TR Forums

Hello fellow Tech Report members.

With the recent introduction of Intel's new Z68 chipset, I'm running this poll to get your feedback and gauge your overall reaction. I know a lot of you have had the chance to check out some of the P67 boards out there. For those of you who have spent some time with our P8P67 series boards, do you feel that its strong foundation and feature set including overclocking, SLI, dual slot spacing, USB 3.0, etc., are there reasons that you might consider a Z68 board?

For those of you interested in using an SSD, is it a must that you get the full maximum performance of the drive or are you interested in using SSD Caching or what Intel calls it, Smart Response Technology? Intel SRT allows you to combine a fast SSD with a slower (but higher capacity) mechanical HDD into one logical drive and receive the benefits of the drive performing much faster than an HDD but still having the storage capacity of the HDD.

Feel free to comment on the Z68 chipset and the features it offers and let us know why you are or why you aren't inclined to upgrade to Z68 if you are planning to upgrade your build. Thanks!~

Mason,

I've gotten a chance to see some P67 boards in action and really liked them. The P8P67 pro is on my list of items to purchase when I build in September or so. After seeing the initial reviews, I'm still leaning towards a P67 chipset over a Z68.

Why? As far as I can tell, the Z68 will cost more for two new features I do not plan on using.

1. QuickSync video + Discrete GPU looks great paper, but so far it looks like Virtu's solution isnt very mature yet. On top of that, the list of encoders that support QuickSync video right now is small, so my choices are limited. Since I don't have to encode/transcode video too often (and I can give the job to a second PC using my choice of encoders), the benefit for me isn't so big.

2. Likewise, the Z68 is positioned as an enthusiast chipset. I know SRT will eventually make it down to all motherboard price tiers, and not all building enthusiasts have a lot of money to spend. Still, right now I do have money to purchase a "full sized" SSD, and I'd rather spend the extra money to get a decent amount of SSD space with full SSD performance, rather than a hybrid solution.


I'm not blaming ASUS or any other manufacturer. I think the biggest issue is timing. Sandy Bridge required intel and motherboard makers to put out a supporting performance chipset (P67) before Intel SRT was ready. It does close to 100% of what enthusiasts want, even if it only has 80% of the features Intel wants to showcase. When Z68 finally comes to market in large numbers, a lot of enthusiasts will have already seen that P67 chipsets take care of their needs.

I've already got P67 for my gaming PC, so I'll wait for Llano to decide what will replace my HTPC.

I've had enough issues with my P8P67 Deluxe to warrant waiting a significant period of time after the Z68 launches to determine what kinds of problems people are generally having with the board prior to making any decision regarding purchasing a Z68 equipped board for my use. Call me skeptical.