ASUS P8 Z68-V/GEN3
- Details
- Category: Motherboards
- Published: Monday, 21 May 2012 17:59
Perhaps one of the most daunting tasks after making the decision that you do not wish to purchase an off-the-shelf computer is attempting to figure out which components go in the machine. There are fun aspects, like the graphics card and processor, and then there are the not-so-fun aspects, like the motherboard (at least in my opinion). Why do I think it is a whole lot of not fun? There are so many out there to choose from, with all sorts of features. When shopping you will likely come across the ASUS board that I am going to review today. Arguably, it is one of the better all-around boards out there, with features like good integrated graphics and killer sound. But to a gamer that generally does not mean squat. Does the ASUS P8 Z68-V/GEN3 board have what it takes to function as a serious gaming component? Read on to find out!
When we got in a few oddly sized dual CPU motherboards from EVGA and Asus I posted up a few pictures on our forums and on Facebook. The problem was that even though they looked large there wasn’t any perspective. So we tossed in a couple other boards to give everyone a little perspective. This lead us to digging out even more motherboards to put together all of the standard motherboard sizes all together for everyone to be able to see the differences. Along with the picture we also have a breakdown on the dimensions of each size standard; I hope this helps everyone as some point. Sometimes it can be hard to understand all of the different motherboard sizes and how they all relate.
Z77 boards come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and prices. Just about every manufacture has a whole lineup of boards covering the whole range to make sure you can find what you are looking for. Gigabyte is no different; they have a whole selection of boards that will fit your needs. Today we are taking a look at their Z77X-UD3H, one of their budget boards. It may not be a high end board but it is still packed with features. I am curious how it will perform now that the cat is out of the bag with Ivy Bridge. Let’s jump in and see what it’s all about.
Now that Intel has opened up the flood gates with Ivy Bridge we can finally take a full look at their latest chipset including testing with the i7-3770. When combining the two we get the latest CPU with the latest chipset and a load of new features. You can now take advantage of PCIe 3.0 along with USB 3.0 integrated into the chipset. We were very impressed with the DZ77GA-70K when we first took a look at it, let’s finally see how it performs!
Next in line for our Z77 previews is the Asus Republic of Gamers Maximus V Gene. The Maximus V Gene is the first of four boards Asus has announced for the Z77 chipset, and as you may have guessed from the Republic of Gamers association, it is engineered with the gaming enthusiast in mind. How will the changes Z77 has brought to the table complement those Asus has developed for the PC gamer? Read on!
The second in a long list of Z77 previews we have for everyone is a board from our friends over at Gigabyte. Today we are taking a sneak peak at their Gigabyte z77x-ud3h, their entry level Z77 board. With similar features to the Intel board while keeping the price as low as possible there is a good chance this could be a great value for someone looking for good features at a great price.
I entered the world of computer gaming with a well-justified custom laptop my freshman year of college. The urge to build my own PC inevitably began to grow as I traveled to LAN parties and saw the creation of others. My first board was a hand-me-down Biostar with a lot of life yet to give. Five years later, it’s fitting that my first build with Sandy Bridge-E is from that company‘s first socket 2011 board, the TPower X79. The TPower X79 is one of Biostars first attempts to branch out beyond the budget boards they are known for. I am excited to see what direction they will do and how it will perform. 
Intel has officially announced their newest chipset for socket 1155, the Z77. With H61, H67, P67, and Z68 chipsets still on the market, it may seem bewildering that Intel would introduce yet another beast to the field. In addition, Z77 is one of six new chipsets introduced in Intel's new 7 series chipset, Panther Point. What does the Panther have to offer that its predecessors did not? Though Intel may have just announced Z77, we've had our hands on sample boards for the past several weeks, putting them to the LanOC test, and we can finally share what we've found. We'll start with Intel's own Z77 board, the DZ77GA-70K as well as coverage of the Panther Point chipsets.
It seems almost like it was yesterday when I took a close look at Gigabytes Assassin, flagship motherboard on the X58 chipset. Here we are less than a year later with a new chipset and socket available. That means it’s time once again to take a look at Gigabyte’s flagship gaming motherboard, the Assassin 2 X79. With a lower price point, smaller form factor, and all of the features of the original we loved the Assassin 2 should be a great board. Of course we won’t know that for sure until we dig in a little farther, so let’s jump in!
For X79 we have taken a look in detail at both the reference design and Asus’s professional solution. What about a model made specifically for gaming? The X79 platform is called an enthusiast platform; there are finally no limitations on bandwidth to video card, something that was an issue on 1155 motherboards. Today we are going to take a look at Asus’s Rampage IV, their flagship motherboard designed specifically for someone who only wants the best. Will this be the end all be all motherboard? Let’s find out!
In all of our LGA 1155 testing one of best experiences we had was with our Asus P8P67 EVO. Not only was the board of the best quality and feature packed, but for once we were very happy with the included software. Because of that we were very excited to see what Asus would have to offer with the launch of X79. Today we will be taking a look at their P9X79 PRO. With a full feature set I am expecting this to be a killer board, but there is only one way to find out for sure! Let’s take a look.
The PC world is always moving, innovating, and reinventing itself. Every day, every month, and every year we see new products introduced from every aspect of the industry. You will almost never will you see any of those new products cause more than just a small hiccup in the overall scheme. There is one company that is a little different. When we come across a main Intel launch everyone in the industry stops what they are doing to make sure they are aligned with what Intel is doing. Today I can finally talk to you about Intel’s newest launch, a new socket, chipset, and CPU. Today we are taking a look at the new i7-3960X CPU and the x79 chipset that is introduced along with it.
When it comes to putting together a small functional PC for your parents or an HTPC for your living room there is a lot more to take into account than normal. In these situations noise, power usage, video performance, and cost also need to be considered. That’s what AMD had in mind when introducing their E350 with AMD Fusion Technology earlier this year. There are multiple manufactures that make and sell versions of this motherboard, but many of them don’t have Gigabytes features. Today we are going to take a closer look at the Gigabyte E350N-USB3 and hopefully show that it is capable of doing quite a lot.
If you are looking to build a Sandy Bridge rig there is no question you have heard of Intel’s newest chipset, the Z68. Taking their P67 chipset, they've added everything that was missing, including the ability to take advantage of the GPU built in to your Sandy Bridge CPU. We are a little late to the party though; after the original Sandy Bridge launch I ran into a few health problems, but I am back and better than ever. It’s finally time to take a look at a Z68 chipset and this time around it’s a Z68X-UD3H-B3 from Gigabyte. Let’s find out if you should be looking at Z68’s or P67’s.
It has only been a few weeks since AMD introduced their Llano APU and things are finally starting to come together. Today Sapphire is joining the mix with an addition from their Pure line, the Pure Platinum A75. Sapphire has had a big push to become a name to be reckoned with in the motherboard market and their Pure line has thus far done a good job. Paired up with an AMD A8-3800, today we will be taking a look at both Sapphires new board and the A-Series platform as a whole.
Being a car guy when I first saw the P8P67 EVO from Asus I couldn’t help connect the EVO name with a Mitsubishi Evo. I can’t imagine that Asus would somehow manage to get the boxy styling and sharp lines of the Lancer Evo, but maybe it has the raw power that the Evo is known for. Either way, I know that by the end of this review I will be drifting sideways in DIRT 2 ether way. Before that I will go over ASUS’s standard P67 product lineup and the P8P67 EVO’s feature set. While we are in there we will also test its performance and take a close look at the include software.
At the start of this year we helped introduce Sandy Bridge along with coverage on 5 different LGA1155 motherboards. One of those boards was MSI’s P67A-GD65, one of their 16 different P67 motherboards that are currently available. We found the UEFI BIOS, easy overclocking support, and low price point to be great and gave it both our Top Honors and Editors Choice awards. Today we are going to take a look at their P67A-GD80, the GD65’s bigger brother. With a similar feature set I have high hopes.
I was there… I heard the loud noises and saw the grenades being thrown. My partner and I went to war and back that night. Some of the things we saw that night can and will never be un-seen. The night that Gigabyte invited us out for the launch of their new military themed gaming motherboards will be a night that will not be forgotten. I may be shell shocked from that night but we must go on. Today I have Gigabytes flagship G-1 Assassin here to review. With every part of the board designed specifically for the gamer I am very excited to see how it performs. Will there be a g-1 in your next build? Let’s find out
This past June we heard news that EVGA’s entire motherboard team jumped ship. It wasn’t long before people found out that that crew went over to Sapphire, a big surprise at the time. With a little time under their belts now we finally have the chance to see the fruits of their labor with Sapphires introduction of their Pure Black lineup. Today we will be taking a look at the Sapphire Pure Black X58, Sapphire’s first 1366 Socket motherboard.
Six years have passed since Jonathan 'Fatal1ty' Wendel met with the minds of Abit Corporation to design a motherboard optimized for PC gaming enthusiasts. That board not only met expectations, but also excelled by including many of the features that gamers sought as standard. Just last month, an announcement of a new partnership between Fatal1ty and ASRock was unveiled, birthing a modern version of the gamer's board. A lot has changed since 2004, and today we put it to the test of next-generation gaming.