Tom’s Hardware editor Andrew Ku called Intel’s Z68 Express a “real enthusiast chipset” back in May, when it was revealed that this platform controller hub is the only one able to utilize all of the features packed into Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors. Multiplier-based processor overclocking and Quick Sync-optimized video transcoding were mutually exclusive on the P67 and H67 platforms. It took Z68 to make them both accessible on the same chipset. Intel also added a much-anticipated technology that turned small SSDs into caches for mechanical hard drives (though we still recommend loading your performance-sensitive apps onto a larger, dedicated SSD if that fits within your budget).
Power users could argue that Intel's X58 platform is the only one suitable for enthusiasts, since it features more than two times as many PCI Express 2.0 lanes than an LGA 1155-based processor. However, Sandy Bridge incorporates that connectivity onto the CPU itself, facilitating quicker access. Besides, some enthusiasts don’t need the extra lanes. Those same power users could also argue that X58's LGA 1366 interface is the only one able to accommodate six-core CPUs. But we've already seen a notebook version of Sandy Bridge best those Gulftown-based chips in applications that use four or fewer cores. Desktop-oriented Sandy Bridge processors are available at even higher clock rates, and the K-series parts facilitate some pretty impressive overclocking results, too.
So it turns out that Z68 is suitable to at least some (actually most) enthusiasts. But what sets enthusiast-class Z68 boards apart from their mainstream counterparts?

| Enthusiast Z68 Motherboard Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z68 Extreme7 | Asus P8Z68 Deluxe | Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD5 | MSI Z68A-GD80 | |
| PCB Revision | 1.03 | 1.00 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| Chipset | Intel Z68 Express | Intel Z68 Express | Intel Z68 Express | Intel Z68 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | 10 Phases | 16 Phases | 21 Phases | 13 Phases |
| BIOS | P1.1 (08/25/2011) | 0706 (08/05/2011) | F4e (08/25/2011) | V17.2 (07/18/2011) |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 99.8 (-0.2%) | 100.0 (+0.0%) | 99.8 (-0.2%) | 99.8 (-0.2%) |
| Internal Interfaces | ||||
| PCIe 3.0 x16 | 1 (16 Lanes, Shared) | None | None | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) |
| PCIe 2.0 x16 | 4 (x16/x16/x0/x4 or x16/x8/x8/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4) | 1 (x4, 3 Lanes, Shared) |
| PCIe x1/x4 | 1/0 | 2/0 | 2 (Shared w/x16-3) / 0 | 2/0 |
| Legacy PCI | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 (Shared w/x16-3) |
| USB 2.0 | 4 (8 ports) | 2 (4 ports) | 2 (4 ports) | 3 (6 ports) |
| USB 3.0 | 1 (2 ports) | 1 (2 ports) | 2 (4 ports) | 1 (2 ports) |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Serial Port | 1 | None | None | 1 (mini) |
| Parallel Port | None | None | None | None |
| SATA 6.0 Gb/s | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| SATA 3.0 Gb/s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 4-Pin Fan | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| FP-Audio | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| CD-Audio | None | None | None | None |
| S/PDIF I/O | Output Only | Output Only | Output Only | Output Only |
| Power Button | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Reset Button | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Yes | None | Yes | None |
| Diagnostics Panel | Numeric | Numeric | None | None |
| I/O Panel Connectors | ||||
| PS/2 | None | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| USB 3.0 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 2 | 8 | 6 (2, shared w/eSATA) | 4 |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 1 | 2 (shared w/USB 2.0) | 1 |
| Network | Dual | Dual | Single | Dual |
| eSATA | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | None | Yes | None | Yes |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical Only | Optical + Coaxial | Optical + Coaxial | Optical Only |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Video Out | VGA, DVI, Displayport, HDMI | None | HDMI | DVI-I, HDMI |
| Other Devices | None | Bluetooth Transceiver | None | None |
| Mass Storage Controllers | ||||
| Chipset SATA | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 3Gb/s |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | ASM1061 PCIe | 88SE9128 PCIe | 88SE9128 PCIe | 88SE9128 PCIe |
| USB 3.0 | 2 x AMS1042 PCIe | 2 x D720200F1 PCIe | D720200F1 PCIe 2 x VLI VL810 Hub | 2 x D720200F1 PCIe (Shared w/x16-3) |
| IEEE-1394 | VT6315N PCIe 2 x 400 Mb/s | VT6315N PCIe 2 x 400 Mb/s | TSB43AB23 PCI 3 x 400 Mb/s | VT6308P PCI 2 x 400 Mb/s (Shared w/x16-3) |
| Gigabit Ethernet | ||||
| Primary LAN | BCM57781 PCIe | WG82579V PHY | RTL8111E PCIe | RTL8111E PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | BCM57781 PCIe | RTL8111E PCIe | None | RTL8111E PCIe |
| Audio | ||||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC892 | ALC889 | ALC889 | ALC892 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | Not Specified | Not Specified | Not Specified | Not Specified |
Unlike some of the boards in our low-cost Z68 Express round-up, all of these enthusiast-class models are designed specifically for multi-card graphics configurations. MSI’s Z68A-GD80 is specifically intended to provide two installed cards the bandwidth benefits of PCIe 3.0 transfers, which will double the data rate once Intel’s next-generation LGA 1155 processors (based on the Ivy Bridge architecture) reach the market.
ASRock’s Z68 Extreme7 is even designed for three-way SLI, using the NF200 PCIe hub as a repeater (Nvidia Broadcast mode) to provide two of its cards with full x16 transfers.
Asus adds a Bluetooth transceiver, while Gigabyte doubles the number of available USB 3.0 connections. All four companies beef-up their voltage regulators for increased stability (especially when overclocking). Three of these boards include two network controllers, and Asus leans on Intel’s gigabit PHY in the hope of providing a more dependable connection.
But we can’t describe every detail of each motherboard on a single page, so let’s take a specific look at the details that make each of today’s motherboards special.
Companies are always asking us what it takes to win an award for product leadership, and we pass along our advice whenever we can to help the industry as a whole. Without fail, adding functionality to a lower price tag is almost always a recipe for a strong value-based win. ASRock is one of those companies generally willing to listen to what we'd like to see on a motherboard, and this reflects in boards that we end up singling out for their smart specification lists.
We don’t always get what we want, though, and the I/O panel of this board is proof of that. ASRock insisted on placing a VGA port there, even though we don't know any high-end users still rocking CRTs or cheap LCDs. And though we do know of a few enthusiasts who still swear by older keyboards and mice, ASRock removes the PS/2 port to make room for VGA.
The one recommendation ASRock did implement was our desire to see two PCIe bridges: one for the CPU and one for the platform controller hub to enable three-way SLI with all of the slots populated. Nvidia’s NF200 doubles the CPU’s PCIe lanes by repeating identical data to multiple cards. Of course, that feature only works when cards use identical data, as they would in SLI or CrossFire mode.
The other PCIe bridge is a PEX8608 that allows two BCM57781 network controllers, two AMS1042 USB 3.0 controllers, two PCIe x1 slots, an ASM1061 four-port SATA 6Gb/s controller, a VT6315N FireWire controller, an ASM1083 PCIe-to-PCI bridge, and a PCIe x4 slot to all work simultaneously on a chipset that has only eight PCIe 2.0 lanes. The 20 Gb/s DMI between the CPU and chipset limits full bandwidth to the equivalent of four devices. But we don't know of many users who would employ all of those interfaces at full bandwidth simultaneously. ASRock's other option would have been to disable some features whenever others are enabled. But we'd rather have access to all of a platform's features when they're needed rather than be forced to pull a card to enable a port, for example.
One spec from the preceding feature table that might confuse readers our claim of four x16-length slots when five can clearly be seen on the board. In order to get PCI Express 3.0 support on a board that uses Nvidia’s PCIe 2.0-capable bridge, the company connects the second x16 slot directly to the CPU. Meanwhile, the first, third, and fourth PCIe slots are connected to NF200. PCIe 3.0 pathway switches choose between activating the second x16 slot or the NF200 controller based on which slots are populated. In other words, PCIe 3.0 is limited to the second 16-lane slot, while SLI and CrossFire are accessible from the other slots. And, when x16 slots 1, 3, or 4 are needed, slot 2 can't be used. Fortunately, the slot that gets disabled in CrossFire and SLI configurations is the one that's typically blocked-off by the GPU cooler of the top graphics card.
Card spacing is set almost perfectly for three-way SLI, with three spaces between the first and third PCIe x16 slots. The reason we mention SLI specifically is that some of Nvidia’s cards have a hole in the back that allows air into the fan from either side. The extra space consequently serves both the top and middle cards. Cooling isn’t a major concern for the third card, since its fan faces away from the other cards.
None of that discussion even considers the four-lane PCIe 2.0 slot at the bottom of the board, since it isn’t intended for SLI or CrossFire applications.
One of the SATA 6Gb/s ports added by the ASM1061 four-port controller is also shared with eSATA. That means users must pick between a maximum of ten internal drives, or nine internal and one external drive. Fortunately, that's not a choice most of us ever have to make.

Does anyone remember building Baby AT systems with a PS/2 mouse port? ASRock brings back the long-forgotten 2-port USB plus single-port PS/2 breakout plate specifically to serve those of us who won’t give up their old keyboards or mice. The presence of six SATA cables pleases us, along with the solid three-way SLI bridge and USB 3.0 drive bay adapter.
ASRock’s OC Tweaker menu still includes an “Advanced Turbo 50” setting, though a 50% overclock on any Sandy Bridge processor is unrealistic at tolerable voltage levels. The Optimized CPU OC Setting menu does have some practical overclocks, from 4.0 to 4.8 GHz with our processor, though the 4.6 GHz setting was the highest we could use successfully.

Though overclocking is possible with Intel SpeedStep Technology disabled, it must be enabled to reveal the full set of power limits. Both long-term and short-term power limits must be increased to allow optimal overclocked frequencies.

The Z68 Extreme7 includes integrated GPU voltage, in addition to the CPU and chipset voltage controls needed by most overclockers.


Primary and secondary memory timings are both addressed, though each setting must be set to manual to enable the adjustment menu beneath. We used XMP Profile 1 to test this motherboard’s DRAM overclocking capability.
Asus’ entry into our enthusiast-class roundup is more deluxe than premium—hence the name. Yet, a Bluetooth transceiver and chipset-direct Intel gigabit network controller set it apart from every other product in this roundup. A “CLR_CMOS” button hidden between analog audio outputs and USB 3.0 ports is our first clue that this might be a serious overclocking board, though that feature is not necessarily unique to Asus.
We previously heard that a physical video output had to be present for Quick Sync to work (at least, that's what we were led to believe about Gigabyte's Z68X-UD7-B3). But that never made sense to us because most enthusiasts hook straight into their discrete card and utilize Quick Sync through Lucidlogix's Virtu software.
Asus proves those rumors wrong, as Quick Sync does work with this board. By eliminating those generally-unused outputs, Asus limits Intel’s integrated GPU to the one thing it does well: hardware-accelerated transcode acceleration.
Ridding the P8Z68 Deluxe of any video outputs allows Asus to give it a more traditional enthusiast-oriented rear panel, replete with USB 2.0 connectors, in addition to eSATA, USB 3.0, dual gigabit networking, and audio.
The P8Z68 Deluxe uses a straightforward method for connecting the first two graphics cards: a set of pathway switches that automatically detects the second card and changes the lane configuration from x16/x0 to x8/x8 as soon as another board is installed. Our tests show that eight PCIe 2.0 lanes per slot are enough to optimize both CrossFire and SLI, which is why we refuse to play into the introduction of PCI Express 3.0 connectivity that so many of Asus' competitors are already emphasizing.
On the other hand, three-way CrossFire and SLI are not the among P8Z68 Deluxe’s specialties. As with most competing products, the bottom slot is only four lanes wide and served up by the Z68 PCH, which kills its SLI approval and is too slow for CrossFire. The P8Z68 Deluxe is really intended for two-card performance combos. You could conceivably add third graphics card, running independently, to attach more monitors.
A USB 3.0 connector near the center of the P8Z68 Deluxe’s front edge eases cable routing to front-panel ports. Matched only by ASRock in today’s comparison, other manufacturers still haven’t caught on to this whole easy cable management idea.
A PLX PCIe 2.0 bridge allows Asus to connect two D720200F1 USB 3.0 controllers, 88SE9128 SATA 6Gb/s and JMB362 eSATA controllers, a VT6315N FireWire controller, the RTL8111E secondary network controller, and an ASM1083 PCIe-to-PCI bridge to the eight-lane Z68 Express chipset without disabling any PCIe slots. Asus’ combination of eSATA and SATA seems like it wouldn't be as fast as ASRock's, but its use of two second-gen PCIe lanes gives this combination twice as much bandwidth to the Z68 PCH. Bandwidth to the board's x1 devices and the four-lane slot is still limited by the chipset’s 20 Gb DMI. But again, most enthusiasts don’t use all of their peripherals at full throughput at the same time.

The presence of six SATA cables in the P8Z68 Deluxe box is completely satisfactory, and the firm also adds an SLI bridge and USB 3.0 bay adapter. Though the bay adapter is completely enclosed (and therefore more expensive to produce than ASRock’s competing design), its not adaptable to a slot panel and not able to serve as a 2.5” drive tray.
Familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt, as minimal changes to Asus’ AI Tweaker menu make it easier for experienced users to navigate. Integrated GPU overclocking is added to the list of frequency controls.

Asus OC Tuner allows the system to initiate an automatic overclock and stability routine that was able to push our CPU to 4.43 GHz at a mere 1.27 V. That should be enough for the average, inexperienced overclocker, and is probably safe enough to protect the CPU’s longevity for a few years.

We reached our 1.35 V full-load overclocking target voltage using the P8Z68 Deluxe’ 1.335 V setting with Load-Line Calibration set to Extreme. Asus adds another Load-Line Calibration setting for integrated GPU overclocking.

Integrated GPU voltage and DRAM reference voltage is added to the familiar voltage controls used by most overclockers. Asus is really pushing the idea of integrated GPU overclocking, although this board (and its lack of display outputs) is only capable of accelerating video transcoding.


Primary, secondary, and tertiary timings are all found in the P8Z68 Deluxe’ DRAM Timing Control submenu. We used our memory’s XMP Profile 1 for the motherboard’s memory overclocking tests.
Gigabyte knows how to make a serious-looking motherboard using dark grey anodized heatsinks, black nickel-plated heat pipes, and black slots on the Z68XP-UD5’s black circuit board.
A single HDMI output facilitates access to integrated graphics without wasting space performance-oriented enthusiasts typically want for other features. Those other features include four USB 3.0 ports and two USB-powered eSATA ports.
Recognizing that most enthusiasts use three or four internal hard drives, max, Gigabyte doesn’t bother adding another internal controller to the Z68XP-UD5. The motherboard does, however, have four internal USB 3.0 ports and an incredible number of CPU voltage regulator components.
Perhaps you noticed that the Z68XP-UD5 has twice as many USB 3.0 ports (internally and externally), but half as many controllers when compared to similarly-priced products. Gigabyte achieves this by placing its eight ports on two USB 3.0 hubs, so that all eight devices share a single 5 GT/s PCIe 2.0 pathway to the chipset. Though we aren’t very concerned about multiple devices sharing the chipset’s DMI connection, eight 5 Gb/s ports sharing a single 5 Gb/s pathway seems like a recipe for a more serious bottleneck.
Even more worrisome are slots that cannot be utilized. What we mean is that the two x1 slots gobble up two of the third x16-slot’s four electrical lanes. If you populate either x1 slot, it kicks that third x16 slot down to x1 mode.
All of these missing controllers and shared lanes point to a less-obvious device missing from the Z68XP-UD5: the PLX bridge used by ASRock and Asus. That device acts as a smart switch (similar to those found in networks) to negotiate traffic between an over-abundance of devices and too few PCI Express lanes. Yet, because of the pared-down PCIe device count, we can still treat the Z68XP-UD5 as a fully-functional product if we ignore its x1 slots or its x16 slot wired with four lanes.
Slot layout is identical to that of Asus’ competing model, making the Z68XP-UD5 a board designed for two-way SLI or CrossFire, at most. If none of the x1 slots are filled, a graphics card in the third x16 slot (again, it runs with only four lanes) could be used separately to host additional monitors. The only problem we see with putting a graphics card into that slot is that most GPU coolers are too large to fit over the notoriously stiff, straight USB 3.0 connectors plugged into the motherboard's front-panel port headers.

Taking a cue from the competition, Gigabyte adds a USB 3.0 bay adapter to the Z68XP-UD5’s support kit. On the other hand, its inclusion of only four SATA cables looks a little too budget-minded for a board that costs well over $200.
Many of Gigabyte’s competitors have disparaged the company’s use of a BIOS in an era of UEFI. But, at the same time, the only significant drawback we've seen associated with the older technology is complications with hard drives larger than 2 TB. We’re told that Windows 8 will make UEFI a more significant factor in motherboard selection, but that's still speculation until we see otherwise.

Gigabyte’s M.I.T. menu is little more than a placeholder for overclocking submenus, though repetitions from the power menu can help to simplify the overclocking process.

Advanced Frequency Settings include CPU and DRAM multipliers, plus base and graphics clocks. We used X.M.P. Profile 1 to test the board’s memory overclocking capability.

The Advanced Memory Settings menu includes redundant multiplier controls. Setting DRAM Timing Selectable to Quick allows both channels to be manually configured simultaneously.

Primary and secondary timings are easily adjusted from either or both of the Timing Settings submenus, depending on the DRAM Timing Selectable setting.

Graphics core and DRAM reference voltage are added to the traditional array of voltage settings. We achieved 1.35 V under full load by setting Multi-Steps Load-Line to Level 6.
Spoiler alert: MSI’s Z68A-GD80 targets value-minded enthusiasts by being the least-expensive product in today’s round-up. Consequently, it sits across from ASRock, which sought to provide the greatest number of features in today’s round-up.
That’s not to say the Z68A-GD80 is a stripped-down product. In fact, it includes twice as many gigabit Ethernet and USB 3.0 controllers as Gigabyte’s competing model. MSI also adds a DVI output, though we're not sure of its value to enthusiasts (who are less likely to tap into Intel's HD Graphics engine than mainstream or business buyers).
MSI loves to point out that it is the only company to support PCIe 3.0 on both of its CPU-supported x16 slots. Of course, you’ll need to wait for next-generation LGA 1155 CPUs to enable that feature, and even then we have our doubts about important this functionality will be in near-term products. Adding a second card to the middle slot still causes transfers to drop from x16/x0 to x8/x8 modes, so MSI is relying on the new technology to keep the bandwidth of its two x8 slots equal to the two PCIe 2.0 x16 of some higher-priced competitors (such as ASRock’s Z68 Extreme7).
While we could argue either way about the value of doubling lanes or enabling PCIe 3.0, we have to acknowledge that this board is limited to two-way SLI. While three-way CrossFire is technically possible, its third x16 slot wired with four lanes isn’t optimal for the task. Assuming all 20 Gb of the chipset’s DMI went to a third graphics card, there would be nothing left for other devices on the PCH, such as drives, network controllers, or USB.
This brings us to where we left off in the discussion of Gigabyte’s sacrificed features, only this time its not the PCIe x1 slots in peril. Instead, anyone using the third PCIe x16 slot in x4 mode must be willing to sacrifice the Z68A-GD80’s 88SE9128 SATA controller (two ports), front-panel D720200F1 USB 3.0 controller, PCIe-to-PCI bridge (two slots), and VT6308P FireWire controller (a PCI device).
On the (somewhat sarcastic) bright side, that means we don't have to worry about a front-panel USB 3.0 port cable blocking the installation of a graphics card because installing a graphics card disables the USB 3.0 front-panel header. If you want to avoid disappointment, just think of that bottom x16 slot as a x1 connector.
Once we get over that third x16 slot, the Z68A-GD80 becomes a wholly acceptable and perhaps even desirable model. The two usable graphics card slots are triple-spaced to improve cooling to the top card. MSI’s tantalum PWM capacitors provide additional clearance around the CPU. And we even find a row of voltage detection points across the motherboard’s front edge.

While we'd hope for six SATA cables in an enthusiast-class motherboard (which we get from some of the boards in this story), MSI’s Z68A-GD80 has four. We're also missing a USB 3.0 bay adapter, though we’d like to suggest that anyone building a new PC should pick a case with its own USB 3.0 front-panel connectors.
MSI delivered its Z68A-GD80 with a beta firmware employing its Click BIOS II interface, which unfortunately wouldn't work with our Logitech G5 gaming mouse. Rather than use a different mouse or push forward with an unreleased update, we stuck with our standard practice of using a published firmware instead. That took us back to the firm’s earlier Click BIOS (I) interface, though. So, readers who would like to know more about Click BIOS II can fast-forward to 2:24 of this MSI promotional video.

There's nothing wrong with the original Click BIOS. We found all of the required ratio, clock, and voltage controls within the first page of its overclocking menu.

Scrolling down that menu, we found additional voltage controls for the integrated graphics processor and DRAM reference levels.

Primary and secondary memory timings are found in the Advanced DRAM Configuration submenu. Shown are the X.M.P. profile timings we used in our overclocking tests.

An additional submenu reveals tertiary timings.
| Test System Configuration | |
|---|---|
| CPU | Intel Core i7-2600K (Sandy Bridge): 3.40 GHz, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache, LGA 1155 |
| CPU Cooler | Thermalright MUX-120 w/Zalman ZM-STG1 Paste |
| RAM | G.Skill F3-17600CL9Q-16GBXLD: 16 GB DDR3-2200 at DDR3-1600 CAS 9, 1.60 V |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce GTX 580: 772 MHz GPU, 1.5 GB GDDR5-4008 |
| Hard Drive | Samsung 470 Series MZ5PA256HMDR: 256 GB MLC SSD, SATA 6Gb/s |
| Sound | Integrated HD Audio |
| Network | Integrated Gigabit Networking |
| Power | Seasonic X760 SS-760KM: 760 W, ATX12V v2.3, EPS12V, 80 PLUS Gold |
| Software | |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate x64 |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce 270.61 WHQL |
| Chipset | Intel INF 9.2.0.1030 |
Samsung’s 470-series 256 GB drive continues to provide the performance we need to negate any deficits in our benchmarks.

Seasonic’s X760 provides the consistent efficiency required to assess motherboard power differences.

G.Skill’s RipJaws X DDR3-2200 16 GB kit allows us to test the overclocking limits of a fully-loaded memory controller, though only two modules (8 GB) were needed for other benchmarks. Defaulting to DDR3-1600 CAS 9-9-9 for benchmarks, its XMP-2200 CAS 9-11-9 register is used for overclocking.

Motherboard comparisons are all about motherboard performance. Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 580 graphics card minimizes GPU bottlenecks.

| Benchmark Configuration | |
|---|---|
| 3D Games | |
| Crysis | Patch 1.2.1, DirectX 10, 64-bit executable, benchmark tool Test Set 1: High Quality, No AA Test Set 2: Very High Quality, 8x AA |
| F1 2010 | V1.01, Run with -benchmark example_benchmark.xml Test Set 1: High Quality Preset, No AA Test Set 2: Ultra Quality Preset, 8x AA |
| Just Cause 2 | Version 1.0.0.2, Built-In Benchmark "Concrete Jungle" Test Set 1: Medium Details, No AA, 8x AF Test Set 2: Highest Details, 8x AA, 16x AF |
| Metro 2033 | Full Game, Built-In Benchmark, "Frontline" Scene Test Set 1: DX11, High, AAA, 4x AF, No PhysX, No DoF Test Set 2: DX11, Very High, 4x AA, 16x AF, No PhysX, DoF On |
| Audio/Video Encoding | |
| iTunes | Version 9.0.3.15 x64: Audio CD (Terminator II SE), 53 minutes, default AAC format |
| Lame MP3 | Version 3.98.3: Audio CD "Terminator II SE", 53 min, convert WAV to MP3 audio format, Command: -b 160 --nores (160 Kb/s) |
| MediaEspresso 6.5 | Version 6.5.1210_33281: 1080i HDTV (449 MB) to iPad H.264, 1024x768 |
| MediaConverter 7 | Version7.1.0.68: 1080i HDTV (449 MB) to iPad, SmartFit profile |
| HandBrake CLI | Version 0.94: "Big Buck Bunny" (720x480, 23.972 FPS) 5 Minutes, Audio: Dolby Digital, 48 000 Hz, Six-Channel, English, to Video: AVC Audio: AC3 Audio2: AAC (High Profile) |
| MainConcept Reference | Version: 2.0.0.1555: MPEG-2 to H.264, MainConcept H.264/AVC Codec, 28 sec HDTV 1920x1080 (MPEG-2), Audio: MPEG-2 (44.1 kHz, 2 Channel, 16-Bit, 224 Kb/s), Codec: H.264 Pro, Mode: PAL 50i (25 FPS), Profile: H.264 BD HDMV |
| Productivity | |
| Adobe Photoshop CS5 | Version 12.0 x64: Filter 15.7 MB TIF Image: Radial Blur, Shape Blur, Median, Polar Coordinates |
| Autodesk 3ds Max 2010 | Version 12.0 x64: Space Flyby Mentalray, 248 Frames, 1440x1080 |
| WinZip | Version 14.0 Pro: THG-Workload (464 MB) to ZIP, command line switches "-a -ez -p -r" |
| WinRAR | Version 4.0 Beta 4: THG-Workload (464 MB) to RAR, command line switches "winrar a -r -m3" |
| 7-Zip | Version 9.2: THG-Workload (464 MB) to .7z, command line switches "a -t7z -r -m0=LZMA2 -mx=5" |
| ABBYY FineReader | Version 10.0.102.82: Read PDF save to Doc, Source: Political Economy (J. Broadhurst 1842) 111 Pages |
Crysis is a lot of fun for benchmarking, mostly because it’s the oldest game we can find that still causes new hardware to choke. It is, of course, a real game that a few people still play, so this is not a synthetic test in the literal sense.


We’re looking for noticeable differences, but find none in Crysis. What about F1 2010?


Asus’ P8Z68 Deluxe really rocks the F1 2010 benchmark. The explanation for this is relevant, since you'll see the company winning over and over in the benchmarks as a result.
In essence, any time you manually set a memory or BCLK setting in the P8Z68 Deluxe's UEFI (and this applies as far back as P67-based boards, according to Asus, though this is the first we've seen of it), the firmware engages an automatic rule that sets Turbo Boost to its maximum level across all cores, even when all four are active and you'd normally expect to see fewer bins of added frequency. This rule can be manually overridden in the UEFI if you want to cut power use. Or, if you set the BCLK and memory to be configured automatically, the rule is not applied. Asus says this is actually a feature of the processor architecture's microcode, if a vendor digs deep enough. It was first revealed by an Intel engineer and purportedly does not go against any of Intel's guidelines. Based on our results, it'd appear that Asus is currently the only company utilizing it.
The effects aren't all positive, though. As you'll see in the power measurements, consumption goes up faster than performance with this rule applied. The good news is that, again, if you want, you can work around it and drop performance and power use to match the other boards in our round-up at will.
Asus also rocks Just Cause 2, but only at lower resolutions where the CPU and RAM are a larger part of the performance equation. Again, if you want the explanation behind this, check the bottom of the previous page. In essence, with more cores active, Asus' board is still running at the Core i7's peak Turbo Boost ratio.




Metro 2033 is GPU-bottlenecked to a greater degree than Just Cause 2, diminishing Asus’ lead with its auto-rule engaged.
Remembering that Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 ratios hit their peaks in TDP-defined bursts or with fewer cores active, it makes sense that single-threaded applications diminish the lead Asus found in a few of our multicore-optimized game benchmarks.




The P8Z68 Deluxe continues to enjoy higher frequencies with more cores active in MediaConverter 7, HandBrake, and MainConcept (all threaded apps).
We did see our CPU reaching its full 3.80 GHz more often and for longer durations than we were expecting; this is a result of Asus specifying single-core Turbo Boost settings even with four cores utilized.
The P8Z68 Deluxe’ advantage in Adobe Photoshop CS5 confirms that Adobe finally fixed the multi-core scaling issues found in earlier versions.




A 7% lead in ABBYY FineReader makes this benchmark session a clean sweep for the P8Z68 Deluxe.
Motherboards with the fewest on-board add-in controllers should obviously have the lowest power consumption, creating high expectations for low power use by MSI and Gigabyte. But looking beyond the obvious, differences in PWM design can also influence this test.

Gigabyte gives us the lowest idle power consumption, while MSI has the lowest full-load power use. This appears to mesh with MSI’s claims of superior PWM efficiency.
On the other hand, Asus’ power consumption is reflective of the company's claim that it's running all four cores at the processor's most aggressive Turbo Boost multiplier. As mentioned, you can counteract this by manually redefining the ratios for each core based on Intel's specification. If you don't, we can assure you that pushing higher performance costs additional power.

Gigabyte has the lowest PWM temperature, but its heat sink is also much larger than MSI’s. We only see that it runs cooler. We don't know exactly how much of that temperature difference is due to less power use.

Efficiency is a comparison of work to energy. Or, in this case, performance to energy. So, we need a compilation chart of performance results to calculate it. Asus’ performance-oriented settings put it 5.3% above-average.

That 5.3% performance gain doesn't end up serving as an advantage if you're worried about efficiency, given power consumption that's 10.6% higher than average. If you want to drop the P8Z68 Deluxe down to the levels achieved by some of the competing platforms, you have to do extra work to counteract the company's auto-rule (we'd perhaps suggest a UEFI toggle to turn this on or off, rather than manually remapping Turbo Boost ratios).
We used -1 in all of this chart’s calculations to form a 0% baseline, so that nobody could misconstrue it to represent better than 100% efficiency.
| BIOS Frequency and Voltage settings (for overclocking) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z68 Extreme7 | Asus P8Z68 Deluxe | Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD5 | MSI Z68A-GD80 | |
| CPU Base Clock | 95-110 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 80-300 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 80-200 MHz (0.1 MHz) | 38-282 MHz (1 MHz) |
| CPU Multiplier | Up to 60x | Up to 59x | 16x to 59x | Up to 60x |
| DRAM Data Rates | 1066-2133 (266.6 MHz) | 800-2400 (266.6 MHz) | 800-2133 (266.6 MHz) | 800-2133 (266.6 MHz) |
| CPU Vcore | 0.60-1.70 V (5 mV) | 0.80-1.99 V (5 mV) | 0.75-1.70 V (5 mV) | 0.80-1.80 V (5 mV) |
| VTT Voltage | 0.86-1.42 V (13 mV) | 0.80-1.70 V (6.25 mV) | 0.80-1.70 V (20 mV) | 0.95-1.55 V (10 mV) |
| PCH Voltage | 0.78-1.65 V (9 mV) | 0.80-1.70 V (10 mV) | Not Adjustable | 0.78-1.72 V (5 mV) |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.20-1.80 V (15 mV) | 1.20-2.20 V (6.25 mV) | 0.90-2.60 V (20 mV) | 1.11-2.46 V (7.25 mV) |
| CAS Latency | 5-15 Cycles | 3-15 Cycles | 5-15 Cycles | 5-15 Cycles |
| tRCD | 4-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles | 1-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRP | 4-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles | 1-15 Cycles | 4-15 Cycles |
| tRAS | 10-40 Cycles | 4-40 Cycles | 1-40 Cycles | 10-40 Cycles |
All of these enthusiast-class motherboards boast wide enough voltage and frequency ranges to please aggressive overclockers, though they might not be up to extreme overclocking techniques. Asus does aim to satisfy the liquid nitrogen crowd with a 1.99 V maximum at the CPU core. Gigabyte eliminates the one adjustment that has little to no benefit, but introduces a lot of risk.
Our own efforts are a little more modest than other overclocking attempts you've likely seen, as we've implemented in-house standards to only recommend settings we feel encourage a longer processor life span on air cooling. After all, 5 GHz doesn't do much good if your machine only lasts two months.

Going past 4.7 GHz at a mere 1.35 V is a huge accomplishment, and for that Asus deserves big credit.

Though we've seen this CPU hit a 108 MHz BCLK in the past, we’re perfectly happy that this crop of products yields 107 MHz. After all, the Core i7-2600K has unlocked mutipliers for higher performance gains, so we continue to recommend K-series chips.

Adding the highest DRAM clock to its CPU clock and performance win, the P8Z68 Deluxe takes the lead in every test we've thrown at it except efficiency. There are a few other considerations we must make before we can consider it an award winner, though.
In all of our zest for looking at power and performance, we inadvertently put MSI’s five-year warranty announcement on the back burner. However, a recent look into the support practices of motherboard vendors compelled us to shine a spotlight on this oft-overlooked aspect of PC ownership.
| U.S.A. Warranty Service | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z68 Extreme7 | Asus P8Z68 Deluxe | Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD5 | MSI Z68A-GD80 | |
| With Registration | N/A | Three Years | N/A | Five Years |
| Without Registration | One Year Three Years | Three Years | Three Years | Three Years |
| Registration Period | N/A | Three Years | N/A | 30 Days |
| Advanced Replacement | Not Advertised | Asus Premium Service | Not Advertised | Not Advertised |
| Service Location | Reseller | Manufacturer | Manufacturer | Manufacturer |
Each of these warranty programs is accompanied by features and problems that are too complex to fit into a chart. For example, ASRock officially does not service end-users directly, but instead insists that they contact the vendor that sold the board. However, the company does provide a contact for those who have found their respective resellers unresponsive, and this buyer has been able to secure replacement boards direct from ASRock's service department, without revealing his identity as a reviewer. A very direct letter detailing the exact problem and test procedures that verified the issue is far more likely to warrant a response than a simple list of parts followed by "the system won’t boot."
For ASRock owners, the bigger issue is that the warranty has always been very short. Though we had previously viewed this shortcoming as a cost offset for "bonus hardware," we were still a little surprised that nobody else had called them out for it in an effective manner. Knowing that big spenders aren't as forgiving when it comes to service shortfalls, we took it upon ourselves to do just that.
ASRock responded with a three-year upgrade exclusively for North American Z68 Extreme7 buyers. That's a great start that we'd like to see spread across all of its high-end products and high-volume countries. Since ASRock's least expensive products compete with OEM-branded parts, a two-tiered warranty would likely suffice. We'd also like to see a full description of that warranty on its website.
Asus provides the industry-standard three-year warranty with a few additions, such as online service and the ability to secure advanced replacement. Advanced replacement requires a credit card to protect the value of the replacement motherboard, and anyone using advanced replacement must pay for shipping both ways. Any service requires registration for Asus Premium Service, but that can be done at any time during the warranty period, which is nice.
Gigabyte prefers that customers choose their seller as a first point of contact, but doesn’t require them to do so.
MSI’s enhanced five-year warranty requires registration within 30 days of purchase and detailed documentation. Not satisfying those requirements reverts the Z68A-GD80 to the firm’s standard three-year warranty. All manufacturers start their standard warranty from the date the board is built. But MSI’s original (3-year warranty) registration process at least allows its standard (three-year) warranty to be extended from the date of manufacture to the date of purchase.
MSI does offer the longest warranty period, but you have to be speedy and meticulous in order to take advantage of it. The enhanced warranty still adds even more value to the least-expensive motherboard in today’s lineup, and MSI is using that coverage as a proof point to illustrate its confidence in the "Military Class” circuitry, the benefit of which we'd be otherwise unable to quantify.
Our $220 enthusiast Z68 motherboard round-up scaled the entire range of products, from the mid-featured MSI Z68A-GD80 to the three-way SLI ASRock Z68 Extreme7.

MSI deserves special credit for the Z68A-GD80’s low price and long warranty, and that’s even before we mention that it is also the most efficient product in our comparison. Yet, part of that efficiency is due to fewer on-board features, and we’re most disconcerted with a four-lane x16 graphics card slot that disables most of the add-in features that this platform does include whenever a graphics card is installed there. In fact, we're concerned enough that we wouldn't want someone reading the first and last page of this piece to take an award at face value without fully understanding the caveats. So, we'll hold back this time around. We’d certainly consider purchasing this board for one of our own systems, but only if we planned to leave that third slot well-alone.
ASRock’s Z68 Extreme7, on the other hand, offers a truly extreme feature set at a more savvy power user's price. This is a $300+ motherboard that sells for $280, making it yet another superb value in today’s round-up. Three-way SLI is its killer feature, and the presence of a second PCIe bridge makes this one of only two boards capable of providing access to all of its included functionality. We'd certainly use it in our own mid-priced three-way SLI builds, and the recent addition of a three-year warranty gives us enough confidence in this product that we'd even feel comfortable recommending it to our friends.
Asus has the top performer in today’s round-up. This isn't a coincidence. We use manually-specified memory and BCLK settings in our reviews to work around the less-than-accurate defaults that many vendors set when everything's dialed in automatically. Doing this engages a rule in Asus' firmware that sets all cores to employ the most aggressive Turbo Boost ratio, which is usually reserved for single-threaded scenarios. You can work around this, but we chose to benchmark the default behavior in order to track its effect on power use. The P8Z68 Deluxe is also the best overclocker in today’s round-up. Though Asus also has a PCIe bridge to enable all of its advertised features all of the time, it’s not able to deliver three-way SLI or three-way CrossFire (whereas the competition can). Therefore, it becomes our go-to choice when overclocking is the top priority.
While we don’t normally call out losers in a conclusion, Gigabyte gave us a product with fewer controllers, at a higher price, and with a shorter warranty compared to MSI. Gigabyte has the advantage of only disabling its PCIe x1 slots when a x4-or-larger card is used in its last x16 slot. However, we can’t help but feel disappointed that the Z68XP-UD5 comes from the same company that gave us the award-winning X58A-UD3R.
Wrapping Up
MSI's Z68A-GD80 (B3) and ASRock's Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 stand above the competition in value by attacking it from different angles, yet MSI runs into that issue where its board disables primary features when a third graphics slot is deployed. ASRock, on the other hand, responded immediately to warranty concerns we had on behalf of our readers, offering a top-level part with a warranty we can approve and pricing that comes in at the top of our range, but competes aggressively with more expensive competing platforms.

MSI's slip makes Asus our runner-up, as the P8Z68 Deluxe is the first board we'd pick for high-end overclocking when three-way SLI isn't a consideration. ASRock edges it out in value because we consider this feature is worth an extra $40 (and the price difference only turns out to be $30).







