Z68 Motherboard Suggestions

[MoMeanMugs]

I'm considering picking up an Intel 2500k from Microcenter and either grabbing a Z68 motherboard from there, or I'd get one from Newegg along with 16GB of RAM. There isn't a big selection at the Houston location. I'm also thinking about jumping on the Kingston SSD deal going on right now and getting a 128GB for $150 after rebate (I normally don't do rebates). My current specs are:

Q9300@3.2 GHz
Gigabyte X48-DS4 MB
4x1GB DDR2-800 RAM
2x ATI 5870 1GB
Samsung 1080p monitor
1TB WD Black
1x DVD Drive & 1x BluRay Drive
Corsair HX850
7.1 Surround Sound through Onkyo HT-RC270

I'm not a huge gamer anymore, but I like to run around in GTA IV (and the expansions), and it's not very smooth at 1080p, and the settings aren't maxed out. I also play Company of Heroes from time to time with friends online, and the performance tanks as the battles get heavy. I can live with it most of the time, but I've got the upgrade itch, and there's money burning a hole in my pocket. I like to max out the settings on games and not have to go back and tweak anything. That was the driver for getting the 5870's. Any suggestions on a Z68 board?

 

[MoMeanMugs]

I forgot to mention that I'm interested in the Lucid Virtu feature. Does it work with Crossfire?

 

[Binky]

I forgot to mention that I'm interested in the Lucid Virtu feature. Does it work with Crossfire?

The "d mode" of virtu works with crossfire. This means you have to plug the monitors into the card ports, not the motherboard. Power savings are about zero, but you should be able to use the quick sync functions.
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=746&Itemid=72

 

[Patrese]

The GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 seems to be a great choice for the money, and I have no problem at all with my AsRock Z68 Extreme 4 so far.

As for the upgrade, GTA4 loves fast CPUs, go for it and you won't regret it. I love GTA4 and the 2500k made for much better gaming.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

. . . And I'll throw in a plug for the ASUS P8Z68-V, which is the lowest-priced board of that model line. If you want the spare Marvel SATA-III controller (two ports), go for the V-Pro board. If you want everything handed to you on a silver platter -- front-panel USB3, spare gigabit LAN, an extra heatsink with a promotional "dual intelligent processors" label when they all have dual-intelligent processors, and NO DVI/VGA ports for the iGPU, spend more and get the Deluxe.

One of us sent me a PM asking this same question. I don't have a Gigabyte Z68 or an ASRock Z68, so I have little basis firsthand for saying anything about them. That's what I told our colleague.

I also explained why I jumped on the P8Z68-V-Pro, and I'll repeat the explanation here.

Tech-Report: comparison of ASUS, Gigabyte and ASrock Extreme boards -- two thumbs up and recommended status for ASUS. Tech-Report has a serious testing lab, and I was twice introduced to two great power-supplies for following their reviews. Whenever I see some reference to a Tech-Report review, my eyes open wide.

Tom's Hardware: But only a single review of the ASUS, stellar recommendations, and a caveat that they needed to "see more Z68 boards."

Bjorn-3D : Another stellar review.

Maximum PC Magazine: I often suspect them of engineering competitor-selections in comparison reviews to favor a big advertiser. But their staff are top-notch, their testing lab is unassailable. They gave a "Kick Ass 9" review and a plug for the V-Pro and then their last page in the most recent issue of the magazine -- another two thumbs up for it.

I think there were others. Doesn't mean the Giga or ASRock are bad choices. Doesn't mean they're not good choices. Doesn't mean they aren't great boards. But ASUS had come up short in past generations, and I still thought I was making a gamble when I got the ASUS board. I decided to take my chances. Day for day as days pass and I fire up this puppy each time or diddle with the BIOS settings, knowing that I have a lot to learn and a lot of tweaks to make -- I feel like I won at BlackJack.

With all this, you can look a the customer reviews of resellers. I have to look at that critically. People weren't comfortable with the ASUS mobo's onboard TPU-computer doing its thing, rebooting, taking its time at first. In previous board selections, I'd seen customer reviews at NewEgg as low as 50% or 40%. You could look at those reviews and pick out those who didn't know what they were doing. Right now, the V-Pro shows 48% among the 5-star posts. Especially, the behavioral factor: People who foul up their installation, experience DOA's or other issues, are X times more likely to post any review at all over people who are happy and satisfied. So the results will be skewed against the product. Then you have the frequency count -- "How popular is the product?"

In many cases, it's too early to tell.

 

[Patrese]

. . . And I'll throw in a plug for the ASUS P8Z68-V, which is the lowest-priced board of that model line. If you want the spare Marvel SATA-III controller (two ports), go for the V-Pro board. If you want everything handed to you on a silver platter -- front-panel USB3, spare gigabit LAN, an extra heatsink with a promotional "dual intelligent processors" label when they all have dual-intelligent processors, and NO DVI/VGA ports for the iGPU, spend more and get the Deluxe.

One of us sent me a PM asking this same question. I don't have a Gigabyte Z68 or an ASRock Z68, so I have little basis firsthand for saying anything about them. That's what I told our colleague.

I also explained why I jumped on the P8Z68-V-Pro, and I'll repeat the explanation here.

Tech-Report: comparison of ASUS, Gigabyte and ASrock Extreme boards -- two thumbs up and recommended status for ASUS. Tech-Report has a serious testing lab, and I was twice introduced to two great power-supplies for following their reviews. Whenever I see some reference to a Tech-Report review, my eyes open wide.

Tom's Hardware: But only a single review of the ASUS, stellar recommendations, and a caveat that they needed to "see more Z68 boards."

Bjorn-3D : Another stellar review.

Maximum PC Magazine: I often suspect them of engineering competitor-selections in comparison reviews to favor a big advertiser. But their staff are top-notch, their testing lab is unassailable. They gave a "Kick Ass 9" review and a plug for the V-Pro and then their last page in the most recent issue of the magazine -- another two thumbs up for it.

I think there were others. Doesn't mean the Giga or ASRock are bad choices. Doesn't mean they're not good choices. Doesn't mean they aren't great boards. But ASUS had come up short in past generations, and I still thought I was making a gamble when I got the ASUS board. I decided to take my chances. Day for day as days pass and I fire up this puppy each time or diddle with the BIOS settings, knowing that I have a lot to learn and a lot of tweaks to make -- I feel like I won at BlackJack.

With all this, you can look a the customer reviews of resellers. I have to look at that critically. People weren't comfortable with the ASUS mobo's onboard TPU-computer doing its thing, rebooting, taking its time at first. In previous board selections, I'd seen customer reviews at NewEgg as low as 50% or 40%. You could look at those reviews and pick out those who didn't know what they were doing. Right now, the V-Pro shows 48% among the 5-star posts. Especially, the behavioral factor: People who foul up their installation, experience DOA's or other issues, are X times more likely to post any review at all over people who are happy and satisfied. So the results will be skewed against the product. Then you have the frequency count -- "How popular is the product?"

In many cases, it's too early to tell.

Yeah, more or less the same situation is happening with the AsRock Z68 Extreme 4. There is a known bug related to the use of the onboard video (http://forums.tweaktown.com/asrock/44772-asrock-z68-extreme-4-bsod-clock-interrupt-not-received.html), and the people who are having it are obviously being very vocal. There are some threads popping up about the same problem on other Z68 and even H67 boards, and it seems related to speedstep pushing the VCORE too low for the integrated video to work (http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=19247330).
On the other hand, many people are having a great time with the board and find it to be great value for money. Other plus is that AsRock technical support is being quite open to suggestions and bug reports. You may see some of that on the thread below: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums...d.-Share-your-experiences-OCs-amp-tech-issues!
As always, YMMV and there is the "luck factor" involved...

 

[adairusmc]

I have had nothing but flawless operation from my ASUS P8Z68-Vpro. Seems to be a very good motherboard for me. I am using the onboard TPU thing and no problems at all so far.

 

[MTDEW]

The GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD3-B3 seems to be a great choice for the money, and I have no problem at all with my AsRock Z68 Extreme 4 so far.

As for the upgrade, GTA4 loves fast CPUs, go for it and you won't regret it. I love GTA4 and the 2500k made for much better gaming.

Well i could just copy/paste this reply since it is exactly what i thought to post anyway since i own the AsRock Z68 Extreme4 and its been rock solid for me also.
Its an excellent overclocker with a nice UEFI and the bundled front USB 3.0 panel was a nice plus.

As far as the Integrated Video issue that Patrese mentions in the post above, it really wouldn't effect a crossfire user since you'll be running in D-mode anyway, and it doesnt effect transcoding.
And it doesnt seem isolated to any specific z68 board, and has to do with the IGP voltage.
I havent followed that issue much since i dont use the IGP video , but last i remember people were having some success just upping the voltage a bit for the onchip video but it didnt work for all.
And yet the majority of users have never seen the issue at all, even with similar hardware configurations.

Doesn't mean the Giga or ASRock are bad choices. Doesn't mean they're not good choices. Doesn't mean they aren't great boards. But ASUS had come up short in past generations, and I still thought I was making a gamble when I got the ASUS board. I decided to take my chances. Day for day as days pass and I fire up this puppy each time or diddle with the BIOS settings, knowing that I have a lot to learn and a lot of tweaks to make -- I feel like I won at BlackJack.

And this also sums up my thoughts exactly about Asus when i was choosing my z68 board, even though the Asus was getting rave reviews, i felt the same as BonzaiDuck that Asus boards i had owned in the past really werent anything special.

With that said, if someone felt the same way i did about Asus and felt buying it was a gamble (as i would have felt also) , then states he loves the board and doesn't regret his choice, then that makes me sit up and take notice and says more to me about the Asus z68 than any review could.

So you're thread is gonna end up just like all the others...LOL
And you're in the same boat we were, you read all the reviews and all the suggestions and it doesnt help, if anything it just makes the decision harder. :biggrin:
If it were me, I'd buy the ASRock Z68 Extreme4 or the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO.

That doesnt mean i think the gigabyte board is a poor choice, i've had MANY Gigabyte boards and would recommend them to anyone without hesitation as a matter of fact i still run the Gigabyte X58A UD3R, and the Ga-EP45-UD3P in my other two rigs and i think i still have a Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 in my closet somewhere and they're great boards!

 

[dbrons]

wrong section

 

[BonzaiDuck]

So you're thread is gonna end up just like all the others...LOL
And you're in the same boat we were, you read all the reviews and all the suggestions and it doesnt help, if anything it just makes the decision harder. :biggrin:
If it were me, I'd buy the ASRock Z68 Extreme4 or the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO.

That doesnt mean i think the gigabyte board is a poor choice, i've had MANY Gigabyte boards and would recommend them to anyone without hesitation as a matter of fact i still run the Gigabyte X58A UD3R, and the Ga-EP45-UD3P in my other two rigs and i think i still have a Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 in my closet somewhere and they're great boards!

Seems I've been hyping my own choice of a board, because it's a big turnaround for those disappointments we both experienced. Point is -- they've all made good boards in the past, or if they made disappointments in the past, it's possible to see a turnaround strategic for some vanguard model-line.

I've had two Gigabyte boards -- the Ga-Ep45 you mention in the RAID "R" version, and lowe-end (really low-end) mATX boards, which revive your sense that you can build a good computer on a tight budget if you want, provided you're willing to live with the limitations.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I have had nothing but flawless operation from my ASUS P8Z68-Vpro. Seems to be a very good motherboard for me. I am using the onboard TPU thing and no problems at all so far.

Hey! I remember you!! You had that other ASUS 680i board! What was it -- P5N32-SLI?? Back in '07!! You had a Kentsfield processor.

 

[adairusmc]

Hey! I remember you!! You had that other ASUS 680i board! What was it -- P5N32-SLI?? Back in '07!! You had a Kentsfield processor.

Yep, that was me, I had that board. I ended up replacing it with a DFI board at some point, selling it with my B3 Q6600 to upgrade to the DFI board with a G0 Q6600. That second one was a much better overclocker, and a co-worker of mine is still using that system now.

I have been running my Z68 V Pro now for about a week, after getting rid of my Maximus III Formula and i7 860. I really dont miss any of the ROG features my former board had by not going with the big Maximus Formula Z68 board.

 

[StrangerGuy]

Seems I've been hyping my own choice of a board, because it's a big turnaround for those disappointments we both experienced. Point is -- they've all made good boards in the past, or if they made disappointments in the past, it's possible to see a turnaround strategic for some vanguard model-line.

I've had two Gigabyte boards -- the Ga-Ep45 you mention in the RAID "R" version, and lowe-end (really low-end) mATX boards, which revive your sense that you can build a good computer on a tight budget if you want, provided you're willing to live with the limitations.

Unless you need tons of slots, mATX is perfectly fine even for a single GPU gaming system. At least with a cheap $80 mATX board I will not be complaining "why another socket change by AMD/Intel" because I know my $300 mobo is going to be worthless like what SB did to S1366/1156.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Yep, that was me, I had that board. I ended up replacing it with a DFI board at some point, selling it with my B3 Q6600 to upgrade to the DFI board with a G0 Q6600. That second one was a much better overclocker, and a co-worker of mine is still using that system now.

I have been running my Z68 V Pro now for about a week, after getting rid of my Maximus III Formula and i7 860. I really dont miss any of the ROG features my former board had by not going with the big Maximus Formula Z68 board.

I never sold the B3 stepping. The only step "up" I took was the eVGA 780i [seeming to include a "step down" with the E8600 Wolfdale.] That one is still one of my toys -- I can't let go of it, even for its obsolescence, because it has been THE best in my arsenal until now -- for a stellar over-clock and well-behaved under that regime.

I'm unloading the Q6600 and passing it on to my brother -- something I do with these machines. Works "OK" and reasonably fast for the mutliple purpose to which it has been put. Annoying problem with Media Center that would pop up from time to time. I THINK it was the Creative Labs driver, for after I updated it a few days ago, it's suddenly "much better."

Too many computers. Bro' is getting two back -- his old OC'd P4 3.2-Prescott, and the Q6600 and that damn Striker mobo.

Seems I've been hyping my own choice of a board, because it's a big turnaround for those disappointments we both experienced. Point is -- they've all made good boards in the past, or if they made disappointments in the past, it's possible to see a turnaround strategic for some vanguard model-line.

I've had two Gigabyte boards -- the Ga-Ep45 you mention in the RAID "R" version, and lowe-end (really low-end) mATX boards, which revive your sense that you can build a good computer on a tight budget if you want, provided you're willing to live with the limitations.

I was going to post another thread -- may still do so. Anyone planning a system should look at the boards and their PCI-E and PCI slots against outright plans to use them. Usually, the manuals (which we all despise) have a table of sharing and IRQ assignments. If "plans" don't exceed the board's limitations, then fine.

So with that, and knowing how the third "big" PCI-E slot [maximum as x4] does to disable about three others, I have to ask the question: "What happens if you use the traditional second PCI-E x16 slot that would work otherwise in SLI with the #1 [used for the first dGPU] in x4?" Would the graphics card and slot default to x8? Here, I'm only guessing.

There are only so many PCI-E lanes available on these boards (but many more than past generations). How the slots can be used given that even a double-slot graphics card may "kill" one of them for obscuring the port, how use of one slot may just disable one or more of the others -- knowing these things can save a lot of misery later on when you wonder "Why is this so slow?" or "Why is something not working right?"