PRESS RELEASE
Exclusive ASUS add-ons accentuate the newest technology from Intel®
11th May 2011- Continuing its legacy of leadership, ASUS offers consumers a range of new motherboards based on the Intel® Z68 Express chipset. The ASUS P8Z68 Series and ROG Maximus IV GENE-Z motherboards all have numerous powerful features that fully exploit the performance benefits of Sandy Bridge technology without compromise, packing more features and new innovations onto the Z68 platform while maintaining unmitigated performance and reliability. ASUS is the only motherboard manufacturer able to integrate diverse new technologies in tandem on its Z68-based motherboards on launch. These include the universal implementation of LucidLogix VirtuTM switchable graphics to harness the capabilities of Intel® Quick Sync Video for faster video transcoding and the extreme performance of the latest NVIDIA® and AMD graphics cards, along with Intel® Smart Response Technology to accelerate hard drive performance and reduce energy consumption.
Exclusive ASUS-developed DIGI+ VRM technology also offers new digital power control for improved response and more delicate system tuning, while the exclusive UEFI BIOS provides mouse input and a BIOS graphical user interface for easier, more user-friendly low-level system control. Together, these features make ASUS Z68-based motherboards the best choice for consumers who wish to get the most of new PC technology.
Full support for faster video transcoding and switchable graphics
All ASUS Z68-based motherboards are natively designed to support the LucidLogix VirtuTM graphics virtualization engine that works in conjunction with Intel® Quick Sync Video to deliver up to three times faster and smoother video transcoding and playback. This is achieved by instantly and seamlessly switching between integrated Sandy Bridge graphics and a discrete graphics card on demand. With uncompromising engineering quality, ASUS P8Z68 Series and ROG Maximus IV GENE-Z motherboards support both NVIDIA® and AMD GPUs for the ultimate in flexibility as part of automatic graphics switching.
The new ASUS Z68-based motherboards also ship with Intel® Smart Response Technology. This uses a solid-state cache to deliver the combined benefits of SSD speed and traditional hard drive storage capacity, cutting down on lengthy data access and system boot times in the process. This feature also reduces redundant hard drive spin, which lowers energy consumption and PC running costs.
Segment-leading digital power delivery and all-new BIOS
Following the successful and acclaimed ASUS P8P67 Series, new Z68-based motherboards from ASUS deliver a ramped-up range of proprietary technologies. DIGI+ VRM set a new standard for digital power control at its debut, where it replaced analog power control with the most precise tuning available to PC users. DIGI+ VRM also increases durability, reliability and overclocking potential, and leads to the most efficient power delivery among all available Z68-based motherboards.
ASUS also includes its exclusive UEFI BIOS on P8Z68 Series motherboards and the Maximus IV GENE-Z. An intuitive and easy to use graphical mouse-controlled BIOS, it incorporates the unique EZ Mode for fast and simple access to powerful system management and set-up. UEFI BIOS even offers drag and drop boot drive prioritization, simplifying a process that in the past presented a major hurdle to novice PC users. It includes support for hard drives with capacities greater than 2.2TB and provides extensive real-time system information for a more involved PC experience.
"The Intel Z68 Express chipset is the first platform to enable both overclocking and the revolutionary media features built into 2nd generation Intel Core processors. We're thrilled to see a full lineup of ASUS Z68 motherboards designed with LucidLogic Virtu support, allowing users to take advantage of the incredible video transcoding performance of Intel Quick Sync Video Technology, while maintaining support for high-end discrete graphics from all major brands. Users can now enjoy the best of both worlds," said Zane Ball, General Manager of Intel Desktop Platforms.
"With DIGI+ VRM digital power design, UEFI BIOS, universal switchable graphics and faster video transcoding, ASUS P8Z68 Series motherboards make it possible for users to take full advantage of a number of unique and tangible benefits. We're proud to once more set a new standard with our Z68 motherboards after the success of our P8P67 Series", said Chewei Lin, Vice President of the ASUS Motherboard Business Unit, Open Platform Business Group.
Specifications
Model P8Z68 DELUXE P8Z68-V PRO P8Z68-V Maximus IV Extreme-Z Maximus IV GENE-Z CPU Socket LGA1155 for Intel® 2nd Generation CoreTM i7/ CoreTM i5/ CoreTM i3 processors Chipset Intel® Z68 Express chipset Memory DDR3 2200(OC)/2133(OC)/1866(OC)/1600/1333/1066MHz* Power phase design DIGI+ VRM 16-phase (12-phase for CPU, 4-phase for iGPU) ROG Extreme Engine Digi+ ROG Extreme Engine Digi+ PCIe x16 Slots 3 3 3 4 2 Multi-GPU support CrossFireXTM/SLITM CrossFireXTM /SLITM CrossFireXTM/SLITM CrossFireXTM/3-way SLITM with NF200 CrossFireXTM/SLITM Graphics output N/A HDMI, DVI-D, RGB N/A HDMI LucidLogix VirtuTM Yes (d-mode) Yes (both d-mode and i-mode) Yes(d-mode) Yes (both d-mode and i-mode) LAN 1 x Intel® Gigabit LAN 1 x Intel® Gigabit LAN 1 x Intel® Gigabit LAN 2 x Intel® Gigabit LAN 1 x Intel® Gigabit LAN Audio 8-ch HD, DTS 8-ch HD, DTS 8-ch HD 8-ch HD 8-ch HD, SupremeFX X-Fi 2 built-in Storage 4 x SATA 6Gb/s 4 x SATA 6Gb/s 2 x SATA 6Gb/s 1x eSATA 4 x SATA 6Gb/s 2 x SATA 6Gb/s USB 4 x USB 3.0 (2 ports at back panel, 2 ports at front panel), 12 x USB 2.0 10 x USB 3.0 (8 ports at back panel, 2 ports at front) panel, 9 x USB 2.0 4 x USB 3.0 (2 ports at back panel, 2 ports at front panel), 12 x USB 2.0 Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM V V V Extreme Engine Digi+ Extreme Engine Digi+ TPU (with onboard switch) V V V EPU (with onboard switch) V V V GPU Boost N/A V V
*Due to CPU behavior, DDR3 2200/2000/1800MHz memory modules run at DDR3 2133/1866/1600MHz by default
1 x Gigabit LAN
4 x SATA 3Gb/s
2 x eSATA (1 x PWR eSATA)
4 x SATA 3Gb/s
1 x eSATA
4 x SATA 3Gb/s
4 x SATA 3Gb/s
2 x eSATA
4 x SATA 3Gb/s
2 x eSATA
ROG Connect with GPU TweakIt
ROG iDirect
ROG RC Bluetooth
USB BIOS Flashback
UEFI BIOS features
- ROG BIOS Print
- GPU.DIMM Post
- CPU Socket Monitor
ROG Connect with GPU TweakIt
SupremeFX X-Fi 2 built-in
GameFirst
UEFI BIOS features
- ROG BIOS Print
- GPU.DIMM Post
Product specifications and features may change without prior notice. Check www.asus.com for further details.
About ASUS
ASUS, the world's top 3 consumer notebook vendor and the maker of the world's best-selling and most award winning motherboards, is a leading enterprise in the new digital era. ASUS designs and manufactures products that perfectly meet the needs of today's digital home, office and person, with a broad portfolio that includes motherboards, graphics cards, optical drives, displays, desktops, Eee Box and all-in-one PCs, notebooks, netbooks, tablet devices, servers, multimedia and wireless solutions, networking devices, and mobile phones. Driven by innovation and committed to quality, ASUS won 3,398 awards in 2010, and is widely credited with revolutionizing the PC industry with the Eee PCTM. With a global staff of more than 10,000 and a world-class R&D team of 3,000 engineers, the company's revenue for 2010 was around US$10.1 billion.
About ASUS Motherboards
Driven by homegrown innovation and steadfast dedication to absolute quality, ASUS has become the standard for motherboard excellence across diverse product ranges, leading the industry in global sales and positive customer feedback. Acknowledged by numerous accolades, ASUS motherboards propel computing forward with pioneering inventions. These include DIGI+ VRM digital power conversion, Dual Intelligent Processors for combined performance boosts and energy savings, and the unique whole-motherboard heat protection offered by the company's Thermal Armor and Thermal Radar architectures. Additional exclusives such as Core Unlocker, Disk Unlocker and Protect 3.0 further demonstrate the ASUS commitment to harmonizing technical ingenuity and environmental responsibility with care for the people who actually put technology to use in everyday life.
