Biostar released a new, improved variant of its TZ68A+ socket LGA1155 motherboard, the TZ68K+. The new board looks almost exactly the same as its predecessor except for the stronger CPU VRM. The CPU is now powered by an 8-phase VRM, compared to the 4-phase VRM on the previous version. The VRM cluster north of the CPU socket has its own little heatsink as well. Apart from that, it's the same budget Z68 chipset based motherboard in the ATX form-factor that TZ68A+ was.

Expansion slots include one PCI-Express 2.0 x16, one PCI-E x16 (electrical 2.0 x4), a PCI-E 2.0 x1, and two PCI. The board builds entirely on the chipset's and the LPCIO chip's feature-sets. In the storage department, we have two SATA 6 Gb/s, four SATA 3 Gb/s ports, all internal. Connectivity includes legacy ports such as LPT and COM given out as headers, wired to the LPCIO chip, a number of USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports on the rear panel, 6-channel HD audio, and PS/2 keyboard connector. Display outputs include HDMI 1.4, DVI, and D-Sub. Being Z68 based, it features Intel Smart Response technology. Like the TZ68A+, it uses UEFI firmware. We don't expect much of a price-difference between this board and the TZ68A+.

ASRock launched its newest motherboard, the Z68M-ITX. As the name suggests, it is a socket LGA1155 motherboard based on the Intel Z68 Express chipset, in the mini-ITX form factor. ASRock's new board is aimed squarely at HTPCs or premium home desktops. It uses a standard ATX power supply, drawing power from a 24-pin ATX and 4-pin CPU power headers. The LGA1155 socket is powered by a 4-phase VRM, it is wired to two DDR3 DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3-1600 MHz memory, the lone expansion slot: a PCI-Express 2.0 x16, and the Z68 PCH. Z68 provides overclocking capabilities, as well as Intel Flexible Display Interface (FDI) letting you use the integrated graphics, and Intel Smart Response Technology that lets you use SSD for caching HDDs

Connectivity includes 8 channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output, driven by Realtek ALC892 CODEC, two USB 3.0 ports driven by ASMedia ASM1042 controller, gigabit Ethernet, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. Storage connectivity consists of two each of SATA 6 Gb/s and SATA 3 Gb/s internal ports, and an eSATA 3 Gb/s port. Display connectivity includes HDMI, DVI, and D-Sub. The board is driven by UEFI firmware, with a graphical setup program. ASRock bundles a specially-designed Windows Media Center remote control, which comes with a multi-sensor CIR USB dongle that can receive infrared signal from a number of angles. ASRock did not give out pricing.

ZOTAC entered the motherboard scene as yet another vendor of reference NVIDIA nForce motherboards, which the like of EVGA, XFX, and BFG also sold. After the fall of nForce, ZOTAC attempted a LGA1366 motherboard, and went dormant with motherboards. Later, it picked up interest in the mini-ITX form-factor as it gained popularity in Asian markets like China and India, manufacturing motherboards based on Intel Atom, Atom with NVIDIA ION, and eventually socketed mini-ITX motherboards as it became a 2-chip affair with Intel's Ibex Peak platform (LGA1156). It looks like Zotac is making a comeback into full-size ATX motherboards that target the very top tier of the market, to woo gamers, professional overclockers, and enthusiasts.

Seen here is what the Chinese press is referring to as "ZT-Z68 Crown Edition-U1DU3", we may have lost the correct name in translation, but let's call it ZT-Z68-U1DU3 for now. It is a full-size ATX motherboard that takes socket LGA1155 Intel Sandy Bridge and future Ivy Bridge processors, and is based on the Intel Z68 Express chipset. It combines a strong VRM to support extreme overclocking, with graphics expansion, adding 4-way NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX capabilities using an NVIDIA BR-03 bridge-chip that sits on the processor's PCI-E x16 link, to give out two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 links, which are then spread between four slots in x16/NC/x16/NC, x16/NC/x8/x8, or x8/x8/x8/x8 lane configurations.

ASRock today is one of the top-three motherboard vendors in terms of sales volumes, but it must have been a long and tiring journey getting there in the market. One of the design philosophies of ASRock motherboards has been to experiment with unique features, odd chipset-socket combinations, odd and exotic expansion slot selection, and so on. Today, ASRock may not be the only motherboard vendor with products featuring PCI-Express 3.0, but it looks like the company is of the idea to make the new interconnect a major selling point, of the kind USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s became a couple of years ago. The company is planning an entire series of socket LGA1155 motherboards targeting mid-thru-high end price-points, featuring PCI-Express 3.0 graphics slots.

PCI-E 3.0 finds itself in the same spot USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s found themselves when they made an entry into client motherboards. There are close to no products that use it. So while it might look gimmicky, PCI-E 3.0 could add a thin layer of future-proofing to the offer, if you're in the market for a new socket LGA1155 motherboard. ASRock is readying no less than five motherboards, four based on the Z68 Express chipset, and one on the P67 Express (B3). All model names are tagged with "Gen3" to convey that it features PCI-E 3.0. The series includes the Z68 Extreme Extreme7 Gen3 at the very top of the pile, with its swanky-looking heatsinks, followed by the Fatal1ty-branded Z68 Profess1onal Gen3, Z68 Extreme4 Gen3, Z58 Extreme3 Gen3, and the P67 Extreme4 Gen3.

Gigabyte released pictures of G1.Sniper 2, the company's first socket LGA1155 motherboard in the G1.Killer series of motherboards designed for gamers with overclocker alter-egos (the same market ASUS Republic of Gamers targets). The board is based on the Intel Z68 Express chipset without any additional PCI-E bridge chip such as NVIDIA nForce 200. The board supports 2nd generation Core "Sandy Bridge" LGA1155 processors. The first G1.Sniper was a LGA1366 motherboard based on Intel X58 chipset.

Apart from being yet another high-end 2-way SLI/CrossFire Z68 motherboard, which Gigabyte's mainline Z68X series motherboards already achieve, the G1.Sniper 2 packs two extremely gamer-specific onboard devices: the Bigfoot Killer E2100 low-latency, high-offload PCI-Express network controller with its of dedicated memory; and Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi hardware audio with CA20K2 PCIe processor and 64 MB XRAM, backed by a high-grade Cirrus Logic DAC and OPAMP circuit, driving signal-noise ratio easily above 105 dBA with punchy bass.

MSI, the world-renowned mainboard and graphics card manufacturer, officially launches the Z68A-GD80 (G3), featuring world's first large bandwidth PCI Express Gen 3 mainboard, and the latest UEFI technology: Click BIOS II which features a homogenous interface both under Windows and the UEFI interface. Conforming to Intel's latest design standard, the MSI Z68A-GD80 (G3) with PCI Express Gen 3 provides a data transfer rate that is 200% faster than PCI Express Gen 2, enhancing the performance of graphics cards without bandwidth limitations.

Click BIOS II, allows simple and intuitive system adjustments in both Windows and the UEFI interface! In addition, Z68A-GD80 (G3) utilizes MIL-810STD Certified Military Class II components and are equipped with OC Genie II technology which increases the performance of hard drive up to 457%. The MSI Z68A-GD80 (G3) enables next generation superior performance with PCI Express Gen 3 and OC Genie II, ultimate stability with certified Military Class II components and an extreme user-friendly Click BIOS II interface both in Windows and in the UEFI BIOS.

Apacer, one of the world's leading brands of memory modules, today announced an expansion of its ARES overclocking memory series with high capacity and clock rate: DDR3-2133 8GB (4GBx2) dual channel memory kit,which is engineered for the latest Intel P67 and Z68 Sandy Bridge platforms. With a combination of high clock rate, huge capacity and low latency of CL9, ARES series is a perfect solution for extreme PC enthusiasts and gamers who want to optimize performance on the new platforms.

The newly-unveiled ARES DDR3-2133 8GB dual channel memory kit provides the highspeed and capacityon the Intel P67 and Z68 Sandy Bridge platforms and is backwards compatible with existing the P55 platform. It runs at CL9-11-9-27 with 1.65 voltage, using advancedprocess 256Mb x 8chips, which are screened and tested withthe advanced test fixture and programs under diversified parameters of voltage and time sequences.

Mach Xtreme is among those memory vendors seeing a market in consumer mSATA SSDs, a component reserved to OEMs for use on notebooks, before Intel launched the Smart Response technology with its Z68 platform, paving way for motherboards with mSATA slots that hold the SSD used for Smart Response caching. On display at Computex is Mach Xtreme's SandForce SF-1200 driven mSATA SSD that offers capacity of 60 GB. MachXtreme also showed off its Apple Macbook Air upgrade SSD, that consumers can opt for upping capacity and transfer rates, over the bundled SSD.

ZOTAC International, a leading innovator and the world's largest channel manufacturer of graphics cards, motherboards and mini-PCs, today unleashes the Z68-ITX WiFi and Z68-ITX WiFi Supreme - a pair of mini-ITX platforms designed for the most adventurous and demanding enthusiasts. The ZOTAC Z68-ITX WiFi series enables users to take advantage of all features of 2nd Generation Intel Core family processors including integrated graphics, overclocking and Intel Quick-Sync Video technology.

Powered by the latest Intel Z68 Express chipset, the ZOTAC Z68-ITX WiFi series enables adventurous enthusiasts to extract every ounce of performance available from 2nd Generation Intel Core while maintaining use of Intel GMA HD 2000/3000 series integrated graphics processors. Support for Intel Quick-Sync Video technology enables lightning-fast video transcoding for virtually instant video conversions to popular portable media players with the ZOTAC Z68-ITX WiFi series.

ZOTAC showed off its new, upcoming socket LGA1155 motherboard based on the Intel Z68 chipset, the Z68ATX-A-E. This is a full-blown ATX form-factor motherboard, that throws in plenty of connectivity. The LGA1155 socket is powered by a 20-phase VRM, that makes use of super-ML capacitors to condition power. The board uses an nForce 200 bridge chip that occupies the PCI-E x16 link of the processor, giving out PCI-Express 2.0 x16 links, further split between four PCI-Express 2.0 x16 slots. A PLX-made PCI-E 1.1 x4 to 3 PCI-E 2.0 x1 bridge chip is also present, driving additional controllers such as three of the four USB 3.0 controllers giving out 8 ports (four by headers). The board is designed to support 3-way and 4-way SLI.

Display connectivity includes two DVI, with the possibility of a DVI-HDMI dongle being bundled, other connectivity includes 8-channel HD audio, WiFi b/g/n, and dual gigabit Ethernet. In the storage department there appear to be four SATA 6 Gb/s, four SATA 3 Gb/s. There is a suite of overclocker-friendly features, including triple-redundant BIOS, voltage measurement points, and diagnostic LED display. The ZOTAC logo in the heatsink over the NF200 lights up. While the placard speaks of Intel 311 SSD, we're not sure if they're talking about an mSATA fixed SSD, we can't see one. Perhaps a 2.5-inch SATA 311 Series SSD comes bundled.

G.Skill International Co. Ltd., manufacturer of extreme performance memory and high performance solid-state storage, has released its latest SATA 3 6gbps SSD, Phoenix II Pro, based on the latest SandForce SF-2200 controller with the whopping random write speed up to 60K IOPS, and numerous ultra high performance memory series designed for the latest released platforms at Computex 2011.

Rarely do motherboard vendors dish out mini-ITX form-factor motherboards targeting the overclocking community. There's little space to squeeze in the bare essentials, but nothing is impossible, if there are competent designers at work, a case in point is the new Z68-ITX WiFi from ZOTAC. Based on the Intel Z68 Express chipset, this board supports LGA1155 Core i3/i5/i7 Sandy Bridge, and future Ivy Bridge processors, supports their integrated GPU giving you access to Intel QuickSync technology, as well as a suite of overclocking options.

To begin with the LGA1155 socket is powered by an 8-phase digital-PWM power design that uses high-grade PWM chokes made by Pulse, and in all probability, a Volterra PWM IC giving you precise voltage control as well as vDroop protection (high-precision load-line calibration). It also uses server-grade high-C capacitors. The PWM circuit takes input from an 8-pin EPS connector. The PWM chips are cooled by a large heatsink that sends some of its heat to the heatsink cooling the Z68 PCH, over a heat pipe.

Recently, ASUS released the Maximus IV Extreme-Z, a variant of the Maximus IV Extreme motherboard, based on Intel Z68 chipset. The original is based on Intel P67. ASUS' premium micro-ATX motherboard, the Maximus IV Gene got the same treatment, with Gene-Z. Back when ASUS was designing its Republic of Gamers lineup for socket LGA1155, P67 was the premium discrete-graphics chipset, which was later dethroned by Z68, which gives you everything P67 does, plus access to the processor's integrated graphics (letting you use Intel QuickSync), and Intel Smart Response SSD caching technology.

The Maximus IV Gene-Z uses a design very similar to its predecessor. The LGA1155 socket is powered by an impressive 12-phase Digi+ Extreme Engine VRM, 2-phase VRM for the dual-channel DDR3 memory, supporting speeds as high as DDR3-2000 MHz. Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x16/NC or x8/x8), supporting NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFire; and an open-ended PCI-E x4. ASUS managed to pack in two SATA 6 Gb/s ports, four SATA 3 Gb/s ports, and connectivity that includes SupremeFX X-Fi 8-channel audio, eSATA, gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0, and HDMI 1.4a (the lone display connector). ASUS nearly all ROG-exclusive features such as consolidated voltage measurement points, iROG, ROG UEFI, etc.

When Intel's Sandy Bridge platform was launched, P67 Express was perceived as the top of the line discrete graphics chipset that gives performance segment users everything they'll ever need. ASUS hence based its prestigious ROG Maximus branded motherboard based on it, and came up with the Maximus IV series. With Intel releasing a higher-end chipset with the Z68 Express, ASUS decided to redo its socket LGA1155 ROG motherboard lineup, with the Maximus IV Extreme-Z. The new motherboard gives users access to the processors' embedded graphics via a HDMI port, and gives them the benefit of Intel Smart Response technology that P67 lacks.

The Maximus IV Extreme-Z looks similar to its P67-based cousin. Based on the Intel Z68 chipset, the motherboard uses an NVIDIA nForce 200 bridge chip to ensure PCI-Express connectivity to up to four graphics cards, supporting NVIDIA SLI and AMD CrossFireX. The CPU is powered by ASUS Digi+ Extreme VRM, backed by high-grade components and proadlizers to condition power. There are four DIMM slots supporting dual-channel DDR3-2000 MHz memory by overclocking. Expansion slots include four PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x16/NC/x16/NC or x8/x8/x8/x8), there's also a PCI-E x1 and open-ended PCI-E x4.

BIOSTAR MICROTECH INT'L CORP., A professional manufacturer of motherboards, introduces Intel Z68 chipset based motherboard that supports Intel 2nd generation Sandy Bridge processor family, it is special designed for advanced gamers and overclocking fans. BIOSTAR "TZ68A+", the only solution supports both built-in graphics and external overclocking among Intel Sandy Bridge processors; it is also equipped with Lucid Virtu GPU Virtualization - a dynamic switching between built-in processor graphics and high-end 3D performance discrete graphics cards. Moreover, it also fully supports Intel Smart Response Technology - enabling SSD like performance with HDD capacity.

Internationally renowned mainboard and graphic card manufacturer MSI has officially launched the latest Intel-Z68 platforms for power users with uncompromising demands for both materials and performance. All Inte-Z68 mainboards from MSI are equipped with MSI-exclusive features: OC Genie II technology and Military Class II materials. The OC Genie II delivers a much more powerful OC performance than its previous generation: In simply one second, users can boost up to 145% system performance for 3D games and even up to 457% hard drive performance.

The industry-leading Military Class II electronics components, which meets the United States Department of Defense purchasing requirements to significantly enhance mainboard durability and lifespan, ensure optimal system stability in system OC. Integrating both features, the MSI Z68 mainboards enhance both system performance and system stability to fulfill the uncompromising demands of power users. Furthermore, they redefine the industry standards for high performance and premium quality.

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 Virtu 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.

It is becoming increasingly clear now, that Gigabyte will have two parallel lines of socket LGA1155 motherboards based on the same Intel Z68 B3 chipset, one that does away with display connectivity to make room for other ports and is geared for discrete graphics, while the other has display connectivity at the expense of additional ports on the rear panel, and also gives you everything you'd expect from Z68, including overclocking. In mid-April, pictures of GA-Z68-UD3P-B3 surfaced, which is a motherboard of the first kind explained above. Now, there's deck of pictures of the GA-Z68-UD3H-B3, its counterpart of the second kind.

The GA-Z68-UD3H-B3 features a much lighter CPU VRM, consisting of 7 phases, against 14 on the UD3P. It gives you the same expansion slot layout consisting of two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (x8/x8 when both are populated), supporting ATI CrossFire and NVIDIA SLI, three PCI-E x1, and two PCI. Gigabyte made full use of the display connectivity options that come with Sandy Bridge, there is one each of DVI, D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort. Audio is at the helm of Realtek ALC889 8+2 channel HD audio CODEC, with optical SPDIF output.

Among a large selection of new Intel Z68-based socket LGA1155 motherboards taking shape at Gigabyte, is a cracker of a micro-ATX motherboard called GA-Z68MX-UD2H. Based on the Cougar Point B3 Z68 chipset that combines the overclocking capabilities of P67 and integrated display features of H67, the GA-Z68MX-UD2H squeezes in as many features as one can onto the 240x240 mm PCB. The LGA1155 socket is powered by a 7-phase VRM, and is wired to four DDR3 DIMM slots for dual-channel DDR3 memory.

Expansion slots include three PCI-Express 2.0 x16. The first and third are wired to the LGA1155 socket, with electrical configurations of x16/NC or x8/x8, depending on if the third slot is populated. A PCI-E x1 and another x16 slot separates the two, creating room for graphics cards with dual-slot coolers on the first slot. The second x16 slot is electrical x4, and is wired to the Z68 PCH along with the x1 slot. Both NVIDIA SLI and ATI CrossFire are supported.

Expanding their relationship beyond hardware, LucidLogix today announced that its' Virtu GPU virtualization software will be integrated into various SKUs of ASUS motherboards based on the Intel Z68 chipsets. Virtu allows the systems to simultaneously take full advantage of both the low-power best-in-class media processing features of the 2nd generation Intel Core processor graphics and the 3D gaming performance of add-in cards with graphics processing units (GPUs) from AMD and NVIDIA.

"Since ASUS supplies a third of the world's motherboards, their knowledge and expertise in the market magnifies the importance of a seamless media experience only provided by Lucid," said Offir Remez, president and founder of Lucid. "The Virtu solution is rapidly becoming a standard, must-have feature and its expanding market acceptance creates a runway for further innovation in both desktop and notebook PC graphics."

Apart from a brand new CPU architecture, Intel's Sandy Bridge LGA1155 platform saw the mass introduction of EFI (extensible firmware interface) to the PC, a new BIOS-replacement component that can eliminate several limitations of BIOS, most notably, the ability to boot from volumes bigger than 3 TB in size. While most motherboard manufacturers have given their LGA1155 models support for UEFI, not everyone has a graphical user interface (GUI) based UEFI setup program that uses mouse as a pointing device, and presents users with UI elements such as radio buttons, drop-lists, and checkboxes to make changes. Gigabyte has been one such manufacturer with its first wave of P67 and H67 based motherboards.

With its newest B3-revision motherboards that include the upcoming Z68 chipset based motherboards, Gigabyte wants to make amends. It has to, being the number two motherboard vendor in terms of volumes. Gigabyte wants to go a step ahead of other vendors, and design a UEFI setup program that not only supports mouse, but also touchscreens, and present a user interface with large icons and design elements that resemble tablets, which are designed to make configuration easier than on mouse-driven UEFI setup programs. The TouchBIOS ("BIOS" here is just used as a verb) from Gigabyte should be available on Gigabyte's upcoming motherboards, as well as in the future, on Gigabyte's all-in-one PCs, tablets, and notebooks.UPDATE: It turns out that TouchBIOS isn't a firmware application, but rather a Windows-based utility that makes BIOS management easily for the people less acquainted with it. Let's hope the "less acquainted" don't touch the wrong colorful button in their "ooh what does this button do? " moments.

ASRock is ready with its latest performance motherboard based on the upcoming Intel Z68 chipset, the ASRock Z68 Extreme4. The Z68 chipset combines the overclocking features of P67 with integrated graphics support of H67, and adds a few more features such as SSD boost. The Z68 Extreme4 uses a V8 power phase design for the CPU socket, the board supports dual-DDR3 memory with memory multipliers supporting DDR3-2133 MHz. The onboard display connectivity includes DVI, D-Sub, HDMI 1.4a, and DisplayPort. Expansion slots include three PCI-Express x16 (x16/NC/x4 or x8/x8/x4), two each of PCI-E x1 and PCI.

The "4" in Extreme4 denotes four each of USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s ports. There are two SATA 6 Gb/s from the PCH, and two from an additional controller; and two EtronTech USB 3.0 controllers that drive two ports on the rear panel, and two by internal headers (for front-panel or bracket). The Z68 Extreme4 features a new GUI-driven UEFI BIOS that allows booting from volumes over 3 TB in capacity. Other connectivity features include 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output and THX TruStudio Pro, eSATA 3 Gb/s, Firewire, and a number of USB 2.0 ports. There are a few nice overclocker-friendly touches such as high DRAM multipliers, rear clear CMOS, and power/reset buttons on board. ASRock's new board will reach stores in mid-May.

While NVIDIA and AMD are just about done with their consumer GPU launches for the current generation, NVIDIA has something in store for Computex, 2011, one of the year's biggest technology tradeshows. The GPU giant will announce NVIDIA Optimus technology's desktop avatar, for now known as "Synergy". The technology allows on-the-fly switching between a computer's integrated graphics and discrete NVIDIA GeForce graphics processor, giving you access to the feature-set of both, and allowing a fair amount of power-saving in the process.

NVIDIA's new technology is designed specifically for Intel's Sandy Bridge desktop platform, particularly motherboards with Intel H61, H67, and Z68 chipsets (you can't access IGP with P6x). Unlike SLI, motherboard vendors needn't shell out a license fee or sign an agreement to implement the technology. A supportive motherboard will have authorization code implanted into SBIOS, much like SLI. In practice, the technology will allow users to switch to a GeForce GPU (or a pair of GPUs on Z68) when gaming or in 3D-heavy applications; while falling back to the power-efficient IGP or even making use of Intel's QuickSync technology, when not gaming.

Pictures of ASUS' upcoming upper-mid range LGA1155 motherboard based on the Intel Z68 chipset, the P8Z68-V Pro surfaced on Chinese websites, revealing what comes across as a blend of P8P67's feature-set, and P8H67's display connectivity (which is what Z68 is all about). The new board makes use of a 14-phase Digi+ VRM to power the CPU. Highlights include CPU overclocking features driven by the UEFI BIOS, coupled with Intel Flexible Display Interface, letting you make use of the processor's embedded Intel HD 3000 graphics with Intel QuickSync accelerated video encoding. Further, the board is Lucid Virtu certified, letting you use (and switch between, depending on graphics load) both the integrated and discrete graphics simultaneously, and saving power in the process.

Expansion slots include two PCI-Express 2.0 x16 (electrical x8 with both populated), one PCI-Express x16 (electrical x4), two PCI-Express x1, and two PCI. This wholesome expansion area is backed by a wealth of connectivity options, including four SATA 6 Gb/s ports (two from PCH, two from Marvell controller), four SATA 3 Gb/s internal, and one eSATA 3 Gb/s; display connectivity that includes one each of dual-link DVI, D-Sub, and HDMI 1.4a; 8-channel HD audio with optical SPDIF output; four USB 3.0 (two internal/by header), a number of USB 2.0 ports, FireWire (by header), Bluetooth, and gigabit Ethernet. A number of overclocking features found on P8P67 series motherboards are present.

MSI, the leading Mainboard and Graphics Card manufacturer announces an extension of its lasting partnership with Lucid through the inclusion of the Virtu GPU virtualization technology with the upcoming MSI Z68 Mainboards. Lucid and MSI have enjoyed a fruitful collaboration ever since work started on MSI's Big Bang Fuzion mainboard, world's first mainboard featuring Lucid's HydraLogix chip for true vendor independent multi-GPU technology. Today's announcement is a firm indication of MSI's continuation as a leader in computer graphics products and technologies.

Through the integration of Lucid's Virtu technology. MSI's Z68 based mainboards are able to combine the best features of Intel's HD 2000 and HD 3000 integrated graphics such as Lightning quick video decoding and the power of discrete graphics cards such as MSI's Lightning or Hawk series Graphics cards. Utilizing Lucid's Virtu technology allows MSI's Z68 mainboards to have low power consumption during light graphical workloads, like playing web games or viewing videos and give the graphical horsepower you need when playing 3D games.