Asus P8P67 Deluxe vs P8Z68 V-Pro/Gen 3?

[jacknhut]

Which one should I get since they are about the same price? I would like to get the front panel USB 3.0 since my case (Cooler Master Storm Sniper) does not have USB 3.0 connectors in the front. However, I heard Z68 SSD caching and Quicksync feature is pretty nice to have.

I don't know how much more benefits I can get from the SSD caching since I already have Patriot Wildfire 120GB. I thought SSD caching is only for small size SSD (32-64 GB). Quicksync is nice but I don't think it would be much use for me since I almost never encode any video or whatsoever.

Any suggestion ? If you think there is another mainboard within same price range ~200-250 bucks that is as good as those 2, please let me know... I look at couple EVGA P67/Z68 FTW boards too but I heard they have been having some issues with USB 3.0 and the bios UEFI is not quite polished as ASUS. Been a while since I'm building a new gaming rig.

I won't be upgrading again till at least 3-4 years later, so I would like to have a quality build that lasts a while.

Oh I'll be gaming on a 26'' LCD / 42'' Plasma mostly (the 26'' LCD supports 1920-1200 and the 42'' plama support 1080p)

Here are the parts that I already purchased:
Case: Cooler Master Storm Sniper
Power: OCZ ZX 850W Full Modular Gold
CPU: i7 2600k
Cooler: Corsair H100
Hard Drive: Patriot Wildfire 120 GB main, 1 TB Seagate 7200 RPM storage
Ram: Patriot 16 GB (4x4 GB) 1600 Mhz CAS 9 1.5V -- too much I know but its only 20 bucks per 8GB so I cant resist lol
Video card: 2x EVGA GTX 570 1280 MB <--- will be running SLI
Mainboard: ????

 

[9_breaker]

if its a gaming build you wont need an i7 ,an i5 is roughly the same in gaming.
heres a cheaper and better mobo than those and its got pci 3.0.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157264

you can also get this board for more pci slots

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157269

 

[JackNaylorPE]

If ya get a Z68 board, I'd get a GEN3 one.....at this point in time however, I see no real advantage for an enthusiast's gaming build to go Z68

http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk/difference-between-h67-p67-z68-and-h61-chipsets-a-22.html

Z68
Launched 5 months after the P67 and H67 chipset the Z68 chipset combines the advantages of the H67 and P67 Chipset so that overclocking, dual dedicated graphics cards and use of the integrated CPU graphics is available. Whilst on the surface it would seem that this would be the chipset to go for, how many users that have 2 dedicated graphics cards will actually want to use the onboard graphics when they already have 2 more powerful graphics cards in their system anyway?

The only real advantage is for users that wish to access the HD graphics features such as quick sync, but considering it’s only supported by very few transcoding programs and there are not many people out there that need or will want to transcode, it makes it almost pointless to choose Z68 over a P67 chipset.

Same applies to users that want to overclock the CPU but use the onboard graphics card; it’s a very limited market.

Finally, another feature of a Z68 chipset is known as SSD caching which is where it allows the use of a small (say 10 or 20 GB) Solid state hard drive to act as a cache for a larger ‘traditional’ hard disk. If you are already planning the use of a Solid State drive this feature is redundant.

If you can’t afford a decent size SSD (40GB+) then there are more cost effective ways around using a small SSD and SSD cashing like spending less on a motherboard, (H67 chipset or even a P67 chipset) and putting the saved money into a decent size SSD.

 

[9_breaker]

it cheaper so you might as well.

 

[jacknhut]

If ya get a Z68 board, I'd get a GEN3 one.....at this point in time however, I see no real advantage for an enthusiast's gaming build to go Z68

http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk/difference-between-h67-p67-z68-and-h61-chipsets-a-22.html

Z68
Launched 5 months after the P67 and H67 chipset the Z68 chipset combines the advantages of the H67 and P67 Chipset so that overclocking, dual dedicated graphics cards and use of the integrated CPU graphics is available. Whilst on the surface it would seem that this would be the chipset to go for, how many users that have 2 dedicated graphics cards will actually want to use the onboard graphics when they already have 2 more powerful graphics cards in their system anyway?

The only real advantage is for users that wish to access the HD graphics features such as quick sync, but considering it’s only supported by very few transcoding programs and there are not many people out there that need or will want to transcode, it makes it almost pointless to choose Z68 over a P67 chipset.

Same applies to users that want to overclock the CPU but use the onboard graphics card; it’s a very limited market.

Finally, another feature of a Z68 chipset is known as SSD caching which is where it allows the use of a small (say 10 or 20 GB) Solid state hard drive to act as a cache for a larger ‘traditional’ hard disk. If you are already planning the use of a Solid State drive this feature is redundant.

If you can’t afford a decent size SSD (40GB+) then there are more cost effective ways around using a small SSD and SSD cashing like spending less on a motherboard, (H67 chipset or even a P67 chipset) and putting the saved money into a decent size SSD.

Thank you that article sums up everything I need to know regarding Z68 vs P67. I decided to return the i7 2600k and get a i7 2500k with the ASUS Maximus IV Extreme P67 combo deal at Microcenter. They sell 2500k for 179.99 and Asus Maximus IV Extreme P67 for 239.99 which falls right into my budget. The board is beautiful lol.