Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
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- Core i7/i5/i3 in LGA 1155 package , chipset: Intel Z68 Express Chipset
- Memory: 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory, Dual channel memory architecture,
- Audio: Realtek ALC889 codec , High Definition Audio ,2/4/5.1/7.1-channel, Dolby Home Theater, LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbit
- Expansion Slots: 1 x PCI Express x16 slot running at x16 ,1 x PCI Express x16 slot running at x8
- Storage Interface: 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors , 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors ,Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1,
- Back Panel Connectors: 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port ,1 x HDMI port 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector,
- Back panel connectors: 1 x IEEE 1394 port, 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports, 2 x USB 3.0/2.0 ports, 1 x RJ-45 port, 6 x audio jacks,
- Expansion slots:,3 x PCI Express x1 slots,2 x PCI slots, Support for 2-Way AMD CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI technology
- Internal I/O Connectors: 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector, 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector, 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors, 4 x SATA 3Gb/s connectors,
- Internal I/O connectors: 1 x USB 3.0/2.0 header, 1 x IEEE 1394a header, 1 x serial port header,
- Internal I/O connectors:1 x mSATA connector, 1 x CPU fan header, 2 x system fan headers, 1 x power fan header, 1 x front panel header, 1 x
- Internal I/O connectors:front panel audio header, 1 x S/PDIF Out header, 3 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers,
- Internal I/o connectors: 1 x clearing CMOS jumper, 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header,
- Memory: DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules
- Storage interface: RAID 5, and RAID 10, 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors Support for RAID 0 and RAID 1
- USB: Up to 14 USB 2.0/1.1 ports , Up to 4 USB 3.0/2.0 ports , up to 2 IEEE 1394 ports
Supports for LGA1155 2nd Generation Intel Core Processors, Touch BIOS delivers the innovative new way to modify BIOS,4X performance boost with mSATA Intel Smart Response Technology, Ultra Durable 3 technology with 2oz copper PCB design, Supports USB 3.0 with superfast transfer rates of up to 5 Gbps, High speed SATA3 storage interface with superfast 6Gbps link speed, GIGABYTE 3x USB Power with On/Off Charge USB ports, SLI and CrossFireX multi-graphics support for ultimate graphics performance, Hybrid EFI technology with DualBIOS for 3TB HDD support, HDMI graphics output for smoother HD video playback, XHD technology accelerating hard drive performance with ease, Features high speed Gigabit Ethernet connection, GIGABYTE DualBIOS technology delivering highest level failure protection,
Gigabyte motherboard
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
List Price: $ 175.18
Price:
Best mix of features,
Pros: This board is like the more expensive Z68XP-UD4, but it has an extra PCI-e x1, and an onboard mSATA connector. It includes FireWire ports, unlike most of the other boards in this price range. It has an HDMI out for the Intel HD graphics so you can use Intel’s Quick Sync technology for video converting, and it includes Lucid’s Virtu software so that it’s still usable with a discreet video card. I’ve tried 2 converters (Cyberlink MediaEspresso 6, ArcSoft MediaConvertor 7) and they both see Quick Sync with a discreet card installed.
Cons: The mSATA port is SATA II, and disables one of the SATA II ports when in use, but you still have plenty. I’m not using it yet, but I’ll likely use it later for Intel’s Smart Response or a similar SSD caching technology when it becomes available.
Though it has an HDMI output onboard, it’s designed for use with a discreet video card, as it has no DVI or VGA ports. I think it’s a smart tradeoff, giving the best of both worlds.
It can be kind of difficult determining the differences between Gigabyte models.
Best Tech details for this mobo:
Case: Corsair Graphite 600T
Power supply: Corsair TX750
Graphics: Intel & EVGA GeForce 560Ti OC (Virtu enabled)
Mem: 8GB Crucial Ballistix
CPU: core i5 2500K
CPU cooler: Antec Kuhker H2O 620
HDD: WD 1TB 7200rpm Black
SSD cache: 64GB crucial M4
Mobo: Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3
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|PCI slots and Tom,
Tom, you really over reacted. Amazon is only posting the manufacturer’s specs. It lists 3 PCI slots total. Made up of 2 PCI slots and one new style PCI-Ex1.
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|Works great, didn’t kill the bank,
I was aiming to try out Intel Smart Response Technology (SRT) but also didn’t want to spend a fortune on it. Got this, dropped a i7 2600k, a Crucial M4, GTX 570, and 16 gigs of RAM into it.
First startup was a bit scary. The fans came on but nothing else happened. I’m still not sure exactly what was wrong, but I pulled out and reseated the RAM, moved the GPU to the bottom slot, and reconnected the HDs. Then it just worked. Haven’t had any problems since.
One note- like a lot of new motherboards, this one does not have any IDE connectors, so only SATA drives will work. It has 8 connectors on two separate controllers, plus a mSATA for SRT. But hooking up a drive to this will drop one of the others out, so it doesn’t really help. Standard is both SATA I and II, though from experience it doesn’t really matter speed-wise.
The board supports USB 3.0 and has built in 7.1 audio that IMO is at least as good as any dedicated card (and without all the driver issues). Gigabyte EZ-Smart Response is also pretty cool if you don’t want to reformat.
Pros:
USB 3.0, SATA 2, SRT enabled
Tons of SATA ports, SLI/Crossfire support
EZ-Smart Response tool
Cons:
mSATA is kind of useless since it eats up a SATA port when in use
No IDE if you still use it
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