SLI-capable?

[xcmoney23]

Building my first computer, and looking for a reliable mobo that is SLI capable down the road. Will be using a i5 2500k will a 560ti. Price range around 100-160$ hopefully. Main use will be for gaming (SWTOR, skyrim). Any recommendations?

Side question, what exactly is z68 chipset and how needed is it in a motherboard?

Thanks!

 

[Twoboxer]

Side Question first: Answer is in the intro paragraphs in this article:

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/motherboards/2011/05/13/what-is-the-intel-z68-chipset/1

So among other things, a Z68 mobo will have video out connectors on its back panel.

To prepare for SLI, you need a mobo that (a) supports SLI, and (b) has at least 2 physical PCIE x16 slots that operate at x16-x8 or x8-x8 when both are occupied.

The least expensive mobo at Newegg atm that meets these requirements is this $115 Gigabyte mobo:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128495

Using this link you can see all the Z68 mobos and see if spending more money gets you any other features you might want:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%20600093976%20600158412&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20

Take a look and if you have any further questions, ask

 

[inzone]

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $124.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/automatic-overclock-motherboard-cpu,3048-17.html
Tomshardware in an article today rated the Asrock to be the most overclock friendly . The z68 chipset is the latest chipset released by Intel and the newest motherboards are all being released with it. You would be better off with a motherboard with this chipset.

 

[billj214]

The best SLI boards aside from X58 chipset boards are the ones with built in NF200 bridge chips which allows X16 for each lane.
As for the Z68 without the NF200 you will only get X8 on the primary if the Integrated is turned on which enables quicksync and Virtu!
If you disable the integrated graphics the primary card runs at X16 with SLI (depending on the board) you will X8/X4 or X8/X8, just read the motherboard specs.

I personally do not recommend SLI or Crossfire, keep in mind you will need to double your power supply size, increase electricity usage and need a big case to handle the heat! Overall it's cheaper to buy a faster card and sell the one you have.

Good Luck!