH67CF. We’ve had a lot of discussion on the site concerning this board and it’s apparently limited Sandy Bridge processor support. It seems that Intel is concerned about heat issues when using 95w processors in mini-ITX cases, so the official specs indicate support for only 65w Core i3 and i5 processors. We’ll get into heat issues and 95w processors on the next page.
First, let’s have a closer look at the new DH67CF.
Unboxing:
I’ve always been a fan of Intel’s retail packaging, functional and trademark blue, without the flashy clutter found on most other boxes. The DH67CF’s box front highlights the features of the board, including the as expected logo indicating support for Core i5 only. The back of the packaging shows an overview of the board layout with another list of features and included software.
Opening the box reveals the DH67CF tucked neatly inside of an anti static bag. Removing the board from the box reveals two red SATA cables, the I/O shield and a CD-ROM with the drivers and utilities. Literature is sparse and comes in the form of a quick reference poster in 11 languages and a couple of decals, one with the board layout to go on the inside of your case and one that describes the layout of the ports on the rear panel. Both may come in handy if you’re building a system for someone less familiar with the finer points of computer peripherals.
First Impressions:
Slipping the DH67CF from its plastic cover reveals the trademark blue PCB bearing the Intel logo centered above the DIMM slots. Oddly, that was the second logo I noticed, the first was Foxconn’s. Embossed on the top of the USB and audio ports, and on the underside, the Foxconn logo outnumbers the Intel logo by four-to-one. I was not surprised at all by this. Intel is just one of many companies that employ Foxconn to manufacturer their products. I just got a kick out of trying to write a review on an ‘Intel’ board but seeing Foxconn logos every time I look at it. It would be interesting to do a direct comparison between this board and the upcoming Foxconn H67S to see how much they do share.
As with many high-end mini-ITX boards the CPU socket is located very close to the PCI Express slot. With the stock Intel cooler installed there are bare millimeters to spare between the heatsink and the graphics card. It’s not a serious issue as the stock components fit quite well but any of you who are planning on an aftermarket cooler will need to measure carefully.
I had no unexpected issues installing the DH67CF in out Lian Li PC-Q08 chassis. That’s not to say its easy or straight forward. Any of you who have built mini-ITX systems know there is precious little space to work inside the case. One thing I did notice while connecting the drives is that although the board has four SATA connectors, one of them (the red one) is shared with the eSATA connection on the rear panel. This would not be the best motherboard to take advantage of the Q08 six 3.5″ drive bays if you plan on using the eSATA port.
Once we had the Intel DH67CF secured in place, I completed the test build with:
- Intel Core i5 2500k (95w)
- 4 GB G.Skill Ripjaw Gaming Series RAM (DDR3-1333)
- 700w OCZ ModXStream Power Supply
- 500 GB Hard Drive
- DVD Combo Drive.
I loaded up Windows 7 Home Premium and set out to see how much heat I had to deal with using an unsupported CPU.
Be good to get some comparisons to ATX boards so we can see if there is much lost with the reduced board footprint efficiency wise.
how about a silverstone sg05 case? its a similar case but abit smaller.
How high does the temperature have to get to become worrying?
Maximum temperature varies with CPU model. According to both Real Temp and Core Temp, the maximum temperature (TJ Max) for my i5 2500k is 98 degrees, at which point the CPU will throttle itself to reduce load and temperatures. If your CPU heats up much past the TJ Max, it should trigger a system reboot.
At 70 degrees, my i5 is running well within acceptable temps.
Thanks for the review. Note that if your using pci-e card that the Q08 case doesn't have filters on the bottom so dust could be a problem.
Does the Scythe Shuriken cooler fit?
That's true. Any dust under the case will have an easy path into your GPU. I mention this in the writeup I am doing for the case. Might not be the best case for environments prone to dust or for those who don't regularly clean the interior of their machines.
I'll get back to you on the Shruiken. My local computer shop didn't have any left, so the UPS man is bringing me one. Should be here later in the week and I'll do a comparison. Assuming it fits!
any word on the shuriken?
Excited about the LGA1155 mini-ITX boards. I'd love to know how it fairs in a SG05 and if the Scythe Shuriken SCSK-1100 fits with a graphics card installed. Not sure why they put the socket so close to the PCI-E slot – now I'll have to get rid of or mod my Big Shuriken if I want to use it!
I'm aiming to have an SG05 on hand next week. I'll let you know how it works out.
thx for this, i love your short but informative articles!
was it possible to undervolt (not to overclock) the i5-2500 (K), or is it necessary to have an P67 for this?
The BIOS on the DH67CF will not allow voltage adjustments of the CPU. I do not know if this is a limitation of the H67 or just specific to this board.
Im hoping to fit the Xigmatek Cobra to these itx boards. Would you be able to try one of those out too.
Is the integrated graphics powerful enough to decode fullHD movie?
It sure is.
Has Intel replied to you regarding the use of 95W processors? (Will it be officially supported in the future? or will it void warranty? )
Would they even know if you have used a 95W processor on it?
I have not yet received a reply from Intel.
I own a Lian Li PC-T7 (open air bench case) and i'm wondering if there would be heating problems if using the 2600k on this intel board.
I doubt it. I can’t get a 95w 2500k to go over 75 degrees in an enclosed chassis. Unlikely you will get your 2600k to heat up in open air that much seeing as you can’t overclock it on the DH67CF.
If you go for it, post back and let us know what temps you do hit with it.
I wonder if someone could help. I'm after a little bit of advice regarding this motherboard and potential setup of mine.
I'm looking to get this motherboard with the i7 2600, which is a 95W CPU which Intel do not recommend, but has obviously been shown to be possible which is fine.
However, my setup involves a 1U Rack Chassis. Therefore, the stock Heatsink & Fan will not fit. Could anyone point me in the right direction for a suitable replacement that would fit in a 1U case and would keep the 2600 at safe temperatures?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Dan,
I don't have much experience with rackmount chassis and don't have any suggestions for you. I have posted your problem over in our forums and hopefully we'll get some suggestions from our other readers.
http://forums.itxgamer.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&…
I believe there is a slight error in your review : the DH67CF board has 5 SATA ports, 4 internal an one external.
None of the internal port is shared with the eSATA connector. You may have been mistaken by the fact that one of the internal SATA port conforms to the eSATA specification, that is mostly an extended voltage range that allows longer sata cables.
But you can definitely use 5 sata drives with this board.