z77 Motherboard Discussion

[josejones]

I'm just waiting for Ivy Bridge and the z77 motherboards to come out and the reviews. Which z77 board will be the best for the money? I'm curious to find out if there's any noticeable performance increase with the new z77 mobos over the z68?

Here's all the z77's I can find right now:

ASUS P8Z77-V Deluxe

ASRock Z77 Fatal1ty Professional-M

MSI Z77A-GD65 'Ivy Bridge' Motherboard Preview

Gigabyte's GA-Z77X-UD3H and GA-Z77X-UD5H

I was hoping the z77's might have done away with the USB 2.0, sata 2 and PCIe 2.0 and make the switch over to all gen 3 since they are backwards compatible, why not.

So, how much better are these z77 motherboards over the z68's, really?

 

[alex3064]

DO NOT MAKE A SETUP FOR NEW IVY/Z77 YET, UNLESS YOU CRAZY FOR IT AND WASTE MONEY. DO IT NEXT YEAR.

 

[josejones]

Humm, I'm impressed with the new GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 technology:

"GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 motherboards embrace a range of exclusive technologies that guarantee DIY PC builders the absolute best protection for their PC, with built-in features that prevent common malfunction threats users encounter on a day-to-day basis."

"lowers the PCB impedance by 50%, which helps to reduce electrical waste and further lowers component temperatures. A 2X Copper layer design also provides improved signal quality and lower EMI (Electromagnetic Interference), providing better system stability and allowing for greater margins for overclocking."

"GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 motherboards have been designed to make sure that humidity is never an issue, incorporating a new Glass Fabric PCB technology that repels moisture caused by humid and damp conditions. Using a new kind of PCB material which reduces the amount of space between the fiber weave, Glass Fiber PCB technology makes it more difficult for moisture to penetrate compared to traditional motherboard PCBs. This offers much better protection from short circuit and system malfunction caused by humid and damp conditions."

"All GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 motherboards use high quality IC microchips that are rated with higher electro-static discharge (ESD) resistance than traditional IC implementations. GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ 4 motherboards use ICs with up to 3 times the ESD resistance levels compared to traditional ICs. This helps to better protect the motherboard, its components and the PC in general against potential damage caused by static electricity, a common threat to today's PCs."

"Power Failure Protection GIGABYTE Ultra Durable 4 motherboards also feature special anti-surge ICs that protect your motherboard, and your PC, from any surge in power delivery that may occur, helping to ensure that your PC is equipped to deal with any kind of irregular and inconsistent power delivery."

http://www.gigabyte.com/press-center/news-page.aspx?nid=1100

http://www.gigabyte.com/microsite/306/images/ud4.html

---

So, I'm curious to find out just how much all this new stuff really works. Will it work as claimed?

 

[jaquith]

All MOBO's have their lists of "My stuff is better than theirs." The question is compared to what? I'll spare you the copy/pastes of ASUS, EVGA, MSI. etc.

I try to have an open mind until I can 'see' what they offer, failure rates, warranties, and how they OC and perform.

 

[josejones]

^ Agreed. That's why I posted it; I'm curious to find out just how accurate those claims really are.

 

[josejones]

Here are just a few more claims I'd like to find out just how accurate they are:

Lucid Universal MVP Support

GIGABYTE 7 series motherboards support Lucid Virtu GPU virtualization technologies - optimized virtualization software that improves your PC’s visuals, with faster response times, improved video processing and smoother media playback, all within a low power environment.

Lucid Universal MVP also features Hyperformance, which eliminates redundant rendering tasks and predicts potential synchronization issues in the graphics delivery pipeline, producing faster frame rates, sharper visuals and reduced tearing.

• Boosts responsiveness and FPS of any game
• Improves gaming frame rates 30-70%
• Increases Vsync frame rates – 120 FPS+
• Sharpens visual quality without tearing
• Works seamlessly with hundreds of games

http://www.gigabyte.com/microsite/306/images/graphics.html

 

[jaquith]

^Those are Intel's HD specs (using Lucid Virtu) and has nothing to do with any MOBO. The thing that separates one MOBO from another are it's Phases and type to CPU, RAM and in some cases to the iGPU. Then there's the gamut of doodads and usable features (SATA, eSATA, PCIe ports, etc).

BTW - most folks that render don't use Quick Sync, and instead prefer the quality of the a CPU render.

 

[josejones]

Here's the Biostar z77 line-up

http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/index.php?S_ID=13

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lly93lp1hCw

 

[Delengowski]

I was planning on making a Z77/Ivybridge/7970 set up by late August, guess I should wait though? I was planning on blowing about $3000 on a whole new set up thats watercooled...really don't feel like waiting

 

[jaquith]

As I mentioned in the OP's other very similar post, I'd allow the early adopters work out all of the bugs first, see what other folks experiences are and allow 2~3 BIOS revisions.

Being first isn't always best. Often I see 2nd revisions of the MOBO work perfectly while 1st revisions were so bad they were pulled out of production.

My 2 cents.

 

[josejones]

I just read that the z77 mobos are still going to be released April 8th.

http://hexus.net/tech/news/cpu/37129-new-intel-ivy-bridge-release-dates-revealed/

 

[josejones]

Gigabyte did respond to that article by MSI criticizing them over their PCIe 3.0 but, I never did hear if that response settled the issue or not???

MSI Calls Out Gigabyte for "Not True PCIe 3.0"

Gigabyte Sets Record Straight on PCIe 3.0 Support

 

[jaquith]

What you posted above only had to do with early 'GEN3' P67/Z68 MOBOs, and doesn't pertain to anything out now and especially not the Z77's.

So move forward.

You might wan to see this post "Ivy Bridge CPUs on Z77 Benchmarks & Review - i7-3770K & i5-3570K" -> http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/329828-28-bridge-cpus-benchmarks-review-3770k-3570k

 

[josejones]

Okay, so that issue was resolved and is no longer an issue.

I did read your thread over the weekend. I was pretty disappointed with the performance of the Ivy Bridge tests there at Tweaktown. It was getting beat by the older Sandy Bridge CPU's and the i5 IB were about the same as the i7 IB CPU's. I'm not sure how it could've been much worse to be honest.

Those results from Tweaktown were completely different than what Anandtech posted here: The Ivy Bridge Preview: Core i7 3770K Tested

It makes me wonder how much longer will I have to wait after Ivy CPU's do finally come out at the end of April before I buy? Will 2 months be enough time for Intel and mobo makers to fix all the bugs and the bios? That Tweaktown review makes me think they'll need about 6 months or more.

 

[jaquith]

If you read what I stated in my post, it's the Z77 that's the culprit and either a driver(s) or BIOS or combination of both. Again, for Gaming none of those CPU's bottleneck 1-2 GPUs in SLI/CF...

 

[josejones]

^ I did see that. I'm still also taken a back by how different the test results were from Tweaktown vs Anandtech as well.

So how long should we expect it to take to fix the z77 driver/bios issues and any other CPU bug issues? Is 2 months enough or no?

 

[jaquith]

From my 1st post here -- "However, you'll be waiting until June or more than likely July for either the Ivy Bridge CPUs and/or the Z77 MOBOs. Further, IMO add on to that at least 2+ months for early adopters to get the bugs worked out..."

 

[josejones]

^ I do remember that too. That's why I was wondering if 2 months was enough with all things considered i.e. drivers/bios and bugs for both mobos and CPU's etc. I had planned on waiting 2 months. Now, it looks like you're suggesting an additional 2 months putting us to Aug/Sept.

I wish I could wait longer but my work computer is from 2004 and I'm not sure how much longer it's going to last as it's on it's last leg.

Will these z77 issues be with all mobo makers across the board or just a couple specific makers?

 

[jaquith]

If the problem is a Chipset drivers then it's a 'global' problem, and if it's a BIOS issue then it's typically limited to the entire lines of a specific MOBO manufacturer.

Hmm...4 years is about my limit unless what I've got really works and works well. In the past 2 years the performance has made a monumental leap and since X58/LGA 1366 no too much for most users. The LGA 1366 and particularly the 6-cores hold their own with the current SB.

It really depends on what you're doing, 95% of the folks out there do mundane stuff: web, email, watch a movie and office type apps which ANY current CPU is just about overkill. For them or any mini PC -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuUUn3a1AIY&

 

[josejones]

Lucid Virtu MVP (HyperFormance) Tested with ASRock Z77 and Intel Ivy Bridge

 

[jaquith]

I guess it depends on the game and resolution if there's a benefit or loss.

 

[josejones]

Ultra Durable 4 technology on GIGABYTE 7 Series Motherboards

 

[josejones]

I'm curious if Intel will come out with a z78? Like the z67 and z68 or are they stopping at the x79?

When will motherboards stop carrying the old USB 2, PCIe 2 and sata 2 and go ALL gen 3???

 

[josejones]

z77 motherboards up on Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%20600093976%20600315497&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=PRICED&PageSize=20&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=4176827&SID=6w28dtgagt5g

http://promotions.newegg.com/MB/041612/index.html?cm_sp=Cat_Motherboards-_-MB/041612-_-http%3a%2f%2fpromotions.newegg.com%2fMB%2f041612%2f696x288.jpg

http://promotions.newegg.com/CPU/041512/index.html?cm_sp=Cat_Motherboards-_-CPU/041512-_-http%3a%2f%2fpromotions.newegg.com%2fCPU%2f041512%2f696x288.jpg

http://promotions.newegg.com/gigabyte/12-1271/index.html?cm_sp=Cat_Motherboards-_-gigabyte/12-1271-_-http%3a%2f%2fpromotions.newegg.com%2fgigabyte%2f12-1271%2f696x288.jpg

 

[jaquith]

Beat you to it, Panther Point Z77/Z75 and H77 - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/309952-30-available-panther-point

 

[josejones]

I'm curious to find out if there's any noticeable performance increase with the new z77 mobos over the z68? How much better are these z77 motherboards over the z68's, really?