Which board?

[liellorenzo]

Hi,

I'm currently planning my next build. I'm going more for a mid range gaming rig. I'm ok with most of the parts I selected except for the motherboard. I'm choosing between Asus P8Z68V - LE and Asrock P67 Extreme4.

In terms of price, they are the same. I'm not sure there are any significant gains going to the Z68 because they look pretty similar. Reading on similar topics, I got that it depends on the build so here are the rest of the components.

CPU - i5 2500K
GPU - Asus GTX560 Ti DCii
Memory - RipJaws 8gb 1600
SSD - 40gb Corsair F40 Force series SSD
HDD - 500gb Seagate Barracuda Sata3
PSU - FSP AURUM Series 80+ GOLD 700W
Chasis - AeroCool RS-9 Devil Red
OS - Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

Will LucidLogix® Virtu and Intel® Smart Response Technology on the Z68 board provide an advantage? Are there advantages going with the P67 board?

 

[sosofm]

Go with Asus.Intel Smart Response is good for this :
http://download.intel.com/support/chipsets/sb/intel_smart_response_technology_user_guide.pdf

 

[liellorenzo]

Interesting read. I was thinking of installing the OS on the SSD and using the HDD for my programs and videos. I was always concerned about how the SSD would improve how data was read from storage if it wasn't installed on the SSD. Reading the guide, looking at the intel site, and watching some videos on youtube actually made using the feature more sensible. Any other input or suggestions?

 

[jsrudd]

The Z68 is the newer chipset.

In addition to the Intel Smart Response feature mentioned by sosofm, it also has quick sync which can make encoding video a lot faster.

 

[liellorenzo]

Just realized that I have to switch to an ATI card with the ASUS P8Z68V-LE as it only supports Xfire. Looks like I'm going for a PC HD 6870 1GB DDR5 PCS+ then.

 

[liellorenzo]

Best answer selected by liellorenzo.