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Best New LGA 1155 Socket Computer Motherboards 2011 - 2012

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Guide to Z68, P67, and H67 Chipset Motherboards for 2012

In this lens I'll list the best rated Z68, P67, and H67 chipset 1155 motherboards designed for use with Intel's 2nd generation of "i" series processors code named "Sandy Bridge". I'll also help you to understand the difference between the Z68, p67, and H67 and let you know which one is right for your PC build.

*Tip - If you already know what chipset motherboard you're looking for, then use the "contents at a glance" section directly below this window to easily navigate to our motherboard picks.

*Vote for the best motherboard of 2012 - We want to know which motherboard chipset you plan on purchasing this year. Make sure to help us out by casting your vote before you leave.

Intel Z68, P67, or H67 Motherboards - What's the difference?

Intel's New Z68 Chipset MotherboardsBefore I highlight the top rated 1155 motherboards of 2012 I wanted to briefly lay out the differences between Intel's 3 chipsets.

H67 Chipset

Generally Intel reserves the "H" designation for PC builders that plan on using integrated graphics, the H67 is no different. Intel's processors can only overclock as far as Intel's Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 will take them and not manually overclocked beyond that regardless if the processor has the "k" or unlocked designation for overclocking.

Jump to our best rated H67 motherboard picks.

P67 Chipset

The P67 chipset is reserved for PC builders looking to use a dedicated graphics card. The P67 chipset does not carry support for integrated graphics cards.

Jump to our best rated P67 motherboard picks.

Z68 Chipset

Z68 motherboards bring together the best of the P67 and the H67 allowing you support for integrated graphics and the ability to overclock your processor. Integrated graphics can make your PC more performance and power efficient by effectively switching between your dedicated and integrated graphics card with whichever performance dictates. If you've been watching hybrid SSD technology closely, then you'll also appreciate that Intel has incorporated a new technology which it calls "Smart Response Technology". Smart response technology allows you to take your solid state drive and use it for "cache" effectively allowing you to have full solid state drive type performance with all of your hard drive. Intel's inexpensive 311 series Solid state drive has 20GB (up to 64GB to cache) of space and was released into the market for this reason.

If you want additional information on the Z68 chipset, then I recommend you take a look at bit-tech's review as well as Intel's Z68 Product Brief.

Jump to our best rated Z68 motherboard picks.

Best Z68 Chipset 1155 Motherboards 2012

P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3

Ivy Bridge is coming soon and GEN3 motherboards like the P8Z68-V PRO are forwards compatible. GEN3 motherboards also feature compatibility with PCI-e 3.0. Although you most likely won't be putting in any PCI-e 3.0 GPU in your computer any time soon, it's still good to know that your motherboard is somewhat future proof.

Asus makes durable products that do what they're supposed to do. I've installed dozens over the years and still have yet to find a problem with a single one. Because it is Asus you might pay just a bit more than other lesser known brands, but despite this Asus continues to beat out its competitors and this particular board is the bestselling of 2012 thus far.

Specifiations for the P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 include:

LucidLogix Virtu (Universal Switchable Graphics), Intel Smart Response Technology, GPU Boost, 6 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, 4 x SATA 6Gb/s, 4 x SATA 3Gb/s, PCI Express 3.0 x16 2 (single at x16 or dual at x8), PCI Express 2.0 x16 1 at x4, Up to 32GB of Dual Channel DDR3 memory, and a stand 3 year parts and labor warranty from Asus.


ASUS LGA 1155 - Z68 - PCIe 3.0 P8Z68-V PRO/GEN

Amazon Price: Too Low to Display Buy Now


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H67 vs. P67 Vs. Z68

A Simple Explanation

If you're still wanting help to understand the difference between these three chipsets, then here's a video to help you visualize it.

*This video was made a few months ago before the Z68 chipset release, Z68 motherboards are now readily available.
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Best P67 Chipset 1155 Boards 2012

Top 5

If you're looking to overclock and want one of the best 1155 motherboards available, then its hard to look past the ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME LGA 1155 Rebublic of Gamers Intel P67 DDR3 2400 ATX Motherboard. The Maximums IV extreme features DIGI+ VRM New Era of Digital Power Design that fully enables Superior System Stability.

Our Opinion: While this motherboard has all the specifications you need when overclocking it's hard not to look at a similarly priced Z68 version of this motherboard.

Key features include up to 32 GB of dual channel supported DDR 3 at up to 2200 (overclocked) speed, 8 x USB 3.0, 4 x SATA 3Gb/s, and 4x SATA 6Gb/s, ROG Connect: Plug and Overclock, ROG iDirect , and RC.

Additional features include Bluetooth, Extreme Engine Digi+ for extreme overclocking, expansion; (single @x16, dual @x8, triple @x8, x16, x16 ) x PCIe 2.0 x16 4 1 x PCIe 2.0 x4 and 1 x PCIe 2.0 x 1.

ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME LGA 1155  Intel P67 2400 ATX Motherboard
Amazon Price: Too Low to Display. Buy Now
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Best H67 Computer Motherboards 2012

Top 5

If you aren't looking to overclock or use intensive software, then a H67 motherboard might be the perfect fit for your PC build. Here's a few of the top rated H67 Chipset 1155 motherboards for 2012:
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P67, H67, or Z68?

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Reader Feedback

Leave a Comment Below

We hope you've enjoyed this review of the top Z68, P67, and H68 chipset 1155 motherboards for 2011. If you would like us to feature another motherboard in this lens, then please leave a comment below.

  • Erroll Mar 13, 2012 @ 8:49 am | delete
    Excellent display,it's easy to get confused with the different applications,of the chipsets.However when displayed on a board you get full picture and are able to draw on the different comparisons.Keep up the good work
  • Kevin Feb 19, 2012 @ 11:01 am | delete
    One question - does this mean you CAN'T add a dedicated video card to the H67 at a later point? I want to start with integrated graphics but expect to go to a dedicated card later; I'm never going to play games but am interested in basic video editing of home movies.
  • Mitchjw Dec 22, 2011 @ 3:42 pm | delete
    For the last couple of weeks, I have been reading a lot of reveals on the Internet trying to figure out the difference between Intel NEW chipsets, and was not able two until now,this is by far the best article I have seen great job. Now I fully understand the difference between the Z68, P67, and the H67.
  • dani3l Jul 2, 2011 @ 12:07 am | delete
    Great information on the chipsets
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hsb250

I love gaming and PC building. I write about them extensively for many different sites. As a gamer I'm most into FPS-type (BF3) games as I simply don't... more »

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