Which high-end Z68?

~bones~ · 19 Nov 2011 at 16:14

I'm looking at building a new 2500k rig after xmas and can't decide which motherboard to pick between these;

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-053-AK&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-056-AK&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990#

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-366-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-475-AS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990

There are different aspects I like about all of them and can't decide which will be best, I will be aiming for a good overclock and sli. Does anyone kno wwhich is going to make more difference with two pci 2.0 lanes running at x16 or two pci 3.0 lanes running at x8?

Any thoughts would be appreciated

naefeart · 19 Nov 2011 at 16:57

I went for the Gigabyte but mostly because it supports PCI-E 3.0 and handles RMAs within the UK.

Two PCI-E 3.0 lanes running @ 8x will provide more bandwidth than two PCI-E 2.0 lanes running @ 16x. I think this is immaterial though as I don't see us using this sort of bandwidth anytime soon. Plus I doubt I will bother going SLI.

The Gigabyte board is good and stable, but doesn't exactly represent value. The onboard Creative chip is a nice touch and sounds far better than the Realtek chip. However if you were that bothered you could go and buy a separate soundcard.

The Asrock boards offer plenty of value, but there also seem to be common issues (inverted mouse in bios etc). There are several large threads on them so have a look.

The Asus looks a decent board, but doesn't seem to support PCI-E 3.0.

stulid · 19 Nov 2011 at 17:00

Those are all good boards. I would be tempted by one of the ASrock boards.

Does anyone kno wwhich is going to make more difference with two pci 2.0 lanes running at x16 or two pci 3.0 lanes running at x8?

Depends on if you want Tri-SLI or Tri-Crossfire or not? but its been shown that running Dual SLI/Crossfire at 8X/8X makes little difference over 16X/16X.

A test was done here - http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/4...tel_x8_x8_p67_performance_analysis/index.html - the latency caused by the NF200 chip actually slowed the results down.

~bones~ · 19 Nov 2011 at 17:02

Ok cheers... do you notice any difference with the bigfoot networks killer?.... also what fps are you getting out of your system with newish games?

stulid · 19 Nov 2011 at 17:05

do you notice any difference with the bigfoot networks killer?

Its not worth the money I have seen tests/reviews show for the stand alone add-in card (£50-60), but as its built-in to the Gigabyte board you may as well use it?

also what fps are you getting out of your system with newish games?

Depends on the GFX card mostly and the CPU choice and its overclock, also the resolution of your display/you game at, causes a big role as the higher the resolution the harder a card has to work.

~bones~ · 19 Nov 2011 at 17:19

Do you know if the xlan on the fatal1ty is any good at reducing online lag as that was a big selling point in the sniper for me but if the bigfoot doesn't do much then I can't see any other reason to pay the extra for it?

I was aiming the fps question at naefeart just because his setup is something similar to what I'm looking to build.

Cheers for the info

stulid · 19 Nov 2011 at 17:25

Do you know if the xlan on the fatal1ty is any good at reducing online lag as that was a big selling point in the sniper for me but if the bigfoot doesn't do much then I can't see any other reason to pay the extra for it?

I have never looked into it, naerfeart does make a good point about having a UK based rma center, saves posting a motherboard to another country after the initial warranty expires with the retailer.

My take on this KillerNIC/XLAN thing, dont expect it to do anything for you at all, the quality of your broadband signal/cabling to the house matters more.

~bones~ · 19 Nov 2011 at 17:37

Ye I thought it looked likely to be pretty much useless.... I think im going to pretty much rule out the asus as it doesn't have pci 3.0 and based on that link you posted i think the fatal1ty seems a better purchase than the extreme7....

When does the initial warranty expire with OCuk?

stulid · 19 Nov 2011 at 17:42

1 year back to the shop, Asrock have a 2 year warranty so you get 1years worth of sending it to the Netherlands after.

Gigabyte and MSI are 3 years.

~bones~ · 19 Nov 2011 at 17:48

Didn't realise it was a year, seems pretty long.... do you have to keep the box for returns?

May seem like a stupid question but as a student I dont have much room for storage

stulid · 19 Nov 2011 at 17:53

Read this mate - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/support.php

That explains more, such as sometimes its quicker to use a manufacturer RAM center for a faster response than actually returning it to the shop within the first year. Gigabyte for example aim for a 5day turn around time.

If you order on line and have it delivered (not collected) you have the right to change your mind within 7days and send it back for a refund (this is distance selling regulation or DSR for short).

naefeart · 19 Nov 2011 at 18:01

As stulid mentioned there is little to be gained by the Killer. At best slight ping improvements mentioned for some games but nothing that would justify a specific purchase. The included software is good for prioritising network traffic and allowing you to download stuff in the background while gaming online.

see - http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2010/09/02/killer-2100-gaming-network-card/5

I'm only gaming @ 1680x1050 so everything I play runs perfectly smooth at max settings. I haven't checked my fps with Skyrim yet, but it runs without hitch @ ultra settings. Haven't tried BF3 yet. If I get a chance this weekend I'll post some figures up.

For games performance I don't think it matters which of these boards you choose, all will overclock the cpu to 5Ghz or close. My requirements were more focused around future compatibility and minimum hassle if the board borked itself.

~bones~ · 19 Nov 2011 at 18:06

ok thanks for the info guys, i think ill go for the sniper or fatal1ty... probably based on which one comes on sale first!