Here’s GRG’s list of the top 10 motherboards for 2011. We continually update this list so be sure to stop by again for new comparisons.
Top 10 Gaming Motherboards 2012 – February Update
Taking a look at our February update it’s interesting to note that most of the standard Z68 motherboards have been replaced by Z68 GEN3 models which are forwards compatible with Intel’s Ivy Bridge Processors slated to release around mid 2012. Our first x79 chipset motherboard for use with Intel’s Socket 2011 CPU has also been included, the Asus X79 Deluxe model.
| Manufacturer / Model Number | Price/ Product | Expansion Slots SATA / USB/ Ram Specs | Socket / Chipset Other | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASUS LGA 1155 - Z68 - PCIe 3.0 and UEFI BIOS Intel Z68 ATX DDR3 2200 LGA 1155 Motherboards P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 | 2 (single @ x16 or dual @ x8)/ 1 @ x4/ 4 x SATA 6Gb/s/ 4x SATA 3Gb/s / 2 x USB 3.0/ 6 x USB 2.0 / Dual Channel memory support with up to 32 GB ram | LGA 1155 / Z68 GEN3/ Bluetooth V2.1+EDR/ 1 x eSATA 3Gb/s/ 1 x Optical/ 6 Ports audio ports/ PCIE3.0 support/ LucidLogix Virtu/ USB 3.0 Boost. | 3 year parts and labor warranty from Asus. | |
| ASUS LGA 1155 - Z68 - PCIe 3.0 and UEFI BIOS Intel Z68 ATX DDR3 2200 LGA 1155 Motherboards P8Z68-V/GEN3 | 2 (single @ x16 or dual @ x8)/ 1 (@ x4)/ 2 x SATA 6Gb/s/ 4 x Sata 3Gb/s/ Dual Channel memory support with up to 32 GB ram/ 6 x USB 2.0/ 2 x USB 3.0/ 1 HDMI/ Realtek ALC892 audio/ 6 audio ports | LGA 1155 / Z68 GEN3/ 1 x Optical/ PCIE3.0 support/ LucidLogix Virtu/ USB 3.0 Boost. | 3 Years | |
| Gigabyte Intel Z77 LGA 1155 AMD CrossFireX/NVIDIA SLI Dual LAN Dual UEFI BIOS ATX Motherboard GA-Z77X-UD5H | PCI Express 3.0 x16 (3 (x16, x8, x4)), 4 x SATA 3Gb/s, 5 x SATA 6Gb/s, Realtek ALC898 audio chipset, | LGA 1155/ Intel Z77/ Rear Ports: D-Sub + DVI, 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort, 2 x USB 2.0, 4 x USB 3.0, 1 x IEEE 1394a, 1 x eSATA 6Gb/s | 3 Years parts and labor. | |
| ASUS Deluxe Intel Z77 ATX DDR3 2600 LGA 1155 Motherboard P8Z77-V DELUXE | 4 x Sata 3Gb/s, 4 x SATA 6Gb/s, SATA RAID: 2 x SATA 6Gb/s ports with RAID 0,1,5,10 support 4 x SATA 3Gb/s ports with RAID 0,1,5,10 support 2 x SATA 6Gb/s ports with RAID 0,1 support | LGA 1155/ Intel Z77/ Up to 32 GB Ram/ Realtek ALC898 audio chipset/ Rear Ports: 1 x HDMI, 1 x DisplayPort, 4 x USB 2.0, 6 x USB 3.0, 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s, 1 x Optical | 3 Years Parts and Labor Warranty | |
| GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard | 4 (x16, x16, x4, x4)/ Up to 32 GB Dual Channel memory support/ 6 x SATA 6Gb/s / 8 x USB 2.0/ 2 x USB 3.0/ | AM3+/ FX / 2600MHz Hyper Transport / 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s/ 1 x Optical/ AMD OverDrive Support/ DualBIOS 3TB+ HDD Support | 3 Years. | |
| Gigabyte Intel Z68 ATX DDR3 2133 LGA 1155 Motherboards GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 | 4 x SATA 6Gb/s, 3 x SATA 3Gb/s, Up to 32 GB Dual Channel DDR3 Ram 4x240 pin 2133/ 1866/ 1600/ 1333/ 1066, 4 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0 | LGA 1155 Z68 / Onboard LAN Realtek 8111E D-Sub, DVI, HDMI, PCI Express 2.0 x16 2 (single at x16 or dual at x8) | 3 Years | |
| ASUS P9X79 DELUXE - LGA2011 - X79 - 8x DIMM - PCIe 3.0 Motherboards | PCI Express 3.0 x16/ 3 (dual@x16; triple@x16/x8/x8) 1 (@ x8)/ 4 x SATA 6Gb/s / 4 x Sata 3Gb/s / 4 x USB 2.0 / 6 x USB 3.0/ 2 x Power eSATA 6Gb/s/ Up to 64GB Quad Channel Memory Support DDR3 2400(O.C.) / | LGA 2011 / X79/ WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth V3.0+HS/ 1 x Optical/ 6 audio ports/ Dual Intelligent Processors 3 with New DIGI+ Power Control/ USB BIOS Flashback/ Asus SSD Caching/ UEFI BIOS | 3 Years. | |
| ASUS LGA 1155 - Z68 - PCIe 3.0 and UEFI BIOS Intel Z68 ATX DDR3 2200 LGA 1155 Motherboards P8Z68 DELUXE/GEN3 | Dual Channel Support for up to 32GB ram at DDR3 2200(O.C.)/ 4 x SATA 6Gb/s/ 4 x SATA 3Gb/s / Realtek ALC889/ 8 Audio Channels/ 8 x USB 2.0/ 2 x USB 3.0/ | LGA 1155 GEN 3/ PCI Express 3.0 x16/ 2 (single @ x16 or dual @ x8)/ 1 x Optical, 1 x Coaxial/ Dual Intelligent Processors 2 with DIGI+ VRM Digital Power Design/ UEFI BIOS/ LucidLogix Virtu | 3 Years. | |
| ASUS P8Z68-V PRO Motherboard | 4 x SATA 3Gb/s, 4 x SATA 6Gb/s, 6 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, up to 32 GB Dual Channel 4x240 pin DDR3 Ram DDR3 2200(O.C.) /2133(O.C.)/ 1866(O.C.) / 1600/ 1333/ 1066 | 1155 Z68/ Intel Smart Response Technology - Experience the Benefits of both SSD and HDD, LucidLogix Virtu | 3 Years Limited Parts and Labor Warranty | |
| ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 Supported Intel P67 DDR3 2400 ATX Motherboard | Sata 6 Gb/s, USB 3.0, and | 1155 P67/ RC Bluetooth, ROG ConnectEasy, direct OC control, GPU TweakitTweak, GPU.DIMM, EFI | 3 years | |
| GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD5 AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard | 8 x SATA 6Gb/s, 8 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, Up to 32 GB DDR3 Ram DDR3 2000(O.C.)/ 1866/ 1600/ 1333/ 1066 | AMD AM3+/ Expansion Slots 2 x PCI Express x16 slot running at x16 ,1 x PCI Express x16 slot running at x8 ,2x PCI Express x4 slots, 1 x PCI Express x1 slot, 1 x PCI slots, Support for 2-Way/3-Way AMD CrossFireX and NVIDIA SLI technology, Audio: Realtek ALC889 codec , High Definition Audio, Dolby Home Theater, 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel, LAN: 10/100/1000 Mbit, AMD OverDrive Support, onboard Realtek 8111E | 3 Year Parts and Labor Warranty | |
| Gigabyte Socket AM3/AMD 890GX/SATA 3.0 and USB 3.0/A&V&GbE/ATX Motherboard GA-890GPA-UD3H | Sata 6 Gb/s x6 with Sata 3 Gb/s x 2, 3 x USB 3.0 4 x USB 2.0, up to 16 GB DDR3 1866 (OC)/ 1333/ 1066 | AMD AM3/ DDR3 memory controller, HyperTransport 3.0 technology links, Dual PCI Express 2.0 graphics interfaces | 3 Years Limited parts and Labor | |
| ASUS P8P67-M PRO LGA 1155 SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 Supported Intel P67 DDR3 2200 Micro ATX Motherboard | 3x Sata 6Gb/s 4x Sata 3 Gb/s, 6x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0, Up to 32 GB DDR3 2200(O.C.)*/ 2133(O.C.)*/ 1866(O.C.)/ 1600(O.C.)/ 1333/ 1066 | 1155 P67/ EPU energy saving management, anti surge protection, MemOK!, | 3 Years Limited parts and Labor | |
| ASUS SABERTOOTH P67 LGA 1155 SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 Supported Intel P67 DDR3 1800 ATX Motherboard | 4x Sata 3 Gb/s 4x Sata 6Gb/s, 8x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0, Up to 32 GB DDR3 1866/ 1800/ 1600/ 1333/ 1066 | 1155 P67/ Intel Vpro management, Intel Vpro management, Intel Gb LAN High-Performance, ASUS E.S.P., TUF Thermal Radar, UEFI BIOS BIOS control | 3 Years Limited Parts and Labor Warranty | |
| ASUS Socket 1366/Intel X58/Quad SLI & Quad CrossFireX/SATA3.0&USB3.0/A&GbE/ATX Motherboard s SABERTOOTH X58 | 2x Sata 6 Gb/s 6x Sata 3 Gb/s, Up to 24 GB DDR3 1866/ 1800/ 1600/ 1333/ 1066 | LGA 1366 X58/ 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 1 x PCIe x16, 6 x USB 2.0 2 x USB 3.0, | 5 Years limited parts and labor. | |
| GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s, 8 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, up to 32 GB DDR3 Ram at 2000 overclock | AMD AM3+/ 2600MHz Hyper Transport (5200 MT/s) FSB, PCI Express 2.0 x16 2 (x16, x4) | 3 Years | |
| ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z - LGA 1155 - Z68 - Republic of Gamer Series - mATX Intel Z68 Micro ATX DDR3 2200 Motherboards | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s, 4 x SATA 3Gb/s, 8 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, 2 x eSATA 3Gb/s, Up to 32GB Dual Channel DDR3 2200(O.C.) | LGA 1155 Z68 Micro ATX board/ 1 x HDMI, 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port, 1 x Optical, 6 audio Ports, GameFirst / Intel Gb LAN/ LUCID VIRTU AND SLI/CROSSFIREX ON-DEMAND | 3 Years parts and labor. | |
| ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME LGA 1155 Rebublic of Gamers Intel P67 DDR3 2400 ATX Motherboard | 4x Sata 6Gb/s 4x Sata 3 Gb/s, 8x USB 3.0 1x USB 2.0, Up to 32 GB DDR 3 Ram DDR3 2200(O.C.)/ 2133(O.C.)/ 1866(O.C.)/ 1600 /1333 | 1155 P67/ DIGI+ VRM New Era of Digital Power Design, Real-time power management for System Level Energy Saving, Self Optimized Settings, ROG Connect Easy, | 3 Years Limited | |
| ASUS Sabertooth 990FX - AM3+ - TUF Series - ATX AMD 990FX DDR3 1800 Motherboards | 6 x SATA 6Gb/s, 2 x SATA 3Gb/s, 10 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, Up to 32 GB DDR3 Dual Channel 4x240 pin Ram | AMD AM3+/ AMD Socket AM3+ FX / Phenom II / Athlon II / Sempron 100 Series Processors, CeraM!X, TUF Thermal Radar, TUF Capacitors, Chokes and MOSFETS, DIGI+ VRM , Efficient power switching (EPS) , 3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 | 5 Year Warranty | |
| Gigabyte Intel X58/Intel ICH10R Intel X58 ATX DDR3 2200 LGA 1366 Motherboard (GA-X58A-UD3R) | 8x Sata 3 Gb/s 2 x Sata 6 Gb/s, 4 x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0, Up to 24 GB Ram DDR3 2200/ 1333/ 1066/ 800 | 1366 X58/ 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 2 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8, | 3 Years Limited Warranty | |
| Asus M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 Socket AM3 AMD 890GX/SB850 6 SATA USB 3.0 ATX Motherboard | 6x Sata 6Gb/s, 4x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0/ Up to 16 gb DDR3 2000(O.C.) /1333 /1066 | AMD AM3/ PCI Express 2.0 x16, ASUS Core Unlocker for extra performance, Turbo Key II Switch, HDMI/DVI/VGA outputs, GPU boost | 3 Years Limited Parts and Labor Warranty | |
| Gigabyte Z68X-UD7-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard GA-Z68X-UD7-B3 | 2 x SATA 6Gb/s, 4 x SATA 3Gb/s, Support for SATA RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10. 2 x Marvell 88SE9128 chips: 2 x SATA 6Gb/s, 2 x eSATA 6Gb/s on the back panel, Support for SATA RAID 0 and RAID 1. , Memory: 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory, Dual channel memory architecture, Support for DDR3 2133/ 1866/ 1600/ 1333/ 1066 MHz memory modules, Up to 8 USB 2.0/1.1 ports, 2 x Renesas D720200 chips and 2 x VLI VL810 hubs: Up to 10 USB 3.0/2.0 ports | LGA 1155 Z68/ Realtek ALC889 codec, High Definition Audio, 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel, Support for Dolby Home Theater, Support for S/PDIF Out. LAN: 2 x Realtek RTL8111E chips (10/100/1000 Mbit), Support for Teaming, Support for Smart Dual LAN, 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16. 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x8. 1 x PCI Express x1 slot. 2 x PCI slots. Support for 2-Way/3-Way ATI CrossFireX/ NVIDIA SLI technology, Intel Smart Response Technology | 3 Year Parts and Labor Warranty | |
| ASUS Socket 1156/Intel H55/HDMI/A and V and GbE/MATX Motherboard P7H55-M PRO | 6x Sata 3Gb/s, 6x USB 2.0, Up to 16 GB DDR3 2133 (OC)/ 1333/ 1066 | 1156 H55/ VGA output - HDMI/DVI/RGB, ASUS GPU Boost, ASUS TurboV & Turbo Key for Easy O.C., ASUS Express Gate, ASUS EPU | 3 Years Limited Parts and Labor Warranty | |
| ASUS P8P67 DELUXE LGA 1155 SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 Supported Intel P67 DDR3 2400 ATX Motherboard | 4x Sata 3 Gb/s 4x Sata 6Gb/s, 8 x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0 Up to 32 GBB DDR3 2200(O.C.)/ 2133(O.C.)/ 1866(O.C.)/ 1600/ 1333/ 1066 | 1155 P67/ RT Power Management for system energy saving, Anti Surge Protection, EFI, Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, PCI Express 2.0 x16 | 3 Years Limited Parts and Labor Warranty | |
| ASRock P67 Extreme4 B3 Intel P67 ATX DDR3 2133 Motherboard | 4x SATA 2 Ports, Support RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 10; 3x SATA3 Ports(two Support RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 10); 1x SATA3/ eSATA3 Combo Port, Up to 32 GB DDR3 4x240 pin, 12x USB 2.0 Ports (6 rear, 6 by headers); 4x USB 3.0 Ports(2 rear, 2 by headers); 1x eSATA3 Port; 2x PS/2 Ports; 2x IEEE 1394 Ports (1 rear, 1 by header); 1x Coaxial SPDIF-Out; 1x | LGA 1155 P67/ Supports, Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Technology, Intel K-Series unlocked CPU, Intel Hyperthreading, 3x PCI-Express 2.0 x16 Slots (Support ATI Quad/ 3-Way/ CrossFireX and nVidia Quad SLI/SLI); 2x PCI-Express 2.0 x1 Slots; 2x PCI Slots | 1 Year Parts and Labor | |
| Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard | 4 x SATA 3Gb/s, 4 x SATA 6Gb/s, 8 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, Up to 32GB 2133 with Dual Channel Support, | 1155/ Z68 with GIGABYTE EZ Smart Response/ Tom's Hardware Recommended Buy, PCI Express 2.0 x16 2 (x16, x8), 3 PCI Express x1, 2 PCI Slots, Realtek ALC889 audio chipset | 3 Years Limited Parts and Labor Warranty |