Best Buy: ASUS LGA 1155 – Z68 – PCIe 3.0 and UEFI BIOS Intel Z68 ATX DDR3 2200 LGA 1155 Motherboards P8Z68-V/GEN3
ASUS LGA 1155 – Z68 – PCIe 3.0 and UEFI BIOS Intel Z68 ATX DDR3 2200 LGA 1155 Motherboards P8Z68-V/GEN3
- 2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (1×16 or dual x8)
- 16-Phase Power Digital power phase
- AMD Quad-GPU CrossFireX and NVIDIA Quad-GPU SLI support
- 1 x Gb LAN featuring the latest Intel chipset
- Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR
- 4 x USB 3.0 (2 ports at back panel, 1 port at mid-board)
- BT GO! (BT Turbo Remote) – Beyond your Imagination of what Bluetooth can do!
- UEFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) BIOS
The ASUS P8Z68-V/GEN3 motherboard features the Intel Z68 chipset supporting the 2nd Generation Intel Core i7/Core i5/Core i3 Processors. The all-new GEN3 series is fully ready for true PCIe 3.0, built to be future-proof with native BIOS support for 22nm next-gen Intel processors as well as PCIe 3.0 switching IC for SLI support. ASUS’ ground breaking UEFI BIOS simplifies platform settings for users with an EZ tuning mode.
List Price: $ 207.60
Price: $ 181.50
very, very nice!, November 16, 2011
There will certainly be some in-depth tech reviews of this board very soon, if not already posted. What I want to mention is far more simple… just a couple impressions and a list of hardware I have that works well with it.First of all, this is the cheapest of the 3 Asus boards in this series. I bought it because I already know I am not going to use the added features available in the more expensive units. I am good with just 2x SATA6gbps ports. My other drives will do just fine connected to one of the 4 SATA3gbps ports.I had no trouble whatsoever with the following components: – Corsair Vengeance Blue 16 GB PC3-12800 1600mHz DDR3 CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B – Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler RR-B10-212P-G1 – Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3 GHz 6 MB Cache Socket LGA1155 Processor – Corsair Enthusiast TX V2 Series 650-Watt 80 Plus Bronze CP-9020002-NAThe board looks great and has a very solid feel to it. I will be looking to upgrade the CPU next year with whatever Intel has out by then. For now, I am very very happy with the upgrade in speeds over my old Q6600.
Worked flawlessly out of the box, December 4, 2011
After contemplating for over a year on whether to buy or build a new system, I finally decided to build. I haven’t built a computer since the Windows 98 days, when I built a cheap computer just for kicks. It worked. I gave it to a church member. That was the beginning and end of my computer building days. When choosing parts I bogged down on the motherboard and case, reading reviews until it all became a blur. I finally settle on this Asus as I was able to get an outstanding deal via another online vendor. I eliminated the Gigabyte Intel Z68 ATX DDR3 2133 LGA 1155 Motherboards GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 due to wanting to checked out a new bios, if only briefly. I installed it in the Corsair Carbide Series 500R White Mid Tower Gaming Case CC-9011013-WW made all the requisite connections, installed the drivers, and, voila, it worked. I had a couple of minor issues due to ignorance, both of which were easily resolved without “pulling out the hair” frustration. I have not installed a graphics card, yet the onboard graphics are outstanding.It is probably too early for me to heap praises on this motherboard, as I have just finished my build. But when you have problems, computer-wise, it is usually from the get go. If necessary, I will edit this review. I’m so ecstatic that I did not have to worry about any problems. I haven’t delved into vast array of Asus and Z68 software and features. I will tackle them in small bites. I doubt I will ever try the smart cache thing even though I have a ssd and hdd installed.Two of the issues that I came across, while researching the z68 (though not necessarily the Gen 3 variety) Asus boards, were slow boots and the placement of the SATA ports. Neither were an issue to me, but I can understand the SATA ports if you have a tight build.So those of you new to the computer building game, I highly recommend this mid-grade motherboard.
Great Motherboard, January 10, 2012
Ordered this ASUS P8Z68 mobo for a new system built around a new I7 CPU. Build included new case (Cooler Master 690 II Advanced), 64GB SSD, 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 Ram, Corsair H80 liquid CPU cooler and a XFX Radeon 6850 HD GPU, 750W PSU plus assorted HDD, DVDRW, etc. I took my time with the build, spreading it out over several evenings and really appreciated the sturdy ASUS build and the very well written documentation. I’m neither a novice nor a professional system builder, and I found the manual well laid out for all levels of builder/enthusiast. My install had only 2 hiccups: 1- the thin “shield” that snaps into the rear case cut out for the input connectors (video cable, audio, usb’s, etc) was harder to snap into place than expected – which may a case issue or my ineptitude. Once snapped in, I finally could place the mobo and align the screws correctly. 2nd bigger issue was the RAM (2x4gb) would not be recognized in the slots recommended, resulting is a gawdawful unending warning beep upon power up. Once I confirmed each DDR stick was good individually, I resolved the issue by placing the sticks in slots B1 and B2 (instead of A2 B2 per the documentation). I opted to rate this as an issue not worthy of a return as it works fine with the new placement. This board has plenty of USB’s (2.0 & 3.0) and 3 and 6gb Sata ports, plenty of fan support (a must with a 10 fan case and liquid cooler)and excellent space and slots for additional crossfire and SLI video cards. Finally, as this is a z68 mobo, it has very nice support for getting the most out of your CPU, RAM and GPU with excellent but safe overclocking utilities, it you are so inclined. By the way, the UEFI Bios is pretty cool and I appreciate the mouse friendly GUI. The included drivers worked as expected, as once I ran the utility, all my “banged” devices (adapters, ports, usb’s, etc) in device manager were neatly identified and ready for use. Overall a great quality buy and worth the few extra bucks that separate it from much lesser boards.