Positives:
==========
+ Graphic outputs (VGA, DVI, DisplayPort and HDMI)
Some motherboards with Z68 chipset unfortunately renounce to any graphic outputs. Although you can use some features but an operation with no extra graphics card is unfortunately not possible. Who Either way will install a graphics card, which can, of course, but I did not care to select important. In addition, by the operation of four monitors (in Windows 7) is also possible without on AMD Eyefinity technology or to put two graphics cards. I have, for example, two monitors on my MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II / OC graphics card (PCI-e, 1024MB GDDR5 memory, dual DVI-I, HDMI, 1 GPU) (2xDVI) connected and an additional monitor and a LCD remote more like the motherboard (VGA and HDMI).
To what extent that is appropriate to play I can not say but I have Dirt2 windowed times enlarged so that it went over the three monitors and it worked without any problems. (Better to get it out, perhaps with SoftTH but I have not tested).
+ SLI / CrossFire Support
At the moment I have it still no need but I wanted to keep me for the future open. The mainboard
Nvidia NF200 chip that is not that of the top slot for the graphics card runs only with x16, when a graphics card is installed. If another card installed in the second slot "share" both slots, the Lanes and run at x8 / x8. According to many reports, but is the difference between x16 and x8 anyway very low (who wants to be convinced can indeed times looking for "Influence of PCIe x8 and x16").
It is supposed to be able to operate 3 graphics cards on the motherboard, but what I think is nonsense, because on the one hand then the graphics cards at x8 / x8 / x4 (the step from x8 to x4 about a lot "worse" than x16 on running x8) and one well neither the PCI can still use some header connectors (assuming dual-slot graphics cards).
Who really needs the full lane number or whoever the next PCIe 3.0 standard (which is however well supported until the next processor generation Ivy Bridge) already would have should be (among other things Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 and Z68 Extreme4 Gen3) See times some alternatives ASRock.
+ Fan connectors and control
The motherboard has two connectors for CPU fan, three connectors for case fans and another "Powerfan" connection. Except for the Powerfan connection (case fans, who always runs at full speed) can regulate all fans via the included program "AsRock Extreme Tuning Utility" on the fly or in UEFI. So I even get the case fan in my Cooler Master HAF X RC-942 PC tower case with a window to some extent "silent".
Included + USB3.0 front panel
Very well liked that a front panel was supplied for USB3.0 that will angeschlssen to the USB3.0 header on the motherboard. My HAF X casing has already terminals for but the cable would have to be led out of the housing and connected to the rear. Since you can remove it from the supplied front panel the front I had thus two internal USB3.0 ports that I could use it. Very handy if the used housing does not yet have a USB3.0 port header.
+ Many Sata ports
The board has a total of 8 SATA ports (4x SATA II and 4x SATA III), two of which are provided Sata III Marvell SE9120 controller a and the rest on the Z68 chipset. This means that you should carefully consider which devices you connect to the Marvell controller, because these devices are indeed bootable, but if you activate the ability to boot to the start, the devices connected to them with some delay and you can also do not have the Select F11 boot menu to start.
+ Übertacktungsmöglichkeiten
I have therefore not yet experimented a lot (except for the multiplier to provide time trial basis on 40 (= 4.0 GHz), which is also easily walked) seen since I currently no need for more power but in UEFI I have very many options that overclockers determined hardly leave to be desired.
+ Linux support
An aside to let factor. After installing Ubuntu 04.11 everything went without finishing (except for the Etron USB3.0 controller that is well supported from kernel version 2.6.38-11 [ran in with only after activation of Proposed (= pre-release updates) Package source updates but probably soon enter into the normal update process].
I tested: Audio (both analog and SPDIF and Front Audio), USB2.0, Sandy Bridge graphics (in UEFI to "onboard" set), external graphics (in UEFI on "PCIE" set), USB3.0 (after update as mentioned), hot-swappable, Sataanschlüsse function all.
Untested: Firewire and eSATA (have nothing to test the connections)
Neutral:
========
° no WLAN and Bluetooth
It would be nice if these features would have been with on board but you can (if you need them because) both easily via PCI card or USB retrofit.
Negatives:
========
- Position the PCIe x1 slots
The two PCIe x1 slots are above and below the space reserved for the graphics card slot. If one uses a large CPU cooler is the top slot unusable. If one uses a dual-slot, the bottom PCIe connector unusable. Thus, I have unfortunately no PCIe to PCIe x1 card to use x1 Anschlss available and should "abuse" the PCIe x4 port. It would have made more sense if it had changed the position of the uppermost PCIe x1 and PCI slots of the bottom.
Conclusion:
°°°°°°°°
After this long list I come to the conclusion that the motherboard was a very good buy and can only give a buy recommendation. The price is very good for the ebenfals offered.
