Firstpost
  • Home
  • Video Shows
    Vantage Firstpost America Firstpost Africa First Sports
  • World
    US News
  • Explainers
  • News
    India Opinion Cricket Tech Entertainment Sports Health Photostories
  • Asia Cup 2025
Apple Incorporated Modi ji Justin Trudeau Trending

Sections

  • Home
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Shows
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Health
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • Web Stories
  • Business
  • Impact Shorts

Shows

  • Vantage
  • Firstpost America
  • Firstpost Africa
  • First Sports
  • Fast and Factual
  • Between The Lines
  • Flashback
  • Live TV

Events

  • Raisina Dialogue
  • Independence Day
  • Champions Trophy
  • Delhi Elections 2025
  • Budget 2025
  • US Elections 2024
  • Firstpost Defence Summit
Trending:
  • Nepal protests
  • Nepal Protests Live
  • Vice-presidential elections
  • iPhone 17
  • IND vs PAK cricket
  • Israel-Hamas war
fp-logo
Gigabyte GA-H61N-D2V Review
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter
Apple Incorporated Modi ji Justin Trudeau Trending

Sections

  • Home
  • Live TV
  • Videos
  • Shows
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Health
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • Web Stories
  • Business
  • Impact Shorts

Shows

  • Vantage
  • Firstpost America
  • Firstpost Africa
  • First Sports
  • Fast and Factual
  • Between The Lines
  • Flashback
  • Live TV

Events

  • Raisina Dialogue
  • Independence Day
  • Champions Trophy
  • Delhi Elections 2025
  • Budget 2025
  • US Elections 2024
  • Firstpost Defence Summit
  • Home
  • Tech
  • Reviews
  • Gigabyte GA-H61N-D2V Review

Gigabyte GA-H61N-D2V Review

Anand Tuliani • December 19, 2012, 13:25:05 IST
Whatsapp Facebook Twitter

An all-in-one PC is the best solution for crammed desktops. However, if you want a monitor of your choice, then a lunchbox-sized PC such as the Zotac ZBOX would be most ideal. But if you want something really small and powerful, with the option of customising the hardware that goes in the box, then building a small form factor PC is the way to go.

Advertisement
Subscribe Join Us
Add as a preferred source on Google
Prefer
Firstpost
On
Google
Gigabyte GA-H61N-D2V Review

An all-in-one PC is the best solution for crammed desktops. However, if you want a monitor of your choice, then a lunchbox-sized PC such as the Zotac ZBOX would be most ideal. But if you want something really small and powerful, with the option of customising the hardware that goes in the box, then building a small form factor PC is the way to go. The components that you primarily need to build one, are a mini-ITX motherboard and, of course, a cabinet to house all the hardware. Mini ITX motherboards aren’t as abundant as full and mini ATX models, but there are quite a few to choose from, for example, the Gigabyte H61N-D2V that caught our attention—not because it’s extraordinary, but because it’s one of the cheapest mini-ITX motherboards you can buy for Intel processors that come in the LGA 1155 package (including the third generation Core processors). Here’s what it packs in the tight 6.7 x 6.7-inch form.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD

A budget motherboard for building a small form factor PC

A budget motherboard for building a small form factor PC

Design and features

The Gigabyte H61N-D2V uses the Intel H61 chipset in the simplest way. In fact, the feature set is hacked down to fit in all the components. So, you get just the bare essentials to build an entry-level PC. The board supports up to 16GB of DDR3 memory via the two DIMM slots. On either side of the slots lie four SATA 3Gb/s ports. The only other on-board components are a pair of USB 2.0 headers supporting two ports each, a system fan header and a header for front audio. It is not possible to install a PCIe graphics card because there are no PCIe slots. The only slot present is a PCI slot that can be used for installing expansion cards such as a sound card, LAN / Wi-Fi card and so on. The layout of the motherboard isn’t the best, and the reason is the compact form. Hence, the SATA ports are placed in such a way and there’s no place at the bottom to place the headers. Instead, the headers are placed above the PCI slot. A good thing is that no matter how long the PCI card is, it won’t hinder the installation of memory because even when the retention clips of the DIMM slots are open, they don’t come in line with the PCI slot. Another useful feature of the H61N-D2V is the provision of dual-BIOS. In case the main BIOS goes bad, you can switch over to the backup BIOS and continue working normally. 

More from Reviews
Best phones under Rs 75,000 (March 2025): Apple iPhone 16, OnePlus 13 to Google Pixel 9 Best phones under Rs 75,000 (March 2025): Apple iPhone 16, OnePlus 13 to Google Pixel 9 Apple iPhone 16e First Impressions: The budget gateway into Apple Intelligence Apple iPhone 16e First Impressions: The budget gateway into Apple Intelligence

Main and backup BIOS to the right of the PCI slot

Main and backup BIOS to the right of the PCI slot

The rear panel reveals that this board is designed for individuals and offices that still use legacy peripherals that connect via serial and parallel ports. Also, there are individual PS/2 ports for the mouse and keyboard. Other than these, you get a DVI port, four USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port and jacks for 5.1 channel audio. If your monitor has only D-sub input, you’ll have to use a DVI-to-VGA adapter.

Legacy I/O on the rear panel for older peripherals

Legacy I/O on the rear panel for older peripherals

Performance

We used the Intel Core i7-2600k, 8GB of G.Skill RipjawsX memory and the Plextor 256M2S SSD to assess the performance of this board. The scores were a tad low as compared to the latest generation motherboards with 7-series chipsets due to the lack of SATA 6Gb/s support. Our setup scored 4105 points in PCMark 7 and 11889 points in 3DMark Vantage (Entry preset). The real world performance was excellent. It took 26 seconds to transcode a 1 minute MPEG video H.264 format and about the same amount of time to compress 100MB of assorted files to 7.zip format using the Ultra preset. The overall performance of the H61N-D2V is almost at par with entry-level and mid-range motherboards.

Fairly good overall layout

Fairly good overall layout

Verdict and price in India

Priced at Rs 3,250, the Gigabyte H61N-D2V is clearly an entry-level motherboard. However, that doesn’t mean you’re restricted to using only entry-level processors and memory. If your needs mainly encompass demanding applications, you can install a high-end processor (Intel Core i5 or i7) and install the maximum amount of memory supported—rest assured you will get optimal performance. Also, note that mini-ITX motherboards aren’t restricted to mini-ITX cases; they also fit in the regular micro ATX cases.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Tags
Motherboards SFF Small Form Factor Small form factor PC mini ITX motherboard SFF motherboard SFF PC Small form factor motherboard
End of Article
Written by Anand Tuliani
Email

If you are looking for advice on buying any kind gadget, Anand is your man. The specs of the latest gadgets are at the tip of his tongue and he will tell you exactly what's worth your money. When not reviewing products, you will find him disgusting people with his weird food fantasies, enough for people to consider skipping lunch and dinner. And if you don't find him on his desk, be sure you will find him on the streets outside, clicking away on some camera or other. Every cat, dog and even the street hawkers, now have a portfolio thanks to him. The weekends are dedicated to the pampering of his beloved Royal Enfield(s). see more

Latest News
Find us on YouTube
Subscribe
End of Article

Top Stories

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Israel targets top Hamas leaders in Doha; Qatar, Iran condemn strike as violation of sovereignty

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Nepal: Oli to continue until new PM is sworn in, nation on edge as all branches of govt torched

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Who is CP Radhakrishnan, India's next vice-president?

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Israel informed US ahead of strikes on Hamas leaders in Doha, says White House

Top Shows

Vantage Firstpost America Firstpost Africa First Sports
Latest News About Firstpost
Most Searched Categories
  • Web Stories
  • World
  • India
  • Explainers
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Cricket
  • Tech/Auto
  • Entertainment
  • IPL 2025
NETWORK18 SITES
  • News18
  • Money Control
  • CNBC TV18
  • Forbes India
  • Advertise with us
  • Sitemap
Firstpost Logo

is on YouTube

Subscribe Now

Copyright @ 2024. Firstpost - All Rights Reserved

About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Terms Of Use
Home Video Shorts Live TV