This ASUS board was not only one of the first models on the Intel Z68 chipset released to the market, but also the first one to come into our laboratory, being a “full-fledged” representative of the chipset. Let us remind you that getting to know the Z68 and its new technology We implemented Smart Response using the Gigabyte Z68X-UD4-B3 board, but it did not provide support for the built-in video of Intel processors. Today we will look at a model that has everything in order, and which, moreover, will give us the opportunity to get acquainted with the second new technology of the Z68 (although not implemented directly through the chipset) - Lucid Virtu.
Virtu technology allows you to combine the operation of the video built into the processor and an external video card when connected to alone monitor one cable. To simplify, the video card can be used for “heavy” games, and the integrated graphics can be used for more utilitarian purposes, of which the most significant, perhaps, is ultra-high-speed video transcoding. Honestly, like everyone else previous projects company LucidLogix, this one looks great from an engineering and research point of view, but in practice it is practically useless and is needed only for “status”. However, licensing Virtu for use on a specific board costs money (similar to the modern implementation of SLI), so we will not see it everywhere, but where we see it, the fact of its use will stick out to the fore. In any case, the technology deserves separate consideration and testing, which we will present to you in the near future.
As for the board itself, it occupies an intermediate position in the line of “normal” ASUS models based on this chipset (not including top-end ones). Maximus boards IV) - between P8Z68 Deluxe and “just” P8Z68-V. By its suffix (Pro), you can immediately understand that this is an entry-level model rather than even a mid-level one. However, the current level of motherboards (especially on the top chipset, which is the Z68) is so high that a typical home user is unlikely to need models more expensive than Pro/EVO (in the case of the ASUS range): today’s heroine, among other things, provides 4 USB port 3.0, 4 SATA600 ports, has a Bluetooth module, supports SLI/CrossFire/Virtu. How much more?
Features of the board
When looking at the board, the only thing that surprises you is a large number of large controller chips and three PCI Express x16 slots - and this, let us remind you, is almost on the junior model in the line. If we ignore the status of the fee, then the picture, in general, is quite typical and familiar. Like all modern ones ASUS boards, this model It has a characteristic dim coloring of slots, connectors, textolite and radiators, several onboard buttons and switches. The layout is definitely convenient: low heatsinks, “side-laid” SATA connectors, a system for fastening memory modules in the slots that does not require folding the latches towards the video card - all this allows you to easily install any cards and expansion modules, connect cables, change the processor with a cooler.
The set of expansion slots is also familiar - with the same caveat that such a set is more typical for mid- and high-end boards. The first two PCI Express x16 slots are connected to the processor and can operate simultaneously in PCI-E 2.0 x8 mode, or one video card installed in the first slot will receive the full bandwidth of the PCI-E 2.0 x16 interface. The third slot is connected to the chipset, and here games like “take the last chair” inevitably begin: there are not enough chipset interfaces for all controllers and slots, so you have to choose a more ingenious combination that is more suitable for a particular case. By reasonable default (“Auto”), the slot operates in x1 mode, while the most likely candidate for overlap is disabled - the second PCIEx1 slot (adjacent to the first PCIEx16). In BIOS Setup, you can also select a mode with a completely unintuitive name “x1” - in this case, the third PCIEx16 and the second PCIEx1 will work, and the USB 3.0 controller, which manages the output of ports to the front panel of the computer, will be disabled. Or, if you really need a “wide” slot to install a serious expansion card, you can enable “x4” mode, which will provide this speed to the third PCIEx16 slot, but at the expense of disabling both PCIEx1 slots, the eSATA controller and the USB 3.0 controller for the front panel ports.
A confusing scheme that can confuse more than just beginners, and in general we do not approve of such solutions (Gigabyte especially likes them). But if you're not afraid to consult the user manual to understand your options and how to switch between them, the board's flexibility is a plus. The second advantage associated with expansion slots is support for all kinds of SLI and CrossFire modes, as well as the already mentioned Lucid Virtu.
The board is very modern in the sense of supporting outdated interfaces - they simply do not exist. Neither IDE/FDD on the PCB, nor (God forbid!) COM/LPT anywhere, nor, finally, PS/2 on the rear panel. Well, 10 years after the PC’2001 specification and 9 years after the release of Abit Max boards, this can hardly cause awe. The only “old stuff” that the owner of a P8Z68 is allowed to do is a pair of PCI slots (although the chipset no longer supports them, so an additional controller is required).
The processor power on all modern ASUS boards is provided by a circuit with a digital PWM controller “Digi+ VRM” (it is unofficially known that this is a relabeled Chil controller - in in this case, apparently CHL8328). The controller is 8-channel, 6 channels (with doublers) go to power the core, another 2 (also with doublers) go to power the built-in video accelerator. Each “virtual” channel that powers the graphics accelerator uses a pair of field-effect transistors, and the “virtual” channels for powering the core have 4. The used PWM controller implements a number of proprietary technologies - for example, load balancing across channels to ensure uniform heating of the components of the power converter (T.Probe), as well as very fine tuning of the controller’s operating modes, performed with the greatest convenience using the Digi+ VRM module in the proprietary AI Suite II utility. And this is not counting other familiar functions of modern power converters, such as reducing the number of active channels during idle time, as well as the advantages of digital PWM controllers, including switching speed (which determines, among other things, the amount of deviation of the output voltage from the nominal value).
The power supply for the System Agent unit (with a memory controller) and the power supply for the memory modules on the board will be handled by separate two-channel controllers; each channel uses a pair of field controllers. In addition, it is probably unnecessary to mention that in all circuits on the board only polymer capacitors made in Japan (Fujitsu, now Nichicon) with an increased service life are used, field effect transistors with low open channel resistance (R DS(ON)), chokes with ferrite core. In short, the power supply scheme of this model with the Pro suffix does not correspond to budget solutions. (However, approaching from the other side, we can say that ASUS considers it necessary to introduce converters of this class even into the most inexpensive models. On the third hand, however, the price of this board is also not budget-friendly.)
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One of the useful and pleasant consequences large number channels in the power converter (whether they are “real” or “virtual”) is the low heating of these components, since the current flows through a larger number of field-effect transistors, chokes, etc. But of course, since the board is seriously designed for overclocking processors (including in this case, and the video built into the processor), the voltage converter for the processor is not left without cooling. We used well-known aluminum radiators of a bizarre shape, moderately massive, that is, they are not pure decoration. The same can be said about the heatsink on the chipset: despite the simplicity of its profile, this flat piece of aluminum is quite capable of dissipating the measly 6 W TDP of the chipset without bringing its temperature to critical values and without creating interference for installing long expansion cards and connecting cables . Finally, the field-effect transistors in the processor power circuit on the back side of the board are also covered with an aluminum plate, which is also the basis for attaching the “upper” heatsink with metal screws.
The P8Z68-V Pro also boasts a number of distinctive little things that are characteristic of expensive motherboards - in fact, among the attributes of such models, in this case the only thing missing is a POST indicator that displays information about problems during loading in the form of an error code on a segment display. However, there is still a simplified version of the diagnostic module: if there are problems with the processor, memory, video card and boot device, the corresponding LED on the PCB lights up. Onboard buttons not only provide relatively useless system on/off and reboot, but also allow you to use proprietary MemOK! - when you press the corresponding button, the board automatically tries to change the frequency and memory timings (first of all, by setting them to a compatible SPD mode), and if necessary, even raises the supply voltage. As a result, the system is almost guaranteed to start after installing new memory modules that are partially incompatible with the current BIOS Setup settings, and you will not have to reset CMOS to do this.
For gourmet overclockers, it is possible to manually enable/disable the operation of EPU technologies (which controls energy saving modes, including disabling “extra” channels of the power converter when idle) and TPU (automatic overclocking mode) using two switches. (Of course, it is more convenient to do this using proprietary utilities for Windows.) Perhaps the only thing missing is a button to reset CMOS - here this operation will have to be performed by moving the jumper. Note that the board has as many as 6 connectors for connecting fans, 3 of them are 4-pin, 5 monitor the speed, and 4 have manual and automatic speed control.
BIOS
The board implements (as, of course, one would expect) the same (U)EFI BIOS, the capabilities and configuration interface of which we examined in detail in the review of ASUS P8P67 Deluxe. We didn’t see anything fundamentally new in this case, although, of course, in the setup program there were items for overclocking and monitoring the built-in video accelerator and, say, switching specific operating modes of expansion slots. Let us repeat that the implementation of the graphical interface of the setup program by ASUS is one of the best (among those manufacturers who even bothered with such a solution), so there are no complaints about the BIOS, although it is obvious that this cannot be a significant advantage - simply, everything you need can be done long ago do with more convenient programs under Windows.
Equipment and proprietary utilities
Unlike the set of the “luxury” model, there was nothing really interesting in the box, although the bar with 2 USB ports 3.0 may well come in handy. Unfortunately, it will only allow you to display ports on back panel computer, paired with those located there in the standard connector block - so for output to the front panel of the case (if your case does not provide “native” USB 3.0 ports), you will have to buy a module in a 3-inch bay. The kit includes 4 SATA cables (including the so-called “SATA 6Gb/s”, no different from ordinary ones), a disk with drivers and proprietary software, a couple of manual books, a plug for the rear panel of the board connectors, an SLI bridge and a set for more convenient connection of cables from the front panel of the case to the connector on the PCB.
We also wrote about proprietary ASUS utilities last time, so we refer you to the review of ASUS P8P67 Deluxe to evaluate the appearance of the modern AI Suite and to the review of ASUS P7P55D Deluxe and P7P55D EVO for information about the utility modules of this package.
Functionality
Compared to P67 boards (or H67/Z68 without video outputs), a lot of space in the connector block is spent on video output - hence the savings on unnecessary little things, like the already mentioned PS/2 and the button for clearing CMOS. However, even in the absence of these little things, everything necessary did not fit on the back: there are so many important and useful controllers on the board that something has to be sacrificed. In this case, we see 6 USB 2.0 ports and 2 more USB 3.0 ports, a power socket, three different video outputs (excluding the supported, but expensive and little needed DisplayPort), standard audio connectors + optical S/PDIF-Out, eSATA port (no power /USB) and the antenna output of the Bluetooth module. Quite a lot, you will agree, but even so (and without quibbling about the fact that I would like more of this and that) the board has a unique feature: it implements FireWire support, but there was not enough space for a single connector of this interface on the rear panel, so that they will have to be brought out to the bar (or to the front panel of the case).
Probably, in this situation it is pointless to express any wishes - everything you need is there, but the rest simply does not fit. Let us remind you that the video outputs of the integrated Intel video work independently to connect two monitors with any combination of available interfaces. Of course, the built-in video continues to work even after installing an external video card (or several video cards), and in this case you can even “combine” their work when outputting to one monitor using one cable using Lucid Virtu technology.
The board was provided for testing by the manufacturer
While the Z68 Express remains the latest chipset from Intel, we continue our series of reviews of motherboards based on it. To date, we have managed to look at the older model of the Micro-Star company - the MSI Z68A-GD80 (B3) board, as well as a number of boards from Gigabyte. First, we examined four Gigabyte boards from UD3P to UD7, which did not have video outputs, then the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 board, equipped with a full set of connectors for connecting monitors, and finally we tested the unique Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD board. the main feature of which is the presence of a compact Intel SSD drive with a capacity of 20 GB, specifically designed to implement Intel Smart Response technology. Obviously, this list is sorely lacking motherboards from ASUSTeK, and therefore today we will look at three models at once: the older Asus P8Z68 Deluxe, the middle Asus P8Z68-V Pro and one of the younger ones - Asus P8Z68-V. The LGA1155 boards from ASUSTeK that we tested earlier clearly stood out among competitors due to the presence of an integrated Bluetooth controller, successful implementation of EFI BIOS, a large number of features and good overclocking capabilities. We can immediately say that the Asus P8Z68 Deluxe, P8Z68-V Pro and Asus P8Z68-V boards fully correspond to this brief description, and the details will become known to you as this review progresses.Review of Asus P8Z68 Deluxe board
The box in which the Asus P8Z68 Deluxe motherboard is supplied is of standard dimensions and has a traditional design. On the front side of the package: the name of the board and logos of supported features and technologies, and on the back: an image of the board, a list of technical characteristics and a short story about some of the features. The only thing, besides the “Deluxe” prefix, that gives away the high status of the board is the ability to fold back the top cover, which is attached with Velcro, and examine the board through the large transparent window without removing it from the packaging.The complete list of accessories included with the board is as follows:
six SATA cables with metal latches, half of them with L-shaped connectors, and the rest with straight cables, two pairs specifically designed for connecting SATA 6 GB/s devices (distinguished by white inserts on the connectors);
additional module with two USB 3.0 ports for installation in a three-inch bay system unit;
user guide;
In this list I would like to especially note a very useful accessory - an additional module with two USB 3.0 ports for installation in a three-inch bay of the system unit. Cases with the ability to output USB 3.0 ports to the front, top or sidebar More and more are appearing every day, but this component from the board kit will allow you to provide USB 3.0 support even for an existing, albeit not the newest, but still convenient and otherwise satisfactory system unit.
Regarding design motherboard Asus P8Z68 Deluxe, then it may seem familiar to you. It’s not surprising, since the board is very similar to the Asus P8P67 Deluxe board we’ve already tested. Some differences can only be noticed in the processor power converter, which is understandable, since it was necessary to provide additional power for the graphics core integrated into the processor, but otherwise there is no difference between the boards.
The processor socket supports all modern LGA1155 CPUs, four slots for memory modules can accommodate a total volume of 32 GB, and provide dual-channel access for memory operating at frequencies from 800 to 2400 MHz. In addition to two SATA 6 GB/s ports and four SATA 3 GB/s ports, which the chipset provides, there are two more SATA 6 GB/s ports, implemented using the Marvell 88SE9128 controller, and thanks to the JMicron JMB362 controller, two eSATA 3 ports are located on the rear panel GB/s, and one of them is Power eSATA, that is, it is capable of supplying energy to the connected device. The board is equipped with two PCI connectors, two PCI Express 2.0 x1 and three PCI Express 2.0 x16, in connection with which it is necessary to say about the purpose of the additional PLX PEX 8608 controller.
The ability to divide the sixteen free PCI Express 2.0 lanes available in the processor into two groups of eight lines was initially built into the logic set, and therefore the presence of two connectors for video cards on the boards is not at all surprising, but quite natural. Difficulties arise when the manufacturer places a third PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot on the board. There are no free lines for it in the processor anymore, you have to use the capabilities of the chipset, but they are needed to connect other connectors and controllers. Therefore, usually only one PCI Express 2.0 x1 lane remains for the third connector, maximum four, but in this case you have to sacrifice something. In the technical specifications, manufacturers list in fine print a set of features that will have to be abandoned if a third video card connector is used. Typically these are additional SATA or eSATA controllers, USB 3.0, IEEE1394 (FireWire), PCI or PCI-E x1 ports. In our case, thanks to the eight PCI Express 2.0 lanes provided by the PLX PEX 8608 controller, all three video card connectors and all other connectors and controllers can operate simultaneously, without shutdowns.
We have already mentioned some additional controllers used on the board. We will list the rest when studying the list of rear panel elements:
PS/2 connector for connecting a keyboard or mouse;
eight USB 2.0 ports, and four more can be connected to two internal connectors on the board;
two USB 3.0 ports (blue connectors), implemented on the basis of the Renesas (NEC) D720200F1 controller, the second same controller provides two more internal USB 3.0 ports;
coaxial and optical S/PDIF, as well as six analog audio connectors, which are provided by the eight-channel Realtek ALC889 codec;
Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR module;
IEEE1394 (FireWire) port, implemented on the basis of the VIA 6315N controller, the second port can be found as a connector on the board;
Power eSATA 3 GB/s ports ( Green colour) and eSATA 3 GB/s, which appeared thanks to the JMicron JMB362 controller;
"Clear CMOS" button;
two connectors local network(network adapters are built on gigabit Intel WG82579V and Realtek RTL8111E controllers).
The Asus P8Z68 Deluxe motherboard belongs to the upper price range. The board is equipped with a large number of additional controllers, capabilities and technologies. The use of a weak graphics core integrated into processors does not fit into the concept of a powerful and comprehensively developed motherboard, so the absence of video outputs on the rear panel is quite natural and easily explained. The board is initially aimed at using a discrete video card, or even several cards combined in ATI CrossFire or NVIDIA SLI modes. At the same time, it remains possible to make full use of the rear panel by placing a large number of connectors on it. However, it must be emphasized that due to the lack of video outputs, the board has not lost the ability to use the capabilities of the integrated graphics; thanks to LucidLogix Virtu technology, you can enable Intel Quick Sync technology, designed for fast encoding and decoding of video content.
On the Asus P8Z68 Deluxe board we can find many features that are already familiar to us from other ASUSTeK boards. For example, the illuminated power and reboot buttons are complemented by the “MemOK!” button, which ensures a confident start even if there are memory problems. There are convenient wide latches on the connectors for video cards “Q-Slot” and slots for memory modules with latches on only one side “Q-DIMM”. The Q-Led LED system will tell you at what stage the download was interrupted, and the POST code indicator will indicate the exact reason. The TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) switch will allow you to automatically overclock the processor, and the EPU (Energy Processing Unit) switch will enable more optimal operating modes in terms of energy efficiency.
The following illustration schematically demonstrates the total capabilities of the board:
Review of Asus P8Z68-V Pro board
The packaging of the Asus P8Z68-V Pro motherboard differs from the box in which the older model is packaged, mainly only in the absence of a hinged lid. Otherwise, everything is the same: colors, design principles, logos, an image of the board itself on the back side and a short story about the features there.
The contents have been slightly reduced - there are two fewer SATA cables, the ability to output additional USB 3.0 ports to the front panel has been replaced by an additional bracket with USB 3.0 ports for the rear panel of the system unit. The complete list of accessories included with the board is as follows:
flexible bridge for combining two video cards in SLI mode;
additional bracket for the rear panel with two USB 3.0 ports;
plug for the rear panel (I/O Shield);
“Asus Q-Connector” adapter kit, including modules to simplify the connection of buttons and indicators on the front panel of the system unit and USB connector 2.0;
user guide;
DVD with software and drivers;
“Powered by ASUS” sticker on the system unit.
The Asus P8Z68-V Pro motherboard is not a simplified version of the older model; it uses its own design. However, many similarities can be found between the boards.
Let's focus on the differences. The cooling system has become simpler, without losing any efficiency - the additional central radiator has disappeared, but all heated elements of the board are equipped with radiators. The number and range of Serial ATA ports remains the same, but two additional SATA 6 GB/s ports are now provided by the Marvell 88SE9172 controller. The JMicron JMB362 controller remains, but it now has only one eSATA 3 GB/s port on the rear panel; a little later we will find out why this happened. There are no visible changes in the slots for expansion cards; the board is equipped with two PCI slots, two PCI Express 2.0 x1 and three PCI Express 2.0 x16. Support for ATI CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI technologies has remained, and the formula for how video card connectors work has not changed, but now, if we use the third PCI Express 2.0 x16 connector, which is capable of ensuring the card operates at PCI-E x4 speed, we will have to abandon the use of two connectors PCI Express 2.0 x1, from additional USB 3.0 ports and from eSATA. By the way, instead of traditional Renesas (NEC) controllers, USB 3.0 support on the board is provided by a pair of ASMedia ASM1042 controllers.
When you look at the back panel of the board, the reason for refusing to connect some ports to it becomes clear - video outputs have appeared, which take up a lot of space. The complete list of elements on the rear panel of the board is as follows:
Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR module;
Because of the video outputs, we had to abandon the output of IEEE1394 (FireWire) ports on the rear panel, but support remains and is provided by the same VIA 6315N controller; two internal connectors can be found on the board. There is no POST code indicator, but it will help determine the cause of problems at startup convenient system LEDs "Q-Led". The CMOS reset button has disappeared, but the “MemOK!” button remains. and illuminated power and reset buttons. In place are convenient wide latches on the connectors for video cards “Q-Slot”, connectors for memory modules with latches on only one side “Q-DIMM”, TPU (TurboV Processing Unit) and EPU (Energy Processing Unit) switches. The number of fan connectors has even increased from five to six.
A schematic list of the main features of the board is presented in the following illustration:
Review of Asus P8Z68-V board
Well-known design principles greet us when we look at the box with the Asus P8Z68-V board.
Having lost the “Pro” prefix, which distinguishes it from the average model, the board has lost little in its configuration - we do not find only an additional bracket with USB 3.0 ports. In all other respects, the set of accessories remained unchanged:
four SATA cables with metal latches, two of them with L-shaped connectors, and the rest with straight cables, one pair is specifically designed for connecting SATA 6 GB/s devices (distinguished by white inserts on the connectors);
flexible bridge for combining two video cards in SLI mode;
plug for the rear panel (I/O Shield);
a set of “Asus Q-Connector” adapters, including modules to simplify the connection of buttons and indicators on the front panel of the system unit and the USB 2.0 connector;
user guide;
DVD with software and drivers;
“Powered by ASUS” sticker on the system unit.
As for the Asus P8Z68-V board itself, it is based on the design of the mid-range model with some very minor simplifications.
On the upper half of the board we will not find any differences at all from the average model; as for the lower part of the board, you can notice that the additional controller that adds a pair of SATA 6 GB/s ports has disappeared, the board has lost support for IEEE1394 (FireWire) and a reset button. That's all, and all other possibilities are fully preserved.
As for the rear panel, there are no differences from the average model with the “Pro” prefix. The complete list of elements on the rear panel of the board is as follows:
six USB 2.0 ports, and six more can be connected to three internal connectors on the board;
Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR module;
eSATA 3 GB/s port, thanks to the JMicron JMB362 controller;
optical S/PDIF, as well as six analog audio connectors, which are provided by the eight-channel Realtek ALC892 codec;
video outputs D-Sub, DVI and HDMI;
two USB 3.0 ports (blue connectors), implemented on the basis of the ASMedia ASM1042 controller, the second same controller provides two more internal USB 3.0 ports;
LAN connector ( network adapter built on a gigabit Intel WG82579 controller).
Thus, if two USB 3.0 ports on the rear panel are enough for you, and two additional ones are not necessary, if you do not need to use IEEE1394 (FireWire) ports, if you are quite satisfied with having two SATA 6 GB/s ports and four SATA 3 GB /s, which provides a set of logic, and you can do without a reset button on the board, then you should choose Asus P8Z68-V, since the capabilities of the same board with the “Pro” prefix are redundant for you. A nice reward for giving up several functions you already don’t need will be the difference in price between the boards.
The board's capabilities are shown schematically in the following illustration:
Comparative characteristics of boards
All major specifications The boards in question can be easily found on the manufacturer’s website, but for ease of comparison we have compiled them into a single table.
BIOS Features
All motherboards reviewed have virtually the same BIOS capabilities. Some differences are due only to the presence or absence of certain additional controllers, so we will study the capabilities of the boards using the example of the older Asus P8Z68 Deluxe model, which is equipped with a full set of parameters.By default, when entering the BIOS, we are greeted with the “EZ Mode” mode, which mainly performs informational functions, since it allows you to configure almost nothing. You can select only one of three power saving modes and set the order in which boot devices are polled by simply dragging them with the mouse.
In the settings, you can make the “Advanced Mode” mode the starting mode, in which case the familiar “Main” section will appear before our eyes.
The bulk of the options necessary for overclocking are concentrated in the “Ai Tweaker” section. The new Asus EFI BIOS only looks unusual, but in its structure and set of parameters we can easily guess the previous, well-known BIOS capabilities of Asus boards. However, one cannot help but notice a large number of new options, mainly related to power and energy consumption, which have appeared thanks to the new digital power system “DIGI+”.
Some parameters are traditionally placed in separate subsections so as not to overly clutter the main one. In particular, changing memory timings has been placed on a separate page.
Parameters related to processor power management are also included in a separate subsection. By the way, only Asus and Gigabyte boards automatically adjust to the values specified by the user during overclocking and increase the permitted limits of processor power consumption. On other boards, the limits have to be changed manually.
The capabilities of the subsections of the “Advanced” section are also well known to us and are clear by their names. We can only note that recently SATA drives on Asus boards operate in AHCI mode by default.
In the “CPU Configuration” subsection we learn basic information about the processor and manage some processor technologies.
The “Monitor” section reports the current values of temperatures, voltages and fan speeds. For processor and case fans, you can select preset rotation speed control modes from the standard set: “Standard”, “Silent” or “Turbo”, or select the appropriate parameters in manual mode. Only fans marked “PWR” cannot be adjusted.
In the “Boot” section we select the parameters that will be applied when the system starts.
Next, we will explore the capabilities of the subsections of the “Tools” section.
The built-in utility for updating firmware “EZ Flash 2” is one of the most convenient and functional programs of its kind. However, with the transition to EFI BIOS it has changed slightly for the worse, in particular, now the current firmware version is saved by default in the root partition of the connected drive.
Like on boards from many other manufacturers, we can now see the information embedded in the SPD of memory modules.
Asus boards allow you to save and quickly load eight complete profiles BIOS settings. Each profile can be given a short name that reminds you of its content.
The “Drive Xpert” subsection allows you to configure the operating mode of drives connected to the additional Marvell 88SE9128 controller. This section is missing from Board BIOS Asus P8Z68-V Pro, since the Marvell 88SE9172 controller is used, which does not support combining disks into RAID arrays, and the Asus P8Z68-V board does not have an additional Marvell controller at all.
The last one is the “Exit” section, where you can apply the changes made, load default values, or return back to the simplified “EZ Mode”.
The new Asus EFI BIOS is a great example of how you can expand the capabilities of an old BIOS without losing the same usability. In some ways, the disadvantage is the main advantage - the very large number of parameters available for changing can at first overwhelm and lead to confusion. However, in the default mode, generally optimal values are set and you can not change anything, but get a properly working system.
Test system configuration
All experiments were carried out on a test system including the following set of components:
Motherboards:
Asus P8Z68 Deluxe rev.1.00 (LGA1155, Intel Z68 Express, BIOS version 0706);
Asus P8Z68-V Pro rev.1.01 (LGA1155, Intel Z68 Express, BIOS version 0651);
Asus P8Z68-V rev.1.01 (LGA1155, Intel Z68 Express, BIOS version 0651);
Processor - Intel Core i5-2500K (3.3 GHz, Sandy Bridge, LGA1155);
Memory - 2 x 2048 MB DDR3 SDRAM Patriot Extreme Performance Viper II Sector 5 Series PC3-16000, PVV34G2000LLKB, (2000 MHz, 8-8-8-24, supply voltage 1.65 V);
Video card - MSI N570GTX-M2D12D5/OC ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, GF110, 40 nm, 786/4200 MHz, 320-bit GDDR5 1280 MB);
Disk subsystem - Kingston SSD Now V+ Series (SNVP325-S2, 128 GB);
Cooling system - Scythe Mugen 2 Revision B (SCMG-2100) and an additional 80x80 mm fan for airflow around the socket during overclocking;
Thermal paste - ARCTIC MX-2;
Power supply - CoolerMaster RealPower M850 (RS-850-ESBA);
The case is an open test bench based on the Antec Skeleton case.
The operating system was Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64 bit (Microsoft Windows, Version 6.1, Build 7601: Service Pack 1), driver set for Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility 9.2.0.1030, video card driver - NVIDIA GeForce Driver 280.26.
Features of operation and overclocking
In this section of the review, we usually talk about the problems that we had to overcome when assembling test systems, about errors and shortcomings, if any were found, and then we move on to the results of overclocking the processor and memory. This time I propose to slightly change the usual scheme. Difficulties during assembly arose only with the older board; we already talked about them in the review of the Asus P8P67 Deluxe board, since its design is similar. One of the screws that secures the additional central radiator interferes with the installation of the reinforcement plate of the Scythe Mugen 2 cooler. However, this is a minor problem. Since the central radiator itself does not cool anything, but is only used as an additional heat dissipation area, it does not need a strong clamp, it just needs to be secured, for which one screw is enough. Thus, the only difficulty during assembly was successfully overcome; as for any comments on the operation of the boards in nominal mode, we did not have any. All boards worked flawlessly; no special settings were required, except for adjusting the fan speed. However, I would like to talk about one aspect regarding the older Asus P8Z68 Deluxe board.Leafing through the manual for the board, I noticed that the specifications indicate the presence of an additional Marvell 88SE9128 controller with the “HyperDuo” function. It’s a little strange that there was no mention of this feature in the technical specifications of the board on the website. Even search with using Google I didn’t find a single mention of this technology on the Asus website, but there was a lot of information on the Internet. It turned out that last year Marvell conducted experiments on combining HDD and SSD, similar to the Intel Smart Response technology announced later for Intel Z68 Express chipsets, then this concept was called “HyperHDD”. And already at the beginning of this year, the Marvell 88SE9130 controller was introduced, which made it possible to combine a slow HDD with a fast SSD to speed up the disk subsystem by caching frequently used files, and the final name of this technology is “HyperDuo”. There are two options for combining drives - “Safe Mode” and “Capacity Mode”. The first option works in the same way as Intel Smart Response technology - frequently used files are mirrored from a slow HDD to a fast SSD, which, when reused, gives a significant increase in speed. The second option is a little less reliable, but it allows you to store a larger amount of data, which is divided between the HDD and SSD, that is, we do not lose the available space due to data duplication.
This is all very interesting, but it is not clear what it has to do with us, since the technology was announced for the specialized Marvell 88SE9130 controller and is expected to work on newer controllers, while the Asus P8Z68 Deluxe board has the old Marvell 88SE9128? Apparently, to support the HyperDuo technology, it is enough to update the controller firmware. So our Marvell 88SE9128 (I specifically removed the radiator and clarified the markings) appears to the system as Marvell 88SE9130. Please note the Device ID parameter in the following illustration.
I must say that I was extremely impressed. Marvell 88SE9128 controllers are very widespread, found on dozens of different motherboards from different manufacturers. As a result, if there is such a controller on the board using the HyperDuo technology, it will be possible to bypass the artificial limitations of the similar Intel Smart Response technology, which only works on boards based on Intel Z68 Express logic. Merging drives using HyperDuo was extremely easy. When the board starts, we enter the controller BIOS, mark both drives, and then select the desired mode from the list.
We chose the “Safe Mode” because in this case there is no data loss, in addition, we planned to compare the results obtained with the performance of Intel Smart Response technology, which we recently tested in our review of the Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD motherboard. The loading and first start of the operating system were successful, after which we had to wait for quite a long time while the data from the HDD was copied to the SSD. However, when rebooting, a “blue screen of death” appeared, which haunted us until we abandoned the use of HyperDuo technology. Each new attempt to download operating system ended with a “blue screen of death”, deleting disk consolidation in the controller BIOS led to a freeze, rewriting the MBR did not help ( Master Boot Record) on SSD and complete removal from all sections from it. At the same time, the system booted properly from a single HDD, but as soon as the SSD was connected, the monitor screen was filled with a hated blue. In the end, I guessed to connect only one SSD to the controller, and only in this case was it possible to eliminate the disk consolidation in the controller’s BIOS, after which it became possible to load the operating system.
Despite the unsuccessful start, we have not yet given up our intention to test the operation of the HyperDuo technology. Marvell has a special utility MRU (Marvell RAID Utility), which can be downloaded from the Asus website under the name MSU (Marvell Storage Utility). Using this utility, combining disks is no more difficult than in the controller BIOS, even easier.
Having seen the HDD and SSD connected to the controller, the utility itself suggests combining them using the “HyperDuo” technology, so we can only agree, and then wait until the data from the HDD is copied to the SSD. Unfortunately, the long waiting period ended with the now familiar “blue screen of death” and at this disappointing moment we stopped trying to get the HyperDuo technology to work. It’s probably not without reason that mentions of it remained only in the board manuals; it seems that in its current form its performance is insufficient for widespread use. Try it, you might have better luck.
If we talk about overclocking, the Asus P8Z68 Deluxe motherboard does not disappoint at all. She easily overclocked the processor to the maximum frequency for our sample, 4.7 GHz, while ensuring memory operation at a frequency of 1867 MHz.
However, this is the older model, the most technologically equipped, therefore good results acceleration is not surprising for her. It was all the more pleasant to see that the average Asus model P8Z68-V Pro is in no way behind the older one.
The Asus P8Z68-V Pro and Asus P8Z68-V boards are very similar, based on the same version of the design, but the younger one was unable to ensure memory performance at high frequencies and had to be reduced, which was partially compensated by setting more aggressive timings. But when it comes to overclocking the processor, the board is not at all behind its older sisters.
We always overclock the system so that it can be used in long-term mode, and we do not make the task easier for ourselves by disabling any motherboard capabilities, for example, additional controllers. And, whenever possible, we try to preserve the operation of processor energy-saving technologies. In this case, on all boards, energy-saving technologies worked, reducing the voltage supplied to the processor and its multiplication factor when there was no load, as demonstrated by the following animated screenshot.
Performance Comparison
We traditionally compare motherboards in terms of speed in two modes: when the system operates under nominal conditions and when the processor and memory are overclocked. The first mode is interesting from the point of view that it allows you to find out how well motherboards work by default. It is known that a significant part of users do not fine-tune the system; they only set the optimal parameters in the BIOS and do not change anything else. So we carry out the test, almost without interfering with the default values set by the boards. For comparison, we used data obtained during tests of the Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD motherboard. The results shown by the boards are sorted in descending order.In Cinebench 11.5, we run CPU tests five times and average the results.
The Fritz Chess Benchmark utility has been used in tests for a very long time and has proven itself to be excellent. It produces highly repeatable results, and performance scales well depending on the number of computational threads used.
In the x264 HD Benchmark 4.0, a small video clip is encoded in two passes and the entire process is repeated four times. The average results of the second pass are presented in the diagram.
Performance measurement in Adobe Photoshop We're running our own test, a creative reworking of the Retouch Artists Photoshop Speed Test, which involves typical processing of four 10-megapixel images taken with a digital camera.
In the data archiving test, a one-gigabyte file is compressed using LZMA2 algorithms, while other compression parameters are left at default values.
As with the compression test, the faster the calculation of 16 million digits of pi is completed, the better. This is the only test where the number of processor cores does not play any role; the load is single-threaded.
Comprehensive performance tests are both good and bad in that they are comprehensive, but software Futuremark companies have gained prominence and are widely used for comparisons. To evaluate the weighted average performance of the platform, the PCMark 7 test measures the speed of typical real-world algorithms that are widely used by users in their daily activities. The diagram shows the average result of passing the test cycle three times.
The 3DMark 11 test evaluates, first of all, the speed of the graphics subsystem. The following chart shows the average result of running the 3DMark 11 test cycle three times in Performance mode with default settings.
Since the video card in our reviews is not overclocked, the following diagram uses only the results of the 3DMark 11 - Physics Score processor tests. This characteristic is the result of a special physical test that simulates the behavior of a complex gaming system with a large number of objects.
Using the built-in FC2 Benchmark Tool, we run the Ranch Small card ten times at a resolution of 1920x1080 with high quality settings and using DirectX 10.
Resident Evil 5 also has a built-in benchmark for measuring performance. Her specialty is that she makes excellent use of opportunities. multi-core processors. Tests are carried out in DirectX 10 mode, at a resolution of 1920x1080 with high quality settings, the results of five passes are averaged.
As you'd expect, there's virtually no difference in performance between sister boards, with the boards running at roughly the same speed in most applications. Now let's carry out the same tests when overclocking the processor and memory. The difference in operating parameters of systems during overclocking is reflected in the table:
And again, there is not a big difference in the speed of the boards, however, a certain lag between the Asus P8Z68-V and Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD can be seen in the 7-Zip and 3DMark 11 Physics Score tests. This is quite natural, since the memory on these boards operated at a lower frequency. The difference is small but noticeable, so exaggerate the significance high frequency memory is not worth it, but it should not be neglected either.
Energy consumption measurements
Energy consumption was measured using an Extech Power Analyzer 380803. The device is turned on in front of the computer's power supply, that is, it measures the consumption of the entire system “from the outlet,” with the exception of the monitor, but including losses in the power supply itself. When measuring consumption at rest, the system is inactive, we wait for the complete cessation of post-start activity and the absence of access to the hard drive. The load on the processor is created using the "LinX" program. For greater clarity, diagrams of the growth of energy consumption were constructed when the systems were operating in nominal mode and during overclocking, depending on the increase in the level of load on the processor when changing the number of computational threads of the “LinX” utility. In the diagrams, the boards are arranged in alphabetical order.
As during the performance tests, the difference in power consumption of the motherboards is not too large, but one cannot help but notice that the consumption of Asus motherboards is slightly higher than average. When accelerating to MSI board energy-saving technologies stop working, but despite this, the energy consumption of Asus boards is comparable to it, and sometimes even higher. This is perhaps the only disappointing thing we noticed while testing Asus motherboards.
Afterword
Now that we have already gotten acquainted with a variety of motherboards for LGA1155 processors, on different logic sets, from different manufacturers, we can already say with confidence that ASUSTeK motherboards are among the best. The boards are well packaged, sufficiently equipped, competently and conveniently designed, and of high quality. They have a convenient and rich EFI BIOS parameters, the boards meet modern requirements, support advanced technologies, and the wide range of Asus boards allows you to choose exactly the model that best suits your needs and requirements. It cannot be said that ASUSTeK motherboards are better than their competitors in every way, but in terms of the totality of their characteristics, they confidently occupy a leading position, there is no doubt about it.Other materials on this topic
Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3-iSSD - motherboard with SSD on board
Review of Socket FM1 board Gigabyte GA-A75-UD4H and overclocking AMD Llano
Gigabyte G1.Sniper and GA-X58A-OC - LGA1366 boards for gamers and overclockers
The laboratory site continues to introduce its readers to motherboards in the lower price range based on the Intel Z68 Express chipset. Previously, we tested ASRock Z68 Pro3 Gen3 and Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3; in continuation of the topic, we will consider ASUS P8Z68-V LX - a direct price competitor for the above-mentioned boards.
Let's start the review, as usual, with packaging and delivery.
Packaging and equipment
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The design of the box is not original: the base itself is painted in dark colors, only large letters of the model name and logos of supported technologies stand out. Such packaging does not attract much attention, but it is informative.
On the reverse side you can find a photograph of the product and a list of its main characteristics, which allows you to some extent avoid buying a “pig in a poke.” There is also a portion of inevitable advertising in the form of a description of the operation of some technologies.
When you open the box, you see the motherboard itself, packed in an antistatic bag:
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It is fixed tightly, there should be no problems with transportation. The delivery kit is partly located at the bottom of the box, and partly (SATA cables) is located inside the cardboard retainer above the board.
The list of accessories includes:
- Plug for the rear panel;
- Two SATA cables;
- User guide;
- Brief installation instructions;
- Disk with software.
The delivery set is extremely limited, expect something else for budget option it would be stupid. The positive aspects include neither the presence of only two SATA cables, nor the absence of a Q-Connector adapter in the package.
Board design and features
The ASUS P8Z68-V LX dimensions are 305x229 mm, which is narrower than full-size ATX form factor motherboards (305x244 mm), but it is still wider than the previously tested Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3 (305x215 mm) and ASRock Z68 Pro3 Gen3 (305x191 mm).
Of course, there are unsoldered elements, which is typical for models in this price range, but still the motherboard does not look “empty”. At the same time, the low-cost nature of the product is striking - this is especially noticeable in the processor power converter and the absence of radiators on transistors. Well, it remains to be seen how such a solution will manifest itself during overclocking.
Back side:
There are no elements on the reverse side. You can only pay attention to the screw fastening of the radiator of the chipset cooling system and to the manufacturer of the processor socket - Foxconn.
Arrangement of elements:
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| 1. | ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR, 8-pin EATX12V) |
| 2. | CPU, Chassis and power fan connectors (4-pin CPU_FAN, 4-pin CHA_FAN1/2, 3-pin PWR_FAN) |
| 3. | Intel CPU socket |
| 4. | DDR3 DIMM sockets |
| 5. | DRAM LED |
| 6. | MemOK! Switch |
| 7. | Onboard LED (SB_PWR) |
| 8. | Intel Z68 Serial ATA 3.0 Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA3G_1-4) |
| 9. | Intel Z68 Serial ATA 6.0 Gb/s connectors (7-pin SATA6G_1/2) |
| 10. | System panel connector (20-8 pin PANEL) |
| 11. | Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC) |
| 12. | USB connectors (10-1 pin USB5~12) |
| 13. | TPU switch |
| 14. | TPU LED (ELED 730) |
| 15. | Serial port connectors (10-1 pin COM1) |
| 16. | Digital audio connector (4-1 pin SPDIF_OUT) |
| 17. | Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin AAFP) |
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There are four slots for DDR3 memory, which are equipped with latches on both sides:
Since the graphics PCI-E X16 is located at the height of the second expansion slot (the top/first one is PCI-E X1), the video card installed in the system will not block access to the slots random access memory.
The manufacturer declared operating modes DDR3 1066 / 1333 / 1600 / 1866 (overclocking) / 2133 (overclocking) / 2200 (overclocking). When you open the user manual, you can see the inscription “Due CPU behavior, DDR3 2200/2000/1800 MHz memory module will run at DDR3 2133/1866/1600 MHz frequency as default.”, which means that DDR3-2200 memory will operate at a frequency of 2133 MHz. It turns out that support for DDR3-2200 is declared purely nominally, for the sake of a beautiful inscription, and with the same success it was possible to include the DDR3- mode in the specification [insert any number]. The maximum declared memory capacity of 32 GB indicates that the board supports 8 GB memory modules.
To activate the Dual Channel mode, you must install memory modules in connectors of the same color, that is, one after the other. For optimal compatibility, when using two memory modules, the manufacturer recommends installing them in the blue slots (DDR3_A2 and DDR3_B2). Dual Channel operation is allowed when using all four memory sticks.
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Next to the RAM slots you can find the “DRAM LED”, as well as the MemOK! button:
The diode lights up during memory initialization and then goes out. If it lights up constantly, but the system does not start, then you should hold down the button. In this case, the most relaxed timing settings will be loaded for the RAM in order to ensure the greatest compatibility.
The role of the system logic set is assigned to one chip - Intel Z68 Express:
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All Z68 motherboards were released after the bug with SATA2 ports was fixed, and they all belong to revision B3.12/02/2011 | master | (35)
1 - Appearance and functionality 2 - UEFI capabilities. Additional software 3 - Overclocking. Testing. Conclusions Display on one page
Not long ago we reviewed a motherboard ASUS P8P67 Pro, which is based on the Intel P67 Express system logic set. The board demonstrated a successful combination of expansion capabilities and good overclocking potential, and only an outdated chipset revision and low performance prevented it from winning the award. At the same time, a fairly high price may scare away a potential buyer who wants to receive a quality product, but does not have an excess Money. Particularly advantageous in the latter case is the possibility of temporary use of the built-in Intel graphics HD Graphics followed by the purchase of a powerful discrete video card. Of all the chipsets offered for the LGA1155 platform, only the Intel Z68 Express is optimally suited for these purposes, since it combines the ability to display images from the built-in graphics core and overclocking Sandy Bridge K-series processors. Of course, in the case of a limited budget, the price of the motherboard will play one of the key roles, so inexpensive models such as ASUS P8Z68-V LX, the main technical characteristics of which are shown in the table, are of greatest interest.
| Model | |
| Chipset | Intel Z68 Express |
| CPU socket | Socket LGA1155 |
| Processors | Core i7, Core i5, Core i3 (LGA1155) |
| Memory | 4 DIMM DDR3 SDRAM 1066/1333/1600/1866(O.C.)/2133(O.C.)/2200(O.C.), 32 GB maximum |
| PCI-E slots | 1 PCI Express 2.0 x16 1 PCI Express 2.0 x16@x4 2 PCI Express 2.0 x1 |
| PCI slots | 3 (ASMedia ASM1083) |
| Built-in video core (in processor) | Intel HD Graphics |
| Video connectors | DVI-I, HDMI, DisplayPort |
| Number of connected fans | 4 (2x 4pin and 2x 3pin) |
| PS/2 ports | 1 |
| USB ports | 2x 3.0 (ASMedia ASM1042) 12x 2.0 (4 connectors on the rear panel) |
| ATA-133 | - |
| Serial ATA | 2 x SATA 6 Gb/s (Intel Z68 Express) 4 x SATA 3 Gb/s (Intel Z68 Express) |
| eSATA | - |
| RAID | 0, 1, 5, 10 (Intel Z68 Express) |
| Built-in sound | Realtek ALC887 (7.1, HDA) |
| S/PDIF | Optic |
| Built-in network | Realtek 8111E (Gigabit Ethernet) |
| Wireless network | - |
| FireWire | - |
| LPT | - |
| COM | 1 (internal) |
| BIOS/UEFI | AMI UEFI |
| Form factor | ATX |
| Dimensions, mm | 305 x 229 |
| Additional features | ASUS TurboV, GPU Boost, MemOK! |
As you can see, the specifications of the ASUS P8Z68-V LX are at a level typical for inexpensive models. Let us add that thanks to the use of the ATX form factor, the motherboard has a large number of ports for installing expansion cards. We will introduce you to the design features in the corresponding section, but for now we will look at the delivery package and proprietary features.
Contents of delivery
As befits inexpensive products, the ASUS P8Z68-V LX motherboard comes in a modest cardboard box, the dimensions of which barely exceed the dimensions of the product itself. To be honest, it is not clear how the delivery kit fits in there, although the answer turned out to be quite trivial, but we will voice it a little later. The packaging design is made in the style characteristic of all latest generation ASUS motherboards. The front side can tell about the name of the model, distinctive features and the availability of proprietary technologies.
Among the features provided by the Intel Z68 Express chipset are support for LucidLogix Virtu technology and Intel Smart Response. The first technology is already good for us familiar, it allows flexible use of the resources of built-in and discrete video cards. The second is designed to increase the performance of the disk subsystem by using a separate SSD drive to cache frequently used data. ASUS proprietary technologies include the presence of EPU and TPU hardware controllers, which are responsible for energy saving and overclocking, respectively, as well as GUI UEFI BIOS firmware. In addition, ASUS P8Z68-V LX supports the GPU Boost function, which, as the name suggests, is designed to overclock the graphics core built into Intel Sandy Bridge processors.
Reverse side, except for schematic illustration and brief characteristics motherboard, contains an extended description of key proprietary technologies.
The ASUS P8Z68-V LX package includes:
- plug for the rear panel of I/O Shield;
- two SATA 6 Gb/s cables;
- DVD with drivers and software;
- detailed user manual.
The set of accessories is very modest, if not “poor”! A couple of additional SATA cables and a set of branded Q-Connectors certainly wouldn't hurt.
Design
The ASUS P8Z68-V LX motherboard is made in the ATX form factor, but the dimensions printed circuit board are 305 x 229 mm, which is 15 mm narrower than the standard. This means that the right edge of the board has no mounting points, so care must be taken when handling the memory modules and the ATX24 power cable.
The location of the connectors is close to the classic one, the free placement of components on the RSV guarantees convenience when assembling the system unit yourself. The board is based on the Intel Z68 Express system logic set, which, as we have already said, combines full support for Intel Sandy Bridge K series with the ability to use an integrated Intel HD Graphics video card. Thanks to LucidLogix Virtu technology, you can automatically switch between the built-in video core and discrete accelerators depending on the nature and severity of the load, as well as use Clear Video HD hardware video processing technologies and Quick Sync media encoding acceleration technologies.
The chipset's capabilities allow you to install any Intel Celeron, Pentium and Core i3/i5/i7 LGA1155 processors on the board, and four RAM slots are designed to support SDRAM DDR3 with a total capacity of up to 32 GB. The operating frequency of RAM modules is supported up to 2200 MHz inclusive. Despite the stated support for AMD CrossFireX, ASUS P8Z68-V LX has only one full PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slot, while the second connector has only four PCI-E 2.0 lanes. This scheme is unlikely to be suitable for organizing a full-fledged AMD CrossFireX, but it is quite suitable for installing controllers that require interface bandwidth. Three PCI slots are provided for installing expansion cards, which are implemented on the basis of the ASMedia ASM1083 bridge adapter. There are also two PCI-E 2.0 x1 ports that share bandwidth with the PCI-E 2.0 x16@x4 slot. This means that when using at least one of the PCI-E 2.0 x1 slots, the second PCI-E 2.0 x16 port automatically switches to x16@x2 mode.
The disk subsystem is implemented solely through the capabilities of the system logic: two SATA 6 Gbit/s ports and four SATA 3 Gbit/s ports. Intel Smart Response technology and the ability to create RAID arrays of levels 0, 1, 5 and 10 are supported. There are no additional SATA channels, as well as eSATA and ATA-133 ports. Note that all Intel Z68 Express chipsets are initially free of the error that caused failures of the storage subsystem in early revisions of system logic sets for LGA1155.
To connect peripherals, ASUS P8Z68-V LX offers 12 USB 2.0 ports and a pair of USB 3.0 connectors. To support the last two, there is an additional ASMedia ASM1042 chip. Note that the board has reserved space for installing another high-speed serial bus controller of the third revision, but it is not used in this model. Local network support is implemented on the basis of a completely reliable NIC Realtek 8111E, which supports speeds up to 1000 Mbit/s inclusive. There is nothing unusual in the organization of the audio subsystem, which uses the eight-channel Realtek ALC887 HD audio codec. There is an optical S/PDIF output for digital audio output.
The rear panel configuration of ASUS P8Z68-V LX is determined by the board's support for integrated graphics:
- PS/2 combo port;
- four USB 2.0 connectors and USB pair 3.0;
- RJ-45 network port;
- video outputs: D-SUB, DVI-D, HDMI;
- six analog audio ports;
- optical S/PDIF output.
Note that simultaneous use of DVI-D and HDMI is impossible, but this limitation is due to the features of the graphics core integrated into Sandy Bridge, and not the motherboard.
Subsystem ASUS power supply The P8Z68-V LX combines features typical of low-cost models with features more commonly found on high-end motherboards. Thus, the motherboard is equipped with an additional eight-pin EPS12V connector, and the VRM is made according to a six-channel circuit, where four phases generate voltages for the computing cores, and the remaining two for the Uncore logic. At the same time, the power elements do not have heatsinks, which can lead to their overheating when overclocking processors with a significant increase in voltage. The converter circuit is controlled by an EPU ASP1000RM PWM controller, the true manufacturer of which we have not been able to establish.
The ASUS P8Z68-V LX cooling system is represented by a single flat radiator on the Intel Z68 Express chip. In this case, the use of such a simple design is absolutely justified, because the heat dissipation of the chipset does not exceed 6 watts.
To connect fans, the board is equipped with four connectors, two of which support control of the speed of rotation of the impellers via pulse-width modulation (PWM). Among the additional features designed to facilitate the overclocking process on the ASUS P8Z68-V LX, we note the MemOK! button located next to the ATX24 connector, and the TPU microswitch, which is hidden at the bottom of the board, near the third PCI port. The first is designed to safely start the system in the event of setting ineffective RAM parameters, and the second activates the automatic overclocking function.
In our opinion, the design of the ASUS P8Z68-V LX motherboard is very successful, and the use of high-quality components has long become a standard and does not require individual comments. The arrangement of slots and connectors ensures ease of assembly, and a fairly powerful power supply subsystem promises some overclocking potential. The only thing we would like to see is radiators on the power elements of the VRM of the central processor, the presence of which has a very positive effect on the stability of operation in high-speed mode.
UEFI Setup
Like most modern motherboards, ASUS P8Z68-V LX uses Unified EFI as firmware. There is no point in listing all the advantages that the use of the new interface provides, so let’s immediately move on to considering the proprietary UEFI BIOS that the participant in today’s testing is equipped with. ASUS developers have thoroughly reworked the standard AMI microcode, adding EZ Mode and many other useful features. Features of ASUS motherboard firmware for LGA1155 processors were in detail considered during review P8P67 Pro, so we will only focus on the main points.
Immediately after entering the firmware menu, we find ourselves in EZ Mode, which displays the date, time, readings of hardware monitoring sensors, and you can also select a boot device and set a performance profile.
We have already said that if EZ Mode had the ability to set the date and time, many users could completely limit themselves to using this mode. At the same time, all settings related to overclocking are hidden in the Advanced Mode menu. In the Main tab, the user has the opportunity to set the system clock, select the menu display language and set security parameters.
The Ai Tweaker menu contains all the basic motherboard overclocking options, such as changing the base frequency, controlling the CPU multiplier and RAM settings. Here you can also activate Internal PLL Overvoltage, set the operating mode of Intel Turbo Boost technology and activate automatic overclocking of OC Tuner. Separately, it should be noted the peculiar functioning of Turbo Boost technology in Auto mode, when it works with the By All Cores setting by default. In this case, the frequency of all processor cores of our Core i5-2500K was synchronously increased by 400 MHz. Pay attention to the EPU Power Saving Mode option, turning it on activates the power saving mode.
The DRAM Tuning Control tab allows you to configure the main and many additional latencies of RAM modules, and in the CPU Power Manager submenu you can set the operating parameters of the power subsystem of Intel Sandy Bridge processors.
The voltage control capabilities of the ASUS P8Z68-V LX motherboard are much more modest than those of its older sister, the Pro series, which is quite logical, given the market positioning of the latter. The firmware of the participant in today's testing allows you to change only four main system voltages. Control of the Load-line Calibration function is also available, although you can control the value feedback, unlike the older model, it is not possible.
The list and limits of changes in supply voltages are presented in the table:
| Parameter | Range of changes, V | Step, B |
| CPU Voltage | -0,315...+0,635 | 0,005 |
| DRAM Voltage | 1.185—2.135 V | 0,005 |
| VCCIO Voltage | 0.735-1.685 V | 0,005 |
| PCH Voltage | 0.735-1.685 V | 0,005 |
The set is small, and these capabilities are quite enough for moderate overclocking. However, practical research into the potential will put everything in its place.
Advanced menu includes control options disk subsystem, USB ports, peripheral controllers and built-in chipset functions.
Here, in the CPU Configuration tab, you can configure multiplication factors for computing cores, activate processor technologies and additional options energy saving.
Another important sub-item is System Agent Configuration, which focuses on managing the video subsystem and LucidLogix Virtu technology.
The last section of the firmware that is worthy of mention is Monitor. Here, in addition to two temperatures and four fan speeds, the values of four supply voltages are displayed. In addition, the user can set automatic or manual modes control the rotation speed of two of the four cooler impellers.
To conclude our review of the UEFI BIOS ASUS P8Z68-V LX, we note the presence of built-in utilities for updating ASUS firmware EZ Flash 2 Utility and Profile Management custom settings ASUS O.C. Profile.
Thus, the functionality of the ASUS P8Z68-V LX microcode is not much different from older models, although there are certain simplifications in terms of overclocking capabilities, especially in power management. Otherwise, this is the same convenient and functional UEFI BIOS that we are used to seeing on ASUS boards.
Bundled software
The ASUS P8Z68-V LX motherboard is equipped with a disk with many useful programs, among which the most interesting is AI Suite II, which combines several software modules designed for overclocking, system monitoring and fan control. In addition, it is possible to display system monitoring readings and save them to a log file, as well as automatic update firmware microcode from ASUS servers.
The ASUS TurboV EVO subroutine allows you to control basic overclocking parameters directly from the MS Windows environment. You can change the base frequency, four voltages, as well as separate control of the multipliers of the computing cores.
Here you can also use the Auto Tuning performance enhancement mode, which uses mechanisms similar to activating Auto OC from the firmware menu or turning on the TPU microswitch on the RSV.
The next useful utility is ASUS FAN Expert, which, as the name suggests, is responsible for adjusting the rotation speed of fan impellers connected to four-pin connectors.
For each fan, the operating mode is set depending on the readings of the temperature sensors. The configuration flexibility offered by FAN Expert is much greater than the capabilities of the Monitor section of the UEFI BIOS firmware.
The ASUS Probe II module is responsible for hardware monitoring of the main components of the motherboard. In addition to displaying the readings, limit parameter values are set, upon reaching which you can set an audible alarm or even turn off the PC.
The last subroutine that deserves attention is ASUS Update, which is designed to work with the motherboard firmware microcode. User can create backup copy, write EEPROM from a file or download a firmware update from the Internet. The program works absolutely stably, although many will prefer to use the ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility built into the UEFI BIOS as a more reliable method.
This is not the first time we have seen the AI Suite II software package; its functionality and stability do not cause any particular complaints and can serve as an instructive example for creating similar software products. The only thing we can complain about is the inability to control the frequency and delays of the RAM, which greatly limits the possibilities for fine tuning performance from MS Windows environment.
Overclocking
To be honest, we did not expect any special miracles of overclocking potential from the ASUS P8Z68-V LX, but the board managed to pleasantly surprise us. The safety margin for the base frequency turned out to be even greater than that of the older model ASUS P8P67 Pro, and amounted to exactly 107 MHz.
Of course, this is absolutely not enough for full overclocking, but, together with an increase in the multiplier by four points, such an increase can give an increase clock frequency at 428 MHz! This applies to “regular” Intel Sandy Bridge, but our Core i5-2500K has an unlocked multiplier, which we took advantage of. Alas, engineering samples of Sandy Bridge, and we have exactly such a processor, do not react in any way to the activation of Internal PLL Overvoltage, so you can safely forget about frequencies of 5 GHz and higher. However, this did not stop us from raising the clock frequency of our Core i5-2500K when using the ASUS P8Z68-V LX to 4800 MHz. To do this, all that was required was to set the appropriate multiplier value in the CPU Configuration section and add +0.2 V to the Vcore voltage. In this mode, the system passed stress testing in the LinX program without the slightest problem, while energy-saving technologies continued to function, lowering the frequency and voltage on the computing cores.
The study of overclocking potential was completed by an experiment with automatic determination of optimal performance parameters. Activating the Auto OC feature increased the BCLK to 103 MHz while simultaneously increasing the multiplier on the processor cores to 42, resulting in a 4327 MHz clock speed. At the same time, the Vcore voltage was 1.328 V, and the RAM modules operated at a frequency of 1648 MHz with delays of 9-9-9-24-1T.
Note that exactly the same automatic overclocking results were achieved on the ASUS P8P67 Pro, which suggests the use of some preset profiles. In any case, this mode will provide a noticeable increase in performance, so it can be recommended for use for beginners or users who do not regret learning the wisdom of overclocking.
Thus, the overclocking potential of the ASUS P8Z68-V LX motherboard made a good impression. Of course, the board is unlikely to be suitable for extreme overclocking, but for moderate overclocking it can be a very good option.
Test bench
We compared the performance of the ASUS P8Z68-V LX motherboard with the ASUS P8P67 Pro. Both test participants worked as part of the following configuration:
- processor: Intel Core i5-2500K (3.3 GHz);
- cooler: Zalman CNPS10X Flex;
- memory: Silicon Power SP004GBLYU160S2B (2x2GB, PC3-12800, CL9-9-9-24);
- video card: MSI N480GTX Lightning (GeForce GTX 480);
- hard drive: Samsung HD502HJ (500 GB, 7200 rpm, 16 MB);
- power supply: Seasonic X-650 (650 W).
- ASUS P8Z68-V LX - UEFI 7003 dated 11/15/2011;
- ASUS P8P67 Pro - UEFI 2001 from 09/20/2011.
The performance testing methodology remains the same: we repeat each test at least three times, after which we calculate the average. If one of the results is very different from the other two, the tests are repeated until a result close to the normal distribution is obtained. The list of test software is as follows:
- AIDA64 2.00.1700 (Cache & Memory benchmark);
- Futuremark PCMark 07;
- Futuremark 3DMark 11;
- Far Cry 2;
- Colin McRae: DiRT 3;
- Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 benchmark.
Synthetic RAM bandwidth tests provide insight into the latency and performance of low-level read, write, and copy operations in RAM.
The semi-synthetic test Futuremark 3DMark 11 allows you to evaluate the performance of the graphics subsystem in applications that use the DirectX 11 API and realistic physical model calculations.
When using the Performance profile, the integral performance indicator of both test participants is almost the same. Only in the physical model calculation subtest, where the computing resources of the central processor are actively used, is there a slight advantage of the ASUS P8Z68-V LX, which, however, does not provide any preferences when calculating the overall score.
The last group of tests is of considerable interest to the vast majority of users. As you may have guessed, we will talk about modern 3D games. To minimize the influence of the video card on the test results, all performance measurements were performed at a resolution of 1680x1050 with full-screen anti-aliasing disabled and high quality settings.
In the racing simulator Colin McRae: DiRT 3 and the first-person shooter Far Cry 2, it is impossible to determine the test leader, at the same time game Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2, which actively uses the resources of the central processor, the advantage of the ASUS P8Z68-V LX is obvious, which allows us to talk about the latter's higher-quality firmware microcode.
conclusions
It's not often that our testing laboratory comes across products with such a good balance between a rich set of consumer characteristics and a moderate retail price. And the ASUS P8Z68-V LX motherboard is one of them. The model is practically devoid of redundant functionality, but at the same time it offers everything you need to build a productive PC. Yes, the board does not support AMD CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI configurations, does not have many additional controllers, fancy cooling systems, and its delivery package cannot be called anything other than poor. On the other hand, ASUS P8Z68-V LX demonstrates an excellent level of performance, offers a large number of slots for installing expansion cards, has a fairly powerful power subsystem, a convenient and functional UEFI BIOS, and even demonstrates decent overclocking potential. Don't forget that support for integrated graphics makes it possible to save up money for a powerful video card. To remain absolutely calm, we would prefer to see at least some heatsinks on the power elements of the VRM of the central processor.
Testing equipment was provided by the following companies:
- ASUS - ASUS P8Z68-V LX and ASUS P8P67 Pro motherboards;
- Eletek - Zalman CNPS10X Flex cooler;
- Intel - Intel processor Core i5-2500K;
- MSI - MSI N480GTX Lightning video card;
- Silicon Power - Silicon Power SP004GBLYU160S2B memory kit;
- Syntex - Seasonic X-650 power supply.