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Considering Two ASUS Z68 Boards

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Ornery Platypus

Member
Recommendations are greatly appreciated. Looking at these:

ASUS Maximus IV Gene V:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131759

ASUS P8Z68-V:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131729

This is for an i5 2500k build, primary consideration is gaming (also used for undemanding productivity stuff). Looking for a board with the following:

  • Both Crossfire and SLI support
  • Reliable manufacturer
  • Good overclocker
  • Sensible board layout - doesn't limit size of coolers, graphics cards, etc. due to weird design choices
  • Good UEFI interface
  • Smart SSD Caching feature (I assume all Z68's have this enabled?)

Of course, if there are less expensive alternatives that meet those requirements, I would definitely consider.

Thanks Again.
 
I was looking for similar boards, I preferred P8Z68-V coz it was ATX, the 1st board is mATX and has only one pci slot. no expandability...

I finally went with P8Z68-V LE which is a bit cheaper and very similar to P8Z68-V
 
Thank you for the replies.

I looked at the -LE (and -LX), but they do not appear to have SLI support. Since I will probably upgrade my graphics at least once before replacing the board, I would like to leave that option open.

On another note, Newegg has a $20 savings combo deal for the 2500k and P8Z68-V-Pro. Since I need to buy the processor as well, that effectively makes the Pro the same price as the regular -V.
 
I wouldn't get the maximus, its definitely not worth the price premium. If you are planning on running xfire/sli you need the pro version of the p8z68 board, the p8z68-v only supports x16/x4. The pro supports x16/x8 if I remember correctly. Only the x58 chipset supports x16/x16, but obviously 1155 SB isn't based on x58. My personal thought on this is, I would rather have a GTX 580 or 570 single card rather than SLI / crossfire, but thats just me.

Aside from that both boards you mentioned will support SSD caching, but you may have to reinstall windows. Unless you don't care about the money I wouldn't get the maximus series - not that they're not good, the additional features aren't worth it (for me). Overclocking wise, either board will do fine. Be sure to invest in a good aftermarket cooler! I recommend the noctua DH-14 or the new corsair H100.
 
The V does have SLI support, below is what the site says, dual at x8 should support SLI. Its are total of 3 2.0s
2 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots (single at x16 or dual at x8 / x8 mode)
1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot [black] (max. at x4 mode, compatible with PCIe x1 and x4 devices
Click to expand...

Quad-GPU SLI and Quad-GPU CrossFireX Support!
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Ornery Platypus said:
Thank you for the replies.

I looked at the -LE (and -LX), but they do not appear to have SLI support. Since I will probably upgrade my graphics at least once before replacing the board, I would like to leave that option open....
Click to expand...

I have always paid the extra $ for the option to SLI, but for the 12+ years I've been gaming I've never setup SLI.

Yeah I seen the combo for the -V but that was still more then the -LE I was able to get. I got lucky on the -LE purchase it was 129 with free shipping and that day there was a $5 off coupon...so not bad for 124 for a rock solid board.
 
sep said:
I have always paid the extra $ for the option to SLI, but for the 12+ years I've been gaming I've never setup SLI.

Yeah I seen the combo for the -V but that was still more then the -LE I was able to get. I got lucky on the -LE purchase it was 129 with free shipping and that day there was a $5 off coupon...so not bad for 124 for a rock solid board.
Click to expand...

Ya bought it yesterday, I remember we were discussing them in the other thread but I missed it that day... have been looking for that deal ever since but yesterday there was a $10 off coupon for all sandy bridge processors so that almost made up for the difference. bought everything yesterday, should be here by Friday! I will be busy this weekend!!!
 
Thanks for all of the comments!

Looking at ASUS' website, it appears that -V and -V Pro support SLI and CrossFire, while -V LX and -V LE only support Crossfire. While I do prefer a single card solution, I have run SLI setup in the past and they sometimes are (mostly) comparable to more expensive single cards. I want to keep the upgrade option open.

If I can get over the fact that I hate reinstalling everything, I will probably get the -PRO.

For a cooler, I have a Noctua NH-U12P, currently installed on my Q9300.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2485

Any reason not to use it? I will need to order an LGA 1155 mounting bracket.
 
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