ECS H61H2-M2(1.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Pros: Good value if judged by "after rebate" cost
Good performance and features for a budget board
Working well with Windows 8 (although Win8 is a pain)

Cons: BIOS updates are a real hassle UNLESS you install eBlu utility

Other Thoughts: You MUST update the BIOS before installing Win8 if you want to use the Win8 UEFI boot feature - if not, after setting the OS to Win8 in the BIOS, you'll be unable to boot into anything except the BIOS

Pros: Just set this MB up with a Celeron G530 CPU, Rosewell Mini Case, & 8 GB Corsair RAM. Every thing went together fine, no problems. The unit is very fast. I may get another Micro ATX MB as I am updating some old Window XP desktops. The SATA connections were no issue with reasonable video cards. The MB was $48 less a great rebate.

Cons: None for a low cost computer.

Pros: Cheap. Good amount of power and small form factor.

Cons: Bad on-board video seems to be a common problem. Cheap doesn't help if it doesn't work.

Manufacturer Response:

We are sorry to hear about the issues you are experiencing with your motherboard. Prior to shipping from our factory, all motherboards are tested to ensure that they are working properly. A DOA issue can be caused by any of the main components, including CPU, memory, power supply and motherboard. Video is actually on the CPU not on the motherboard If possible we would recommend testing the motherboard in the following fashion.

Remove the motherboard from the case, with only CPU, CPU fan, memory and power supply connected. Place on a flat non static surface. Reseat the CPU. Test with only one memory at a time and reseat memory. Ensure that both the 24 pin and 4 pin (ATX12V) connections are connected from the power supply. Connect the power button from the case or short the power pins (6 and 8) to power on the system. If still have any issues or questions, please contact us and we can work with you to find a solution.

When contacting us, you can refer to case #ECD13020410014

I or any of my team members here at technical support will be able to help you.
Our hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm PST.

Thank you,
Andy
Phone# 1- 510-456-9836
Email: andy_K@ecsusa.com

External Link(s):

Elite Member 99-hour service|

Pros: Cheap board that has HDMI.

Cons: One of two PCIex X1 works. PCIex X16 does not work at all. Tried two different video cards and neither one works. When connecting the monitor to the onboard video and plugged in the video card, I would get black screen. Had to remove the video card to get onboard video to work again. So can't used my brand new video card right now. Crashed a few time and won't boot up even after cleared CMOS. Took the board outside the case and clear CMOS and it worked again.

The included softwares won't work in Windows 8. So I went back to Windows 7. Too lazy to check website for software to install Windows 8 again. Already wasted enough time.

Other Thoughts: Won't RMA if I have to pay to ship it back. Just going to cut my loss.

Had really good luck with at least 5 ECS boards in the past until this one.

Manufacturer Response:

We are sorry to hear about the issues you have experienced with your build. When a discrete video card is installed and the IGD Multi-Monitor is enabled, POST and BIOS will default to the discrete video card. Both are usable in an OS. With your motherboard outside of the case do your PCIe work correctly? Windows 8 drivers are available on the website. Unfortunately, you may have received a driver disk pre dating the release of Windows 8. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

If you still require assistance, please contact us.

When contacting us, you can refer to case #ECP13020110012

I or any of my team members here at technical support will be able to help you.
Our hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm PST.

Thank you,
Andy
Phone# 1-510-456-9836
Email: andy_K@ecsusa.com

External Link(s):

ECS H61H2-M2|

Elite Member 99-hour service|

Pros: Motherboard works good for a sub $100 board.

Cons: Never received my $40 rebate. Made a couple phone calls to ECS and they assured me it was going to be re-mailed out.
7 months later, I guess I paid a $40 lesson to know not to buy anything from Elitegroup Computer Systems again.

Other Thoughts: MOBO is a solid 4 eggs alone. The getting ripped off on the rebate brought the rating down.

Manufacturer Response:

We are sorry to hear about the rebate issue you have experienced so far. We sincerely apologize for any issue that you may have encountered and would like to look into your concerns. ECS has assigned third party to handle the rebate processing. If you have a issue related to the rebate house, feel free to contact us.

When contacting us, you can refer to case ECD13012810017.

I or any of my team members here at technical support will be able to help you.
Our hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm PST.

Thank you,
Andy
Phone# 1-510-771-0284
Email: andy_K@ecsusa.com

External Link(s):

ECS Modmen Competition|

Pros: Not made of butter

Cons: Built system and booted up. Lights came on, no beeps, no video.
After multiple tests I found that these symptoms occurred only if the second memory slot was occupied. Either stick of RAM in the first slot and the system comes up fine.

Other Thoughts: ECS might have great customer service, as other reviewers suggest, but with the failure rate as it appears by these reviews, who would take a chance?

Manufacturer Response:

ECS motherboards are fully tested prior to shipping. This includes a full load of memory.

We would recommend that you ensure that all mounting screws are in place. Do not over tighten. In total there are five mounting screw holes. Refer to page 8 of your user manual. These screws help ensure the motherboard is properly grounded. Also ensure that there are no extra stand offs.

Test the motherboard on a flat non static surface.

Reseat your CPU. When reseating, inspect your CPU socket for any bent pins.

In any event we would like for you to contact us so we can look into your issue in more detail and help find a solution.

When contacting us, you can refer to case #ECD13010710026

I or any of my team members here at technical support will be able to help you.
Our hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm PST.

Thank you,
Andy
Phone# 1-510-771-0284
Email: andy_K@ecsusa.com

External Link(s):

Elite Member 99-hour service|

Pros: Inexpensive, basic, no-frills board

Cons: BIOS issues

Other Thoughts: I bought two of these boards on special to upgrade my parents' systems along with Intel Celeron processors and 8 gigs of RAM After hearing reviews about many DOA boards (and originally thinking I may have both), I found success in resetting the CMOS to defaults. The board gets to POST but would shut off at the BIOS screen shortly after. After resetting the BIOS to the default settings, both booted without boots and both boards work like a charm. So far, no issues.
Try this before throwing in the towel.

Manufacturer Response:

Thank you for your feedback. It is appreciated. We need your feedback in order to improve the quality of our products and service.

*** Please take a few minutes to review our products. We want to hear from you! ***

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any ECS products, please contact us. We are here to help.

I or any of my team members here at technical support will be able to help you.
Our hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm PST.

Thank you,
Andy
Phone# 1-510-771-0284
Email: andy_K@ecsusa.com

External Link(s):

ECS Modmen|

Pros: In my previous review, this board had to be sent back to ECS because after BIOS flash, it had blank screen. ECS decided to send back an upgraded board (the M3 version) so I'm cool with that. Plus it was all free. This new board is working great, so it would seem this M2 version was a bit flaky. Great customer service I must say.

Cons: Even with the new board, I had to clear CMOS a bunch of times to get it to boot after BIOS tweaks. But lots better compared to this M2 version.

Other Thoughts: ECS has great customer service. Multiple email updates on RMA status and they cover all shipping cost. All as it should be, but you never know what kind of treatment you're going to get from companies these days.

Manufacturer Response:

Thank you for your feedback. It is appreciated. We need your feedback in order to improve the quality of our products and service.

*** Please take a few minutes to review our products. We want to hear from you! ***

If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any ECS products, please contact us. We are here to help.

I or any of my team members here at technical support will be able to help you.
Our hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm PST.

Thank you,
Andy
Phone# 1-510-771-0284
Email: andy_K@ecsusa.com

External Link(s):

ECS Modmen|

Pros: A basic board that meets basic needs.

Cons: It's a basic board. Don't expect anything outstanding from a "filler" product.

Other Thoughts: Got it cheap after rebate. Did well for a kids computer or cheap build.

Manufacturer Response:

Thank you for your feedback. It is appreciated. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any ECS prodcuts, please contact us. We are here to help.

I or any of my team members here at technical support will be able to help you.
Our hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm PST.

Thank you,
Andy
Phone# 1-510-771-0284
Email: andy_K@ecsusa.com

External Link(s):

Elite member 99-hour service|

Pros: Worked great for 6 months. It was my htpc - I used it with a Ceton Infinitv, and it took pretty much whatever I threw at it (didn't try any games)

Cons: Randomly died after 6 months. Tech support told me to replace all the other components and report back. I told them I don't the time or the money to buy spare parts and I never heard back from them. Terrible service!

Other Thoughts: If this board lasted it would have been great.

Manufacturer Response:

We are sorry to hear about the issue you have experienced so far. We do provide troubleshooting steps for you to try if possible and only if you have the means. We provide these steps so you can possibly resolve the issue without having to RMA, especially if the issue is caused by other components. We do not expect you to have to purchase new parts to do this.

We sincerely apologize for any miscommunication that you may have encountered and if you would like, contact us so we can ensure your case is proceeding as it should.

When contacting us, you can refer to case #ECD12121310012

I or any of my team members here at technical support will be able to help you.
Our hours are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm PST.

Thank you,
Andy
Phone# 1-510-771-0284
Email: andy_K@ecsusa.com

External Link(s):

Elite Member 99-hour service|