Which RAM do I choose for SB set up?

[cmndr_andi]

Out of interest, how is it better when connected to an Intel PCH controller SATA II rather than to a dedicated eSata port controlled by an add-on-chip?

The motherboard only has six native SATA ports - these are controlled by the intel platform controller hub (PCH) which is very quick and has a close connection to the CPU. Therefore, use these ports before anything else.

In contrast, the eSATA port is controlled by a separate controller chip (which doesn't perform nearly as well as the PCH) and is hooked onto the PCIE bus.

In conclusion, if you use that adapter then you will certainly make full use of the drive you hook up to it.

2. How safe is the "OC Genie 2" on the MSI mobo, will it OC your CPU to a safe & stable level or is there still a chance with this feature that the CPU could become damaged?

It’s really very safe – the feature doesn’t push the CPU to the limit (you would need to do manual overclocking for that) but it does give you a respectable overclock – 4.2GHz I believe in the case of a i7 2600K. All you need to do after it has set you up the overclock is check the temperatures are safe under load (using coretemp) and enjoy the extra speed.

As for damaging the CPU, don’t worry about that – the feature is made to be conservative by default and if anything funny goes on the system automatically turns off before damage is done.

3. You have said that the BLCK (FSB) is not changed by the OC Genie, but what part of the CPU is changed along with the memory (sorry for newby questions!)?

When overclocking a s1155 CPU the main settings changed are the CPU multiplier (which is unlocked on the i7 2600K) and the CPU core voltage.

1. Does the Asus P8Z68-V mobo have an auto-overclocking feature?

Yes, the ASUS boards have “Auto Tuning” which is a similar feature. But I understand that the MSI implementation is considered to be the best.

2. Does the Asus mobo have high quality components?

It doesn't have bad quality components, but the MSI boards are specifically made with components that last a long time and don't require as much cooling (since they can safely run hotter).

Also, S1155 boards have had reliability issues in the past (for the P67 series at least) and the Z68 series has only recently been released. I hope they got it sorted out, but I know that MSIs P67 boards were solid.

1. Can you explain why video editing software needs GPU acceleration nowadays please? (i know nothing about GPU's). Just want to understand why I need a GPU for video editing? I should mention that the video editing I will be doing is nothing professional. only hobby. I don't know which video/photo editing software I will use yet, will need to shop around. As for digital audio editing & recording software, I will be using the new "Sonar X1 Producer".

It doesn’t “need” GPU acceleration per-se as you can still use the software perfectly well with the CPU running everything. However, software developers have come to realise that in terms of raw computing power, the graphics cards in modern computers are often many times more powerful than even high-end CPUs –so long as they are used in the correct way. Hence, software has been introduced to tap into this extra computing power – that is why you see “GPU accelerated” on many applications these days, including video players, web browsers and Video editors.

You may not want to invest in a discrete graphic card right now – but if you think you might in the future then I would certainly go for a Z68 board now – so you don’t lose Quick sync if you do move to a discrete graphics card (as H67 boards disable the onboard graphics (which powers Quick Sync) if you install a graphics card).

1. It may take some time before I will run in RAID so am I best to just have 2 x internal HDD's (both same models & GB for when I run in RAID) & 1 x external HDD for now as a back up. If so, would you suggest that i only use one of the internal HDD's just for the OS & program files & the other internal HDD for storing all of my audio & video files? Is this the best way? Maybe later down the line I will invest in an SSD.

So long as you backup regularly then that storage arrangement would be fine.

 

[TRACEY_BLAKE]

Thanks for answering all my questions, you've been a massive help! Definately going for a Z68 mobo now, definately going to use the OC Genie II now you've explained it all too! Just one more thing....I didn't realise until now that the MSI mobo you've recommended is a mATX form factor, I'm a bit dubious about this (I'm aware that PCI-E slots have had to be sacrificed because of it's smaller size), therefore is there an identical ATX MSI mobo with the OC Genie II & quality components that you would recommend please??

 

[cmndr_andi]

Happy to help.

Yes, the MSI board I linked to is only Micro-ATX but it does come with a good array of expansion slots despite it's size.

If you would like the next cheapest full-ATX MSI Z68 board that is widely available is this one. Here is the full MSI Z68 product list.

 

[Nightglow]

If your looking to spending that amount on that MSI board, then I suggest you look at the Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen 3 board.

 

[TRACEY_BLAKE]

Thanks for the mobo options. The MSI Z68A-GD65 is over my budget but it's a nice board though!

Does the asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen 3 mobo have an auto-overclocking feature like the MSI's OC Genie?? I can see it has some OC features but it looks to me like these are features for manual overclocking.

Does the asrock mobo use good quality components? Are they a good manufacturer like Asus & MSI??

 

[Surveyor]

Why are the MSI Z68A-GD65 at £155.99 and the MSI Z68A-GD65-G3 at £159.98 out of your price range but the Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 isn't at £169.98?

 

[stulid]

Does the asrock mobo use good quality components? Are they a good manufacturer like Asus & MSI??

First review I believe - http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z68_extreme4_gen3_review,1.html

Does the asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen 3 mobo have an auto-overclocking feature like the MSI's OC Genie?? I can see it has some OC features but it looks to me like these are features for manual overclocking.

If its the same as the non Gen3 version (and theres no reason why it wont be), then it has a OC feature in the BIOS to select from 4.2ghz, 4.4ghz, 4.6ghz, 4.8ghz, you just point and click on what you want and the board takes care of the rest, Speedstep can be left on also, so when you dont need max speed it throttles back to save power and heat.

 

[TRACEY_BLAKE]

First review I believe - http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/asrock_z68_extreme4_gen3_review,1.html



If its the same as the non Gen3 version (and theres no reason why it wont be), then it has a OC feature in the BIOS to select from 4.2ghz, 4.4ghz, 4.6ghz, 4.8ghz, you just point and click on what you want and the board takes care of the rest, Speedstep can be left on also, so when you dont need max speed it throttles back to save power and heat.

Thanks stulid for the review, it seems like a really good mobo. Just one thing..it doesn't look as though it has integrated graphics, or have I got confused??

 

[cmndr_andi]

Thanks stulid for the review, it seems like a really good mobo. Just one thing..it doesn't look as though it has integrated graphics, or have I got confused??

Looking at that review it should come with:

- 1 x D-Sub Port
- 1 x DVI-D Port
- 1 x HDMI Port
- 1 x DisplayPort

Which indicates that it does indeed access the integrated graphics, it also supports lucid virtu.

It looks like a really nice board and it does do automatic overclocking (using the "Advanced Turbo 50" option in the BIOS I believe), however if you don't want to go into the BIOS then the big physical "OC Genie" button on the MSI boards is simpler.

 

[TRACEY_BLAKE]

It looks like a really nice board and it does do automatic overclocking (using the "Advanced Turbo 50" option in the BIOS I believe), however if you don't want to go into the BIOS then the big physical "OC Genie" button on the MSI boards is simpler.

Thanks again for your help.

1. Is there a downfall to having to access auto overclocking in the BIOS instead of one click of a button?? Is it anymore complicated? Cos as I said before I've never overclocked in my life so I need to be able to just click a button & the board do the rest. Would you therefore recommend the Asrock board with this in mind??

2. Is the auto-tuning on the Asus P8Z68-V mobo a matter of clicking a button or do I have to access the BIOS for automatic overclocking on this board like the ASrock??

3. It's now between the Asus P8Z68-V & the Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 mobo & the MSI Z68MA-ED55. Which board would you recommend out of these three?? (bearing in mind I need integrated graphics, firewire, HDMI, SPDIF, DVI, bluetooth, XMP, simple automatic overclocking & quality components). I'm a bit concerned cos just as I've asked this question I've read some threads on here with people having trouble with the Asrock board..something about 'interrupt clock...'!!!

4. Are there any disadvantages to having a micro ATX board(apart from less PCI slots)??

Thanks in advance

 

[cmndr_andi]

1. Is there a downfall to having to access auto overclocking in the BIOS instead of one click of a button?? Is it anymore complicated? Cos as I said before I've never overclocked in my life so I need to be able to just click a button & the board do the rest. Would you therefore recommend the Asrock board with this in mind??

Having the feature in the BIOS isn't a massive failing, but if you aren't comfortable going into the BIOS and switching it on then a physical buttom would be preferable. Also, the auto overclocking "OC genie" used by MSI is known to be great, I simply don't know how the Asrock implementation stacks up in comparison.

2. Is the auto-tuning on the Asus P8Z68-V mobo a matter of clicking a button or do I have to access the BIOS for automatic overclocking on this board like the ASrock??

Like the Asrock, there is no button. It is also within the BIOS.

3. It's now between the Asus P8Z68-V & the Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 mobo, (have disregarded the MSI mobo cos it's mATX) & I feel I may be limited to how many HDD drives I can have in mATX cases). Which board would you recommend out of the Asrock & the Asus?? (bearing in mind I need integrated graphics, firewire, HDMI, SPDIF, DVI, bluetooth, XMP, simple automatic overclocking & quality components).

Thanks in advance

Considering the price you can get the Full-ATX MSI Z68 GD65 I wouldn't recommend discounting it - it isn't much more expensive than the other boards (£145 this week on OCUK).

To directly answer your question, I would go with the asrock.

 

[TRACEY_BLAKE]

Considering the price you can get the Full-ATX MSI Z68 GD65 I wouldn't recommend discounting it - it isn't much more expensive than the other boards (£145 this week on OCUK).

To directly answer your question, I would go with the asrock.

Thanks for your reply. Pls ignore what I'd written about disregarding the micro atx MSI Z68 ED55, it's still a contender! I realise you can get mid towers that are compatible with mATX mobos!!

1. Why did you recommend the Asrock? I'm a little concerned about this board now as just been reading threads of users who have this Asrock board & are experiencing problems, something about 'interrupt clock'. Apparently Asrock have no cure as yet & nobody (not even Asrock) know what is causing the problem! It's put me off a bit! Although saying that, I've also just seen a thread of someone with a gigabyte board who is experiencing exactly the same issue!When he puts his CPU (think it was a 2600k) into his friends MSI mobo, he doesn't experience the problem! Maybe I should go with the MSI mATX board after all, what you think? Don't know if anyone using ASUS is experiencing these 'interrupt clock' issues, do you?

2. Are there any disadvantages to having an mATX mobo as opposed to a full ATX please?

Thanks again.