Need help with choosing a good z68 mobo

311lort · May 11, 2011

Ok so I am getting the i7 2600k and I have 2 6970's and I want to run them in crossfire. My problem is I want to get an enthusiast z68 board. The best one that is out right now looks to be the GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD7-B3, but the one that peaked my interest is the Asus Maximus IV Extreme-z. I can't seem to decide if I should wait for the maximus or should I just throw my cards in and get the gigabyte. Money isn't an issue if you are curious. Any suggestions or other board options I just want a really good z68 board.

chesteracorgi · May 11, 2011

The best option currently is the ASRock Z68 Extreme4 because those without the video output don't have Virtu.

If you don't care about running the integrated graphics on the i7 2600K then you are probably better off with the P67 platform, if you want to buy this week. The ASUS Maximus is not released for the Z68, yet.

The ASRock P67 Extreme6 is a very tempting choice because of its extra SATA 6.0 G ports , and two LAN channels.

If Z68 is a must then wait a few weeks for the selection to increase.

311lort · May 11, 2011

I do alot of encoding with videos so that is one reason I liked the z68 mobos.

Emperus · May 11, 2011

I'll wait for an official review first for both the boards.. You are talking about some serious amount of cash investment so better be sure of getting the best.. By that logic, wait for the Asus board to launch and then check with your favorite review site for an in depth analysis.. Should not take much time now..

geekapproved · May 11, 2011

Lets hope the Asus Z68's aren't as nightmarishly problematic as the Asus P8P67's are.

Emperus · May 11, 2011

geekapproved :

What's the problem with the Asus P8P67 line of boards..? IMO they are quite good if not the best P67 boards available in the market..

geekapproved · May 11, 2011

Best on the market? That's funny.

Theres people on this site everyday with booting issues, not to mention thousands of other people.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=gsish&xhr=t&q=Asus+P8P67+problems&cp=5&qe=YXN1cyBwOHA2NyBwcm9ibGVtcw&qesig=0AsCzg503BvQ98KyXV8PWQ&pkc=AFgZ2tl8gp2MApMd2jK4Y5X2rh68TXMxmnvuqCS2pyQhc643eqAL7MC9UUEL34_HUBYykbRIc8Bs2iYMfsSAm5scHSuFqyJiqA&pq=p8p67%20problems&pf=p&sclient=psy&source=hp&aq=0p&aqi=&aql=f&oq=asus+p8p67+problems&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=a316b5cdb3fe9040

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&source=hp&q=p8p67+boot+issues&aq=f&aqi=g1g-m1&aql=f&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=a316b5cdb3fe9040

Horrible Newegg reviews:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705&cm_re=p8p67-_-13-131-705-_-Product

Emperus · May 11, 2011

Seems like few folks got unlucky with some faulty board or some other stuff.. Or they don't know how to handle stuff.. Anyway, few of my friends (4 to be precise) have got the Asus P8P67 Pro in their builds along with an i5 2500k (one has the i3 2100) and they seem to be plenty happy.. Haven't reported any issues to me yet.. And yes, they are all gamers with high end video cards running their processors at 4GHz and above (except the i3 bearer who prefers to stick with Turbo)..

technoidgit · May 11, 2011

geekapproved :

Could you name a P67 board that has not has any issues? You realize that only about 20% or less happy users feedback on sites but if there is an issue 100% of those people feedback.

Of course there are going to be a high number of issues as there are more first time builders these days then there ever was and ASUS is the leading board manf.(seller) Personally I feel it has more to do with Intel then any of the mobo makers.(don't know what or why though) Have you ever seen so many problems with all the mobo makers for one specific CPU? Sad part is I'm still probabaly going to buy a SB cpu, Freaking Scarey. Who knows may I will just stick with an 875k

geekapproved · May 11, 2011

That's great you and your friends boards work fine, for now. But it's obvious that THOUSANDS of people are having these problems.

I'm sure there are thousands of people out there with Toyota's that don't have the sticking gas pedal. Does that mean there aren't thousands that do?

I've been in the RMA business since 1997. I know a lot more about returns and feedback than you I'm sure.

I certainly can tell you I would never purchase a motherboard with 87 ratings and only has 3 out of 5 eggs. Especially when 3 out of the 5 say they are having cold boot issues.

311lort · May 11, 2011

No money isn't a problem, I have an eBay store that more then helps me out. I already have to Sapphire Radeons 6970's and 2200 saved up. So I just want to get a beast mobo, and also be able to edit videos and a quick speed. But yea the new Maximus Extreme whenever that comes out looks to be the one I probably will get. Its just a shame that they didn't drop in better choices for the launch today. My old computer is a laptop that is about 8 years old and about to crap out so I don't want to wait much longer if I don't have to.

technoidgit · May 12, 2011

I'm in the process of buying right now also. I just feel the Z68 does not really do anything for me unless it is dependable. For The $ I have to say the ASROCK Extreme 6 looks pretty good. They use Nichicon caps (one of Japan's best) features 6 x SATA3 and 6 x USB3 ports and similar layout to the ASUS Deluxe., minus the front panel USB and both have 16+2 phase with digital PWM, the same PCIe/PCI slot config, PLX PCIe bridge, UEFI. A few other diffs I can see is that the ASUS has Integrated bluetooth, and 1x Intel LAN + 1x Realtek LAN whereas the Asrock has 2x Realtek. The other thing is the EXTreme 6 OCs very easily and way futher then I ever will. I want my machine to last me so I wont push it to 5.2/5.3MHz and beyond like others are

I know it's not a Primo Board (high cost) but it seems solidwith good reviews all over the place. I was going to get the Deluxe but now am really considering the Extreme 6. Heck my case will already have the USB3 ports

technoidgit · May 12, 2011

311lort :

I think you will be very happy with those 6970s. If the are still in the box and new you should see about selling one and getting a 6990. Pair up the 6970 + 6990 for what's some consider Tri-wire from two cards. Check out this review. They spank 3 GTX 580s for about $500 less.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/04/28/nvidia_geforce_3way_sli_radeon_trifire_review

311lort · May 12, 2011

technoidgit :

As much as that sounds cool I am ok with what I got right now. I think with what I have as it is it will be out of this world for atleast 3 to 4 years. But I just need to move with the machine I am building and finish it. All I really am waiting on is a mobo worth investing my money into. Plus having to sell then get an additional 400-500 for a 6990 would take to much time to get together. I'm very close as is and I am happy with crossfire.

RetiredChief · May 12, 2011

Personally I love gigabyte MB, Last three builds have been gigabyte, The DQ6 was great with the E6400 and I currently have the UD4P w/I5-750, I could not have asked for a better boards. I prefer there Bios.

My problem, None of the ATX Z68 gigabyte boards allows using the IGP (I know gamers probably could care less), but if it's there I want it! At least it’s there as a fall back option. To me it's an updated crippled P67. There are two gigabyte mATX boards that provide for the IGP.

For what's it worth - that UD7 should be a great board - If I thought I might need the 4 x8 slots and it allowed the usage of the IGP, I would have gotten it in a heartbeat.

Ended up getting the ASRock Z68 Extreme4 and i5-2500K (ordered 15 mins ago). Hope I didn't screw-the-pooch by switching, but that's what makes life exciting. Only component I could use is a need SSD, But having a hard time deciding which one - love the vertex-3, But looks like may have some quality issues, Not a lover of the marvel controller (ie m4)- very poor CG, Intel best reliability but not quite up to the -3. May wait for more players and more data.

silky salamandr · May 12, 2011

geekapproved :

Please tell me on how many of those feedback ratings the people are verified owners. So you listen to all the feedback even tho its not proven that they even own the board. Come on man everybody that does business with the egg knows you dont even read the trolls that cant be verified.

Seriously.

chesteracorgi · May 12, 2011

RetiredChief :

I got the Corsair C300 and it is night and day between a SSD and a HDD. I think that you may be wise to wait for new reviews of the products coming out, but there is one suggestion that I have: whatever SSD you get make sure it's SATA 6.0 Gpbs. SSDs can use the expanded banwidth -- in fact they are probably the only device that can fully utilize it.

RetiredChief · May 12, 2011

^ Thanks for the guidance. Had a choice between the C300 and the Phoenix Pro - I opted for the Phoenix pro and do not regret it.

Just for info: I already have 5 SSDs (4 diff manuf). Two are installed in desktop. One is the phoenix Pro (SF1200 controller) for operating system/programs. The other is the Intel G2 used to store my data that I use most often, for the page file, and for temp files. Two are for a laptop – I swap SSDs depending on what I’m doing, and one installed in a 2nd laptop.

I somehow think that I’m aware of performance difference between an SSD and a HDD LOL.
I’m more interested in reliability coupled with performance. Reason being is that in my (not true for everyone) is that the biggest diff I would notice is in boot time. Sata 3 could probably cut my boot time in halve – from 20 Sec to 10 sec. – Not a big issue. In terms of program load; if I click on link to one of my spreadsheets, I cannot drag my mouse to a cell to edit fast enough. Sata II maybe 0.1 sec vs 0.05 sec for SATA III. In my case it boils down then to cost/reliability/performance. With SATA III I would gain Great Bench marks and “bragging rights”. Would love to get the vertex-3, But just not convinced that they have their QC under good management – This has been mentioned in at least one review and Newegg (Which I take with a Hugh grain of Salt – Many of the problems are self inflicted or due to lack of knowledge.) tends to confirm this.
SATA III SSDs provide a BIG boost to Seq read/writes, unfortunately this does not transform to a big boost in booting day-to-day performance. This is great if you: work with Large databases, large CAD/CAM drawings, edit a lot of 10 meg jpeg photos, or work with DVD video files (1 gig), or Blu-ray files which can be up to 40 gig for one file – BUT who is going to put those files on an SSD. An SSD is not going to cut down my time to backup a DVD – The DVD drive throughput is a limiting factor even if I was foolish enough to store the 5, or 7 gig files on the SSD. Approximately half of the files on the “boot” drive are 16K and under and are stored in a random order. This is the Reason that IOPS and 4 K random read/writes are by far more important. When the Cost/Size of SSDs comes down to where the High Seqs become relevant, then I’ll take that into consideration

Bottom Line – I will probably go with a SATA III SSD, but have Not ruled out the upper end Sata II (w SF control). While I have the Money to “blow”, I still like a good return on investment.

chesteracorgi · May 12, 2011

RetiredChief :

^ Thanks for the guidance. Had a choice between the C300 and the Phoenix Pro - I opted for the Phoenix pro and do not regret it.

Just for info: I already have 5 SSDs (4 diff manuf). Two are installed in desktop. One is the phoenix Pro (SF1200 controller) for operating system/programs. The other is the Intel G2 used to store my data that I use most often, for the page file, and for temp files. Two are for a laptop – I swap SSDs depending on what I’m doing, and one installed in a 2nd laptop.

I somehow think that I’m aware of performance difference between an SSD and a HDD LOL.
I’m more interested in reliability coupled with performance. Reason being is that in my (not true for everyone) is that the biggest diff I would notice is in boot time. Sata 3 could probably cut my boot time in halve – from 20 Sec to 10 sec. – Not a big issue. In terms of program load; if I click on link to one of my spreadsheets, I cannot drag my mouse to a cell to edit fast enough. Sata II maybe 0.1 sec vs 0.05 sec for SATA III. In my case it boils down then to cost/reliability/performance. With SATA III I would gain Great Bench marks and “bragging rights”. Would love to get the vertex-3, But just not convinced that they have their QC under good management – This has been mentioned in at least one review and Newegg (Which I take with a Hugh grain of Salt – Many of the problems are self inflicted or due to lack of knowledge.) tends to confirm this.
SATA III SSDs provide a BIG boost to Seq read/writes, unfortunately this does not transform to a big boost in booting day-to-day performance. This is great if you: work with Large databases, large CAD/CAM drawings, edit a lot of 10 meg jpeg photos, or work with DVD video files (1 gig), or Blu-ray files which can be up to 40 gig for one file – BUT who is going to put those files on an SSD. An SSD is not going to cut down my time to backup a DVD – The DVD drive throughput is a limiting factor even if I was foolish enough to store the 5, or 7 gig files on the SSD. Approximately half of the files on the “boot” drive are 16K and under and are stored in a random order. This is the Reason that IOPS and 4 K random read/writes are by far more important. When the Cost/Size of SSDs comes down to where the High Seqs become relevant, then I’ll take that into consideration

Bottom Line – I will probably go with a SATA III SSD, but have Not ruled out the upper end Sata II (w SF control). While I have the Money to “blow”, I still like a good return on investment.

I don't know where I read it, (maybe even here at Tom's) but I recently read that SSD prices will come down to be competitive (1$ per GB) within the next year.

With your described usage, the disk caching of the Z68 platform may be a possible alternative. While you will not get the read/write speeds of a SSD, the caching may be worthwhile and a less costly alternative if you are editing large files.

Disk caching is not a good choice for gamers, but it is a very interesting alternative for those who do lots of media editing or CAD/CAM.

technoidgit · May 12, 2011

chesteracorgi :

^+1 The SSD is worth it and I will go with the C300 or the Intel 320. I had read a quote here on Tom's, I had been looking for it but can't find it. I know I will bastardize it but the jist is-A lower level SSD will be about 80% quicker than even the fastest HDD but the higher level SDD(Vertex3/Intel 510) are only about 83% to 85% faster than the fastest HDD. Where the tech is right now I will go with the C300 or Intel 320 as the increased performance % wise per $ is very small, nevermind all the increased problems

I'm leaning towards the Intel due to their data protection features that helps protect against power loss and diminished write endurance. I will only using for OS and Apps as I'm still not fully confident with their durability and blocks degrade much faster when erasing and rewriting. I'm still considering keeping a full backup on HDD of that drive to reduce downtime in case of failure

technoidgit · May 12, 2011

RetiredChief :

^ Thanks for the guidance. Had a choice between the C300 and the Phoenix Pro - I opted for the Phoenix pro and do not regret it.

Just for info: I already have 5 SSDs (4 diff manuf). Two are installed in desktop. One is the phoenix Pro (SF1200 controller) for operating system/programs. The other is the Intel G2 used to store my data that I use most often, for the page file, and for temp files. Two are for a laptop – I swap SSDs depending on what I’m doing, and one installed in a 2nd laptop.

I somehow think that I’m aware of performance difference between an SSD and a HDD LOL.
I’m more interested in reliability coupled with performance. Reason being is that in my (not true for everyone) is that the biggest diff I would notice is in boot time. Sata 3 could probably cut my boot time in halve – from 20 Sec to 10 sec. – Not a big issue. In terms of program load; if I click on link to one of my spreadsheets, I cannot drag my mouse to a cell to edit fast enough. Sata II maybe 0.1 sec vs 0.05 sec for SATA III. In my case it boils down then to cost/reliability/performance. With SATA III I would gain Great Bench marks and “bragging rights”. Would love to get the vertex-3, But just not convinced that they have their QC under good management – This has been mentioned in at least one review and Newegg (Which I take with a Hugh grain of Salt – Many of the problems are self inflicted or due to lack of knowledge.) tends to confirm this.
SATA III SSDs provide a BIG boost to Seq read/writes, unfortunately this does not transform to a big boost in booting day-to-day performance. This is great if you: work with Large databases, large CAD/CAM drawings, edit a lot of 10 meg jpeg photos, or work with DVD video files (1 gig), or Blu-ray files which can be up to 40 gig for one file – BUT who is going to put those files on an SSD. An SSD is not going to cut down my time to backup a DVD – The DVD drive throughput is a limiting factor even if I was foolish enough to store the 5, or 7 gig files on the SSD. Approximately half of the files on the “boot” drive are 16K and under and are stored in a random order. This is the Reason that IOPS and 4 K random read/writes are by far more important. When the Cost/Size of SSDs comes down to where the High Seqs become relevant, then I’ll take that into consideration

Bottom Line – I will probably go with a SATA III SSD, but have Not ruled out the upper end Sata II (w SF control). While I have the Money to “blow”, I still like a good return on investment.

Excellent Post Chief,

Kind of what I was thinking but am having a hard time expressing due to migraine and trying to jump between a few different tasks.
Iam at a dilemma right now. I'm trying to decide on a mobo for a 2600k. I don't really think I need the z68 and am torn between a few boards. I use my PC for Photo& minor video editing, surfing, movie/streaming and gaming. I will be pairing up w/ Radeon 6950 or 6970, HX750 PSU and am torn between the Asus p67 Deluxe or Pro and ASRock Extreme6. I want to keep mobo under $250. Do you have any input or guidance?

technoidgit · May 12, 2011

chesteracorgi :

Do you mean the Crucial C300? The Corsair is the Force or Performace 3 series

RetiredChief · May 12, 2011

@ Chesteracorgi
I'd go for the Intel. My only problem with the C300 and to a lesser exstent the C400 is the Very poor implimentation of CG. For most users should not be a problem - But @ 200 -> 300 bucks it should be better.
Ref: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4253/the-crucial-m4-micron-c400-ssd-review/12
Quote My remaining concerns with the m4 are really not that different from those I had with the C300. Crucial's very late garbage collection allows the possibility for some very poor write speeds over time. End Quote
Although the refereced link is to the C400/M4 SSDs, much applies to the C300 (C300 had very poor CG). This is somewhat negated by Trim.
For C300: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3812/the-ssd-diaries-crucials-realssd-c300

For Intel's 320 Here is a link to the 310 (the mSATA - 1.8 formfactor) the 320 should be very similar : http://www.anandtech.com/show/4078/intels-ssd-310-g2-performance-in-an-msata-form-factor

RetiredChief · May 12, 2011

@ technoidgit
Tough call.
P67 vs Z68
(1) May have newer chipsets on board
(2) For Gaming probably no diff
(3) For Video work - Quicksync in Z68 may be beneficial.
(4) For Me, if the CPU has an IGP, I want to at least have it available, great backup to dedicated GPU if nothing else.
(5) Z68 - The use of a small, cheap SSD to act as a cache to a large HDD.
(6) This is just Me, Have a Nagging feeling on all the P65 (pre B3 release) that where returned. Manufs pulled the INTEL Sata II chipset and returned them to Intel - I think Intel provided them with a New Chipset. My quest - Did the Manufs then reinstalled the new chipset and repackage them as a "B3" - Somehow I do not think they "pitched" them.

As to Asus vs Asrock. I went with the Asrock z68 Extreme4 (Extreme 6 not out yet and probably expensive as Hell). Only problem with the Asrock MBs (P67/Z68s) are that they use a weird USB controller and there have been several complaint on the Asrock USB performance. So I hope I did not blow it.

As to quality, probably a wash. Just make sure that whichever you select - look at the features, are they what you need/want. ie How the x16 slots are configured (some go to x8, x8, some go from X8, x4 when a card is in both x16 slots). # of sata 2/3 ports available, # of Usb2/3 available on back and what is available to put on front.

technoidgit · May 12, 2011

RetiredChief :

Thank you if that was actually directed towards me, if not it helped anyway. Well I was going with the 320 due to all the reviews and feedback also.
As for mobos, up till yesterday I was set on the P67 Deluxe but then I started reading some reviews and feedback on the ASRock Extreme6. They are not the economy(parts) mobos like some think they are.

Extreme6 review/forum "AsRock is the secret Asus never wanted you to see. It's comparable to Asus's flagship line, but significantly cheaper" I just wish their warranty was on par
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=264748

Need help with choosing a good z68 mobo

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