ASUS M5A97 EVO & M5A99X EVO @ PureOC
“We’re looking at two mainstream AMD motherboards from ASUS: the M5A97 EVO and the M5A99X EVO. They’re very similar in their features and capabilities, but do have some distinct differences that can appeal to a good range of needs. Both come with fantastic prices and both come with deceptively strong overclocking abilities. How about 4.7GHz on a $120 board?”
MSI Z68A-GD80 @ TBreak
“Overclocking the MSI Z68A-GD80 can be done in 2 ways: through the traditional BIOS method or through the OC Genie II button on board. When using the OC Genie II button near the bottom of the board, you don’t need to touch anything else in the BIOS, MSI’s automated overclocking procedure will take care of all clock speeds and required voltage changes.”
Zotac Z68-ITX WiFi @ Hardware Secrets
“Zotac is establishing itself as one of the major Mini-ITX motherboard manufacturers. For the new Intel Z68 chipset, this manufacturer released two models, the Z68-ITX WiFi (a.k.a. Z68ITX-A-E, USD 170) and the Z68-ITX WiFi Supreme (a.k.a. Z68ITX-B-E, USD 210). Both come with integrated WiFi, but the latter also has an integrated GeForce GT 430 graphics chip. Let’s take a look at the Z68-ITX WiFi model.”
ASRock X58 Extreme 3 @ Motherboards.org
“Another feature of this chipset is native SATA 2 capability. This means that this chipset has up to 6 native SATA 2 ports for 3/Gbps bandwidth on compatible SATA 2 hard drives. This gives this board really good RAID functionality and storage options. With this type of support this chipset sets itself up for the future of mass storage.”
MSI Z68A-GD80 @ OC Club
“Overclocking the MSI Z68A GD80 is in reality the same as overclocking the MSI P67A GD65. The same tools are used and in the end I came up with a slightly better overclock than I did on the P67A GD65 (by about 80MHz). To get to this level I worked exclusively in the Click BIOS and made adjustments to the CPU core voltage, memory voltage and for the most part, left the balance of the voltages on auto.”
MSI P67A-GD80 @ Neoseeker
“The MSI P67A-GD80 makes a comeback with a new revision now that Intel was able to cure the SATA woes plaguing its P67 and H67 motherboards with an updated B3 chipset stepping. Even without the updated chipset, the GD80 looked like a strong contender for enthusiasts wanting to make the leap to new Intel CPU architecture thanks to its features.”
Intel Z68: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO @ PureOC
“With the launch of the Intel Z68 chipset comes new motherboards to the market as well. Today we’re looking at the ASUS P8Z68-V PRO, a feature-rich board that comes with an attractive price tag of $209. A quick glance reveals it looks very familiar, bearing a striking resemblance to its P67 brethren, with a black and blue aesthetic that looks quite pleasant.”
ASUS P8Z68V PRO @ Benchmark Reviews
“Intel’s Sandy Bridge CPUs and their accompanying Cougar Point chipsets brought a new level of price/performance to the enthusiast market. There was just one problem: you had to choose between a motherboard with the H67 chipset, which enabled the on-CPU graphics and Intel’s new Quick Sync transcoding engine, or a motherboard based on the P67 chipset, which enabled the amazing overclocking ability of the “K”-series CPUs.”
Gigabyte Z68X-UD5-B3 @ eTeknix
“The Z68 platform as a whole offers SSD caching as one of the new features, allowing users to accelerate a standard mechanical hard drive by using the addition of a small capacity SSD for caching. This is said to return up to 4 times more performance than the hybrid drives that are on the market today.”
ASUS Maximus IV Extreme @ PureOC
“The ASUS Maximus IV Extreme is a premium P67 motherboard that may just be the best P67 offering on the market. With a groundbreaking UEFI BIOS and some insane auto overclocking results, the M4E will not only leave you drooling but considerably lighter in the pocketbook as well.”