Z68 Express Roundup: Three Motherboards Do Battle Around $200
Table of contents
- 1. Overclocking, Quick Sync, And SSD Caching
- 2. ASRock Z68 Extreme4
- 3. Z68 Extreme4 UEFI
- 4. Z68 Extreme4 Utilities
- 5. Asus P8Z68-V Pro
- 6. P8Z68-V Pro UEFI
- 7. P8Z68-V Pro Utilities
- 8. Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3
- 9. Z68X-UD3H BIOS
Intel reserved its most feature-rich LGA 1155 platform for (or four?) months past the launch of its Sandy Bridge-based processors, but was it worth the wait? We compare three upper-mainstream Z68 examples to a top-quality P67 predecessor to find out.
We were initially stoked by how much better Intel’s current-generation processors are than their predecessors, combining quantifiable per-clock performance gains with lower power consumption, higher clock speeds, and vastly superior overclocking capability.
And yet, perhaps the most significant addition to the company's second-gen Core processors, Quick Sync-accelerated video transcoding, was limited to very inflexible H67 Express-based platforms. The P67 chipset allowed us to taste the new processor’s awesome overclocking, while its inability to access the architecture's integrated graphics core left a bad taste in our mouth.
Intel changes all of that with the release of Z68 Express, the uninhibited chipset that now sits atop Intel's mainstream-performance lineup. Now we even have the motherboards to prove it.
If you aren't yet familiar with the new platform, check out our coverage of the chipset itself in The Intel Z68 Express Review: A Real Enthusiast Chipset.
| P67 Motherboard Features | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| ASRock Z68 Extreme4 | Asus P8Z68-V Pro | Gigabyte Z68X-UD3H-B3 | |
| PCB Revision | 1.01 | 1.01 | 0.2 |
| Chipset | Intel Z68 Express | Intel Z68 Express | Intel Z68 Express |
| Voltage Regulator | 12 Phases | 16 Phases | Seven Phases |
| BIOS | P1.10 (04/22/2011) | 8801 Beta (04/28/2011) | F2e (04/28/2011) |
| 100.0 MHz BCLK | 99.8 (-0.2%) | 100.3 (+0.03%) | 100.3 (+0.03%) |
| Clock Generator | Z68 Integrated | Z68 Integrated | Z68 Integrated |
| Internal Interfaces | |||
| PCIe x16 | 3 (x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4) | 3 (x16/x0/x4 or x8/x8/x4) | 2 (x16/x0 or x8/x8) |
| PCIe x1/x4 | 2/0 | 2/0 | 2/0 |
| Legacy PCI | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| USB 2.0 | 3 (6-ports) | 3 (6-ports) | 4 (8-ports) |
| USB 3.0 | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) | 1 (2-ports) |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Serial Port | 1 | None | 1 |
| Parallel Port | None | None | None |
| Floppy | Yes | No | No |
| Ultra-ATA 133 | None | None | None |
| SATA 3.0Gb/s | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| SATA 6.0Gb/s | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 4-Pin Fan | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 3-Pin Fan | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| FP-Audio | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CD-Audio | No | No | No |
| S/PDIF I/O | Output Only | Output Only | Output Only |
| Power Button | Yes | Yes | No |
| Reset Button | Yes | Yes | No |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Jumper Only | Jumper Only | Jumper Only |
| Diagnostics Panel | Numeric | Pass/Fail LEDs | Pass/Fail LEDs |
| I/O Panel Connectors | |||
| P/S 2 | 2 | None | 1 |
| USB 2.0 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| USB 3.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| IEEE-1394 | 1 | None | 1 |
| Network | Single | Single | Single |
| eSATA | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| CLR_CMOS Button | Yes | No | No |
| Digital Audio Out | Optical Only | Optical Only | Optical Only |
| Digital Audio In | None | None | None |
| Analog Audio | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Video Out | 1 Each: DVI, HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort | 1 Each: DVI, HDMI VGA | 1 Each: DVI, HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort |
| Other Devices | None | Bluetooth Transceiver | 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 |
| Chipset RAID Modes | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 | 0, 1, 5, 10 |
| Add-In SATA | Marvell 9120 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 1 x eSATA (shared) | Marvell 9172 PCIe 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s | Marvell 9172 PCIe |
| Add-In Ultra ATA | None | None | None |
| USB 3.0 | 2 x Etron EJ168A PCIe | 2 x ASM1042 PCIe | 2x Etron EJ168A PCIe |
| IEEE-1394 | VT6315N PCIe 2 x 400 Mb/s | VT6308P PCI 2 x 400 Mb/s | VT6308P PCI 2 x 400 Mb/s |
| Gigabit Ethernet | |||
| Primary LAN | Broadcom BCM57781 PCIe | WG82579V PHY | RTL8111E PCIe |
| Secondary LAN | None | None | None |
| HD Audio | |||
| HD Audio Codec | ALC892 | ALC892 | ALC889 |
| DDL/DTS Connect | None | None | None |
ASrock comes with 4 eSATA cables?
The first UEFI screenshots for ASRock and Asus are switched.
ASrock comes with 4 eSATA cables?
The first UEFI screenshots for ASRock and Asus are switched.
Fixed, thanks!
a little something from MSI would have made this more interesting.
+1
->Thomas
"Gigabyte’s Quick Boost application sets our processor at 200, 400, or 700 MHz beyond its rated frequency."
Just so you know. Anyways, keep up the good work!
Cheers
so, basicaly there is no difference in performance between theese boards as i can see.
hmm .. was thinking of getting an Asus P8Z68-V Pro .. not so sure now knowing that the other boards offer the same performance and are both cheaper.
One additional feature of the ASRock card that isn't mentioned is its set of holes matching a socket 775 cooler. That feature was the main reason I ordered one of these cards three days ago, since I won't have to spend money on a new CPU cooler.
So a P67 is superior... interesting.
One additional feature of the ASRock card that isn't mentioned is its set of holes matching a socket 775 cooler. That feature was the main reason I ordered one of these cards three days ago, since I won't have to spend money on a new CPU cooler.
ermm thats pro, since i have a socket 775 core 2 duo atm. Any other motherboards out there that suport this?? i would love to know
a USB 3.0 speed comparison between them would be more informative
Agree. A USB 2.0 speed comparison would have been nice as well. Otherwise, nice review.
... socket 775 core 2 duo atm. Any other motherboards out there that suport this?
The other two (cheaper) ASRock Z68 mobos do support it as well, but I haven't seen it with any other manufacturer.
It would be interesting to experiment with having multiple graphics cards, adding hard drives, using controllers, basically testing how performance between all motherboards is affected by eating up bandwidth by using the pci-e slots and controllers.
Thanks for the excellent review. How appropriate for me, since I was just in the market for a Z68.
Also, thanks (to the commentor) for the info about the LGA 775 compatibility with coolers - I was wondering if I was going to have to replace mine...not it looks like I might be able to use it still.
I'm itching for June to get here so I can finally decide, BD or SB, but in either case, the mobo will likely be ASRock.
16/0/4 pcie is a joke. that really doesnt leave you room for much of anything. video card, i cant even use my raid card properly (x8) at that point. i hope x68 hurries up and gets here fast.
I sure do love motherboard roundups. Incidentally, when I ordered my 2500k, the only motherboard in stock at the time was a H67 uATX board. So I bought it, and figured that the Z68 chipset would certainly be worth the wait. I think that it is for the most part. I'm using a pretty stripped down H67 board to boot. Even running at stock speeds, the 2500k and 2600k are pretty damn fast, so I really haven't regretted the decision. It sure feels like an upgrade from an aging Phenom II/Athlon II. The Z chipset might be icing on the cake.
In previous reviews of various chipsets, I've noticed that ASrock consistently has boards with slower than normal bus speeds. Perhaps this is why they are slightly off the performance of other boards (especially the ones with faster bus speeds ie over 100Mhz)
Thanks for the excellent review. How appropriate for me, since I was just in the market for a Z68.Also, thanks (to the commentor) for the info about the LGA 775 compatibility with coolers - I was wondering if I was going to have to replace mine...now it looks like I might be able to use it still.