Does it exist? : mATX Z68 MB with Triple Channel RAM support

[orionburcham]

Hi! I'm working on building a replacement for my graphics machine, and I'd like to go small this time: microATX small.

I'm going with the i7-2600K proc, but I'm having trouble finding a mainboard that has all the features I'm looking for. Can anyone recommend one with all of the following?:

- microATX form factor
- Z68 chipset
- supports triple channel DDR3 dims (at least 4 slots)

with Z68 being so new, I'm sure a board like this exists yet (all the mATX Z68 boards I've found so far only support Dual Channel RAM), but I figure I'd ask here before throwing in the towel. Thanks a lot for any help!

-Orion

 

[spooky2th]

Sandybridge is all dual channel. But they are faster than the X58 tripple channel. From the reviews I have read, the 2600s are faster than even the X58 extreme cpu's. They get better frame rates and beat the X58's hands down in all categories.

You might want to wait a few months. Intel is coming out with a successor to it's X58 platform with triple channel.

 

[fullofzen]

As spooky2th said, the Z68 platform does not support triple channel memory. You'll have to wait for the Sandybridge-e platform for the LGA2011 socket.

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

You'll have to wait for the Sandybridge-e platform for the LGA2011 socket.

Yeah, and that skips over triple-channel entirely and lands squarely on quad-channel memory. Cool huh?

orion:
Since the CPU has the memory controller built in, that is what determines how many memory channels are supported. Sandy Bridge can only handle dual-channel, no matter what chipset is used.

 

[geofelt]

Hi! I'm working on building a replacement for my graphics machine, and I'd like to go small this time: microATX small.

I'm going with the i7-2600K proc, but I'm having trouble finding a mainboard that has all the features I'm looking for. Can anyone recommend one with all of the following?:

- microATX form factor
- Z68 chipset
- supports triple channel DDR3 dims (at least 4 slots)

with Z68 being so new, I'm sure a board like this exists yet (all the mATX Z68 boards I've found so far only support Dual Channel RAM), but I figure I'd ask here before throwing in the towel. Thanks a lot for any help!

-Orion

Do not worry about triple or even dual channel. The Sandy bridge and nehalem cpu's have an excellent ram controller. It is able to keep the cpu fed with data, regardless of the ram configuration. Actual application performance or FPS is impacted by perhaps 1-3% with the slowest possible ram, vs the fastest. Synthetic benchmarks show massive differences, but they are only of interest to record seeking overclockers.

Any Z68 motherboard with 4 slots will support 16gb(4 x 4gb). They will also support 4 x 8gb, but I have not seen any such ram kits.

 

[fullofzen]

Yeah, and that skips over triple-channel entirely and lands squarely on quad-channel memory. Cool huh?

No kidding? I hadn't heard that -- I'll have to go do some readong in Sandybridge-e, although I certainly won't be buying that with a days-old 2500k system sitting at my feet... :lol: