Asus P8Z68 Series and GENE-Z Motherboards Launched

Asus has released a new range of motherboards based on the Intel Z68 Express chipset - the P8Z68 Series and the ROG Maximus IV GENE-Z. The features touted on these motherboards by Asus include switchable graphics, ISRT, a UEFI BIOS with a GUI and support for hard drives with capacity over 2.2 Terabytes.

€œAsus claims the new technologies featured include implementation of LucidLogix Virtu switchable graphics. This will allow the motherboard to switch on the fly, between the Intel processor's onboard graphics core and a discreet NVIDIA/AMD graphics card. It was also claimed that all ASUS Z68-based motherboards are designed to support the LucidLogix Virtu graphics virtualization engine that works together with Intel Quick Sync Video for improving video transcoding and playback.

The Intel Smart Response Technology on these motherboards is claimed to improve hard drive performance and reduce energy consumption. This feature uses a solid-state cache to deliver the combined benefits of SSD speed and traditional hard drive storage capacity, cutting down on lengthy data access and system boot time in the process.

Zane Ball, General Manager of Intel Desktop Platforms said, "The Intel Z68 Express chipset is the first platform to enable both overclocking and the revolutionary media features built into 2nd generation Intel Core processors. We're thrilled to see a full lineup of ASUS Z68 motherboards designed with LucidLogic Virtu support, allowing users to take advantage of the incredible video transcoding performance of Intel Quick Sync Video Technology, while maintaining support for high-end discrete graphics from all major brands. Users can now enjoy the best of both worlds."

Asus includes its UEFI BIOS on P8Z68 Series motherboards and the Maximus IV GENE-Z. This allows for a graphical mouse-controlled BIOS, making it intuitive and easier to use compared to a normal text-mode BIOS. To provide an instance of what this simplification to novice users means in real terms, the UEFI BIOS offers drag-n-drop boot drive prioritization. Also, the Z68 chipset supports hard drives with capacities greater than 2.2TB.

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