ASUS IvyBridge/PCI-e 3.0 Roadmap Chart

aviat72 said:
http://promos.asus.com/US/Z68Gen3/index.htm

Interesting to note that the current generation of lower end Z68 (M-PRO, V-LX, V-LE) boards will have PCIe 3.0 support while the higher end (V, V-PRO, Deluxe) will not. All will support IvyBridge
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Indeed - the biggest surprise is the (price-reduced) P8Z68-V LX having it, while the Deluxe (over twice the price of the V-LX) does not.

Even more hilarious (unless you own the P8Z68 Deluxe) - that you can buy a P8Z68-V LX and an i3-2100 for less than the P8Z68 Deluxe alone.

Also, apparently, *something* has caused ASUS to lower prices and increase availability on the P8Z68-V LX, as it has been added to the MicroCenter inventory.
 
Never a big fan of ASUS. I did run a P7P55D Deluxe for about a year and it was stable and I couldn't ask more of it I guess.

My $125 AsRock has PCI-E 3.0. Awful Asus could not impliment it onto their high end offerings where people can actually take advantage of it.
 
TwisedGenius said:
Never a big fan of ASUS. I did run a P7P55D Deluxe for about a year and it was stable and I couldn't ask more of it I guess.

My $125 AsRock has PCI-E 3.0. Awful Asus could not impliment it onto their high end offerings where people can actually take advantage of it.
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ASRock = ASUS' normally-budget imprint (which is why I don't really poo-poo ASRock)

What should *really* make you ill is that ASUS' own (not ASRock-branded) P8Z68-V LX also supports PCI-E 3.0 at the same price point.

The high-end motherboards are undergoing a refresh (GEN3 series), which includes *all* the models that don't support PCI-E 3.0 today.

What made me ROTFL is that MC recently added the P8Z68-V LX to their inventory *and* started off with a $5 cut ($124.99, compared to normally $129.99) - and it ticks all the checkboxes I was looking for.

1. Z68 chipset - no need to explain further; what this chipset brings to the table is well-known.

2. UEFI support - not many motherboards at this price point support UEFI (other than this one, there are but two).

3. PCI slots - this one has three (one more than the TZ68A+RCH, which it bumped off my build list).

4. ATX form factor - my personal preference (shaped by the ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe, my last full-size ATX motherboard, and which stayed in service for five years with me, and another year in Mom's desktop).

5. Warranty support - the big reason I have stayed with ASUS; only Intel has been better (in my personal experience) as far as warranty support goes.

Finding this gem makes me glad I waited.

http://usa.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68V_LX/
 
If you are not OC heavy then the LX/LE boards are a great deal. However the V/PRO/Deluxe share same the same basic power supply structure and can support more stressful OCs than the base models. Incidentally there is also a mATX ROG board which is priced around 170 which has all the ROG goodies which support high OCs. But this too is not PCIe compliant as all the multi-GPU boards in the current line-up.

When will the Gen 3 asus boards be out at retailers?
 
im going to grab the standard V version of asus from microcenter, but this is BS, more and more revisions and versions comming around. I think the 1155 socket has more motherboards than i have ever seen, 4 chipset types for desktops with 3-8 mobos each from every manufacturer, alot with minor changes as (1 sata port) or extra channel of audio. This is quickly becoming a clusterf*ck!
 
Pitbull said:
im going to grab the standard V version of asus from microcenter, but this is BS, more and more revisions and versions comming around. I think the 1155 socket has more motherboards than i have ever seen, 4 chipset types for desktops with 3-8 mobos each from every manufacturer, alot with minor changes as (1 sata port) or extra channel of audio. This is quickly becoming a clusterf*ck!
Click to expand...

This isn't merely an ASUS issue - it affects all LGA1155-based motherboards from everybody - ASUS is actually in better shape than Gigabyte, for example (and they have an even *longer* list of Z68 motherboards alone that need a refresh to address the PCI-E 3.0 and/or IB issues); it's why it's hard addressing a moving target (which a *standard* in flux is, basically).

And I would hold off on that standard V model (as it's one of the ones getting refreshed) until you know that MC has replaced older stock with GEN3 models.

How it happened - as the PCI-E 3.0 specification got fleshed out, motherboard makers were also (as is standard practice) doing component refreshes - primarily based on changes from their suppliers. It just happened (in ASUS' case) that the newer (and lower-end, for the most part) motherboards benefitted, forcing a refresh of higher-end models.

Why I'm not surprised - Does anyone remember the original ASUS P4C800 Deluxe? That ATX workstation/enthusiast-class motherboard had 3Com gigabit Ethernet *and* a Promise SATA/RAID controller (Intel's SATA controller didn't supply enough ports if you wanted both a SATA boot HDD and a RAID array). While 3Com wasn't exactly a bad choice (like Intel, 3Com is one of Ethernet's Old Men), their PCI-bus linkage wasn't very efficient.

Enter a revision (actually two revisions) to the flagship of Pentium-4 chipsets: Intel's 875P. First was a revision of the ICH5R southbridge that added *native* SATA RAID (0,1,5,10) to the mix; the second marked Intel's return to PHY supply with the Communications Streaming Architecture (CSA) - it was far more efficient than existing PCI-interconnect solutions, such as those from 3Com.

However, that put ASUS into a dilemma - does it refresh the existing 800 Deluxe, or add a new model? In the end, it did both. The 800 Deluxe 2.0 had the same southbridge as the new 800-E Deluxe; however, it retains the 3Com gigabit Ethernet controller. The E's PHY controller is a familiar one for those with enterprise experience - the Intel PRO/1000CT. Like the PRO/1000T from which it was derived, the PRO1000CT was a copper gigabit controller designed with high throughput, high efficiency, and high reliability. Therefore, it not only was a good fit for workstations and enthusiast PCs, it also mated up well with Windows XP. (In both standalone and virtualized form, the PRO/1000CT lives on even today - the virtualized form is in Oracle VirtualBox, and the non-PHY version is still sold in PCI and PCIe X1 versions - primarily the RoHS-compliant PRO/1000PT and PRO/1000GT.)
 
aviat72 said:
If you are not OC heavy then the LX/LE boards are a great deal. However the V/PRO/Deluxe share same the same basic power supply structure and can support more stressful OCs than the base models. Incidentally there is also a mATX ROG board which is priced around 170 which has all the ROG goodies which support high OCs. But this too is not PCIe compliant as all the multi-GPU boards in the current line-up.

When will the Gen 3 asus boards be out at retailers?
Click to expand...

Doesn't the link above say the mATX rog board is compatible but the the ATX one isn't.
 
fosselman said:
Doesn't the link above say the mATX rog board is compatible but the the ATX one isn't.
Click to expand...

That is correct. The ATX model is being refreshed to correct this (Maximus IV Extreme/GEN3). The GENE-Z is IB-ready (0902 update), but not PCI-E 3.0-ready (a GEN3 model of the GENE-Z is also in the pipeline).

These Z68 models are both PCI-E 3.0 *and* Ivy Bridge ready (with appropriate BIOS/UEFI updates):

Maximus IV GENE-Z/GEN3

P8Z68 DELUXE/GEN3

P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3

P8Z68-V/GEN3

P8Z68-V LE (0702 or V-PRO 0902)

P8Z68-V LX (0702 or V-PRO 0902)

P8Z68-M PRO (0502)

Per a post in the ASUS Z68 Support thread, the P8Z68-V LX and LE can take the updates of the V-PRO (not the V-PRO/GEN3).

The Maximus IV Extreme-Z and GENE-Z (ROG), P8Z68 Deluxe, P8Z68-V PRO and P8Z68-V are Ivy-Bridge ready, but require a BIOS update (0902). The GEN3 models currently in the pipeline have a different UEFI BIOS - therefore, do *not* use updates intended for the earlier models.

These five P67 motherboards are ready for Ivy Bridge and PCI-E 3.0 (with BIOS updates noted):

P8P67 (2001)

P8P67 (REV 3.1) (2001)

P8P67 LE (1101)

P8P67-M (1501)

P8P67 LX (0402)
 
fosselman said:
Doesn't the link above say the mATX rog board is compatible but the the ATX one isn't.
Click to expand...

All the current Maximus boards:
Maximus IV Extreme
Maximus IV GENE-Z
Maximus IV Exteme-Z
will NOT support PCIe 3.0 (the first table). They are in the 2nd table (Ivy Bridge) support but not in the 1st table PCIe 3.0 support.

The only board with PCIe 3.0 support is Maximus IV Gene-Z/GEN3 which is the next gen board.

This is consistent with the theme that the board supporting multiple GPUs (and hence some kind of lane-switching tech) will not be able to move-up; the simple boards without the lane switching tech will be able to move up.
 
aviat72 said:
All the current Maximus boards:
Maximus IV Extreme
Maximus IV GENE-Z
Maximus IV Exteme-Z
will NOT support PCIe 3.0 (the first table). They are in the 2nd table (Ivy Bridge) support but not in the 1st table PCIe 3.0 support.

The only board with PCIe 3.0 support is Maximus IV Gene-Z/GEN3 which is the next gen board.

This is consistent with the theme that the board supporting multiple GPUs (and hence some kind of lane-switching tech) will not be able to move-up; the simple boards without the lane switching tech will be able to move up.
Click to expand...

Oh ok gotcha. Thanks for the better explanation, sometimes I can't read too good :eek:
 
aviat72 said:
All the current Maximus boards:
Maximus IV Extreme
Maximus IV GENE-Z
Maximus IV Exteme-Z
will NOT support PCIe 3.0 (the first table). They are in the 2nd table (Ivy Bridge) support but not in the 1st table PCIe 3.0 support.

The only board with PCIe 3.0 support is Maximus IV Gene-Z/GEN3 which is the next gen board.

This is consistent with the theme that the board supporting multiple GPUs (and hence some kind of lane-switching tech) will not be able to move-up; the simple boards without the lane switching tech will be able to move up.
Click to expand...

That is *apparently* due to a necessary change in switch-logic at the board-part level
(not just at the CPU level) required for PCI-E 3.0 support. Oddly enough, ASRock highlights the *guilty part* - the Pericom PI3PCIe2415 Quick-Switch IC. The same-size/same-pinout Gen3 part is the NXP L04083B Quick-Switch IC. Because this IC is not socketed (but soldered), the replacement has to be done at either the depot level (by someone handy with a soldering iron) or at the factory.

Here's ASRock's "Fake Gen3" page off their site: http://www.asrock.com/news/events/2011fake/ with the *guilty part* and *correct part* each blown up. While the ad "calls out" Gigabyte, it could equally apply even to ASUS itself (ASRock's parent) - could someone check the indicated (in the ad) area of a known-unready ASUS Z68 motherboard and compare it with one that ASUS says is Gen3-ready (such as the P8Z68-V LX, for example)?
 
Its great that Asus is providing this sort of thing - they're clearly a few steps ahead of most MB manufacturers. I have to say I'm glad that I avoided Socket 1155 though, with all these issues, refreshes etc... Whatever I bring my old-but-still-kicking 1366 to in the future will probably have an Asus high end motherboard (RoG most likely), but hopefully there won't be so many version changes and issues with next generation chipsets for Socket 2011 .
 
Higher range of Asus board not supporting PCIe 3.0 was done, IMO, so the high end buyers would have a reason to get the 7 series chipsets. Otherwise, why would you upgrade, if your current board would have all the important features.
 
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