GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD Motherboard Review
GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD Intel Z68 Motherboard
GIGABYTE is definitely a household name when it comes to computer components. GIGABYTE has been in the game for more than twenty years and continue to put out some of the top enthusiast products available today. Today though, we will be looking at a much more main stream offering. The GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD is one of twenty or so Intel Z68 chipset motherboards from GIGABYTE. The GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD is the identical to the Z68XP-UD3 in every way except for one. As you may have guessed by the extended portion of the name Z68XP-UD3-iSSD there is something having to do with SSD’s (Solid State Drives), and I’ll admit it’s a great idea!
If you look at the center of the GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD you will see a square where you used to find the north bridge chipset. It’s tough to make out in the picture, but that is actually a 20GB Intel Series 311 SSD! The Intel 20GB Series 311 SSD is rated for a maximum of 200MB/s read and 105MB/s write. Overall it’s a nice little SSD. Unfortunately it isn’t really a large enough SSD for you operating system, but it is definitely large enough to take advantage of the Intel Smart Response Technology that is available on the Intel Z68 chipset.
Just a short time ago Legit Reviews took a look at our first offering from the GIGABYTE line of Intel Z68 motherboards. When we looked at the GIGABYTE Z68X-UD7-B3 we were impressed with the performance but it lacked one of the key features that make up the Intel Z68 chipset. There was no way to access the onboard video. This meant that we had no way to access the features that accompany the Intel HD Graphics. Features such as Intel Quick Sync Video, Intel InTru 3D, Intel Insider and switchable graphics with LucidLogix Virtu GPU Virtualization were out of our reach. The GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD features an onboard HDMI port which will give us access to all of the available Intel HD Graphics features that we missed out on previously!
In addition to the integrated Intel 20GB SSD and access to the Intel HD Graphics, there is a number of other great features on the GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD. Among these features is the GIGABYTE Touch BIOS, Ultra Durable 3, On/Off charge technology, Super Speed USB 3.0, SATA III 6Gbps, USB Power Boost, Turbo XHD fully automatic RAID 0, and of course the Multi GPU capabilities of both CrossFireX and SLI!
GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD Intel Z68 Chipset Motherboard Specifications
| CPU | – Support for:
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| Chipset | – Intel Z68 Express Chipset |
| Memory |
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| Audio |
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| LAN |
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| Expansion Slots |
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| Multi-Graphics Technology | – Support for 2-Way/3-Way ATI CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI technology |
| Storage Interface | – Chipset:
– 2 x Marvell 88SE9128 chips:
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| USB | – Chipset:
2 x Etron EJ168 chips:
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| IEEE 1394 | – VIA VT6308 chip:
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| Internal I/O Connectors |
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| Back Panel Connectors |
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| I/O Controller | – iTE IT8728 chip |
| H/W Monitoring |
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| BIOS |
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| Unique Features |
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| Form Factor | ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm |
The question of the day for the GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD is how much would you expect to pay for a GIGABYTE motherboard with a SSD already installed into the board> Plus it is an Intel SSD at that! You might be surprised, the retail price for the GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD is only $239.99! Shocked? I know I was! Before we get to looking at the performance of the GIGABYTE Z68XP-UD3-iSSD let’s take a look at the packaging and bundle that comes with our new board!
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