ASUS P67 vs ASRock

[Hogan773]

Hey all - I was pretty much decided on the ASR Extreme 4, but its sold out on Newegg at the moment, so I'm continuing to "think" and make sure I'm getting the best option for me. I'm focusing on either the P8P67 Pro or the Regular, or the ASRock Extreme 4.

A little hesitant on Asus because it seems there have been some startup glitches, but I know there are lots of people with working boards now so its not insurmountable.

1) Trying to decide whether ASUS perceived quality, 3yr warranty and potential that they'll follow along with Bios updates over the years is better than with ASRock (and worth the price differential).

2) Also the ASRock comes with the USB 3.0 front port adapter, which the ASUS doesnt (unless you buy the Deluxe). My question is for those who have the ASUS, do all the P8P67s have the SOCKET for that front port adapter, such that in the future I could theoretically pay $10 and buy one? (I assume they're a universal design?). Right now I don't place a huge amount of value on the front USB 3.0 --- if I get a drive dock at some point it can always be hooked in back. What will one use a USB 3.0 for? Flash card readers? Do SD cards currently transfer at a rate which saturates USB 2.0? I don't know but hopefully you do. At this point I might not even install the bracket on my case if I got the ASRock, as my case already has front USB 2.0 ports and I'd just be adding a bay with 2 more slots for no reason. But I'm trying to figure out how much I should be valuing the "free" adapter you get with the ASRock vs not getting it with the ASUS.

Any opinions on either or both of the above are appreciated. I'm sure some of you have done similar thinking as you've been buying your mobos.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I'm generally satisfied with the performance of my P8P67. Mine has the socket in the motherboard for an optional usb 3.0 panel too. I do have the double boot issue that so many people have been mentioning, but it hasn't been more than a minor annoyance. Most importantly, the system is stable and looks like it will overclock as much as ventilation will allow. I also had no problems posting when I initially assembled the system.

I've heard good things about the Asrock Extreme 4 as well, and I haven't heard nearly the number of complaints. Whether that's because far more people are buying the Asus boards or the Asrock just gives fewer problems I don't know.

 

[Kckazdude]

I'm generally satisfied with the performance of my P8P67. Mine has the socket in the motherboard for an optional usb 3.0 panel too. I do have the double boot issue that so many people have been mentioning, but it hasn't been more than a minor annoyance. Most importantly, the system is stable and looks like it will overclock as much as ventilation will allow. I also had no problems posting when I initially assembled the system.

According to a post on hardforums you need to be using the 1053 BIOS that are listed as beta on the Asus site. Claims it will fix your issues.

 

[SlitheryDee]

According to a post on hardforums you need to be using the 1053 BIOS that are listed as beta on the Asus site. Claims it will fix your issues.

Wow, thanks. I'll try that this afternoon.

 

[Hogan773]

Thanks.......any insight to the second part of my question re: USB 3.0. More specifically what will one actually USE it for? Do current SDHC cards have a transfer rate that is faster than USB 2.0 allows? Will this allow a mechanical HDD dock to xfer faster than it can with eSata today? Or is it just for the more distant future where one would use an SSD as a backup USB drive and want more speed than current eSata allows?

Just trying to figure out if I'm actually going to be plugging anything INTO those awesome USB 3.0 ports that I'm worried about getting (or not).

 

[SlitheryDee]

Thanks.......any insight to the second part of my question re: USB 3.0. More specifically what will one actually USE it for? Do current SDHC cards have a transfer rate that is faster than USB 2.0 allows? Will this allow a mechanical HDD dock to xfer faster than it can with eSata today? Or is it just for the more distant future where one would use an SSD as a backup USB drive and want more speed than current eSata allows?

Just trying to figure out if I'm actually going to be plugging anything INTO those awesome USB 3.0 ports that I'm worried about getting (or not).

Well, I have a Seagate Goflex 3TB external drive that I was using on usb 2.0 up until I got the usb 3.0 adapter for it yesterday. With usb 2.0 I was getting 30-40 mb/s transfer speed. Usb 3.0 brought that up to 70-80 mb/s. Doubling transfer speed is definitely a plus, but I'm coming nowhere near saturating the connection. My two internal drives connected via SATA 3gb average 90-100 mb/s transfer rates. I suppose the difference is caused by some sort of overhead that usb 3.0 has that SATA doesn't or something of that nature, but I'm ultimately limited by the capabilities of the drives in both cases.

Probably the only way to really take advantage of usb 3.0 is with an enclosure housing an SSD, which isn't really practical since affordable SSDs lack the capacity to make a great external storage drives. I think SDHD cards would see some benefit as well, but not as much as an SSD.

 

[Hogan773]

Well, I have a Seagate Goflex 3TB external drive that I was using on usb 2.0 up until I got the usb 3.0 adapter for it yesterday. With usb 2.0 I was getting 30-40 mb/s transfer speed. Usb 3.0 brought that up to 70-80 mb/s. Doubling transfer speed is definitely a plus, but I'm coming nowhere near saturating the connection. My two internal drives connected via SATA 3gb average 90-100 mb/s transfer rates. I suppose the difference is caused by some sort of overhead that usb 3.0 has that SATA doesn't or something of that nature, but I'm ultimately limited by the capabilities of the drives in both cases.

Probably the only way to really take advantage of usb 3.0 is with an enclosure housing an SSD, which isn't really practical since affordable SSDs lack the capacity to make a great external storage drives. I think SDHD cards would see some benefit as well, but not as much as an SSD.

Ok thanks. I have eSata on my current PC - but I can't recall the transfer rates I get from it. I would assume they're closer to the 70-80 mb/s or more. If so, then from an external drive standpoint, USB 3.0 isn't getting me anything that I don't already have in eSata.

 

[Manticorps]

I'm generally satisfied with the performance of my P8P67. Mine has the socket in the motherboard for an optional usb 3.0 panel too. I do have the double boot issue that so many people have been mentioning, but it hasn't been more than a minor annoyance. Most importantly, the system is stable and looks like it will overclock as much as ventilation will allow. I also had no problems posting when I initially assembled the system.

I've heard good things about the Asrock Extreme 4 as well, and I haven't heard nearly the number of complaints. Whether that's because far more people are buying the Asus boards or the Asrock just gives fewer problems I don't know.

I don't know if you tried this yet or not, but I fixed my double boot issue using this procedure outlined at Hardforum:
http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1036696528&postcount=6

I did it during commercial breaks the other night and it's been working perfectly since.

Just ignore it until you have everything setup, put together and plugged in. The double boot issues seem to crop up when things are being plugged and unplugged from the motherboard.

It wasn't that big of deal to begin with and I've been pretty happy with my Asus P8P67 Pro. There is a socket I could connect to USB 3.0 front panel connectors or "box", if I had one. Currently it's hooked up to the rear bracket though I really have no use for it and don't have any immediate plans for it's use.

I would buy another P8P67 Pro if I were in the market for a 1155 motherboard.