The GA-Z68XP-UD3 motherboard, based on the Intel Z68 Express Chipset & supporting the new 2nd generation Intel Core processors. Delivering the very best that Intel 6 series chipsets have to offer, including a significant performance boost with Intel Smart Response Technology, the first ever m SATA drive connectors on a standard desktop PC motherboard, & GIGABYTEs proprietary Touch BIOS technology, GIGABYTE Z68 series motherboards put users in the driver seat, allowing them to take total control over how their system operates & performs to best match their individual computing needs. GIGABYTE Z68 series motherboards are equipped with the much anticipated Intel Smart Response Technology, allowing users to experience system performance similar to SSD only systems. Intel Smart Response technology works by using intelligent block-based caching of frequently used applications to improve system performance & responsiveness. GIGABYTE Z68 motherboards are equipped with the much anticipated Intel Smart Response Technology, allowing users to experience system performance similar to SSD-only systems. Intel Smart Response technology works by using intelligent block-based caching of frequently used applications to improve system performance & responsiveness. In fact, GIGABYTE Z68 motherboards with Intel Smart Response Technology are able to outperform hybrid drive systems by more than 2X (PC Mark Vantage HDD test) & HDD-only systems by as much as 4X (PC Mark Vantage HDD test) & deliver a 60% performance improvement over HDD-only systems in PC Mark Vantage Suite. Specifications CPU Support for Intel Core i 7 processors/ Intel Core i 5 processors/ Intel Core i 3 processors/ Intel Pentium processors/ Intel Celeron processors in the LGA1155 package L3 cache varies with CPU (Please refer "CPU Support List" on Gigabyte website for more information.) Chipset Intel Z68 Express Chipset Memory 4 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM sockets supporting up to 32 GB of system memory * Due to Windows 32-bit operating system limitation, when more than 4 GB of physical memory is installed, the actual memory size displayed will be less than 4 GB. Dual channel memory architecture Support for DDR3 2133/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz memory modules Support for non-ECC memory modules Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules (Please refer " Memory Support List" on Gigabyte website for more information.) Onboard Graphics Integrated in the Chipset: 0.1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 1920x 1200 Audio Realtek ALC889 codec High Definition Audio 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel Support for Dolby Home Theater Support for S/PDIF Out LAN 1 x Realtek RTL8111E chip (10/100/1000 Mbit) Expansion Slots 1 x PCI Express x 16 slot, running at x 16 (PCIEX16) * For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot. 1 x PCI Express x 16 slot, running at x 8 (PCIEX8) * The PCIEX8 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16 slot. When the PCIEX8 slot is populated, the PCIEX16 slot will operate at up to x 8 mode. 3 x PCI Express x 1 slots (All PCI Express slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.) 2 x PCI slots Multi-Graphics Technology Support for AMD Cross Fire X™ / NVIDIA SLI technology * The PCIEX16 slot operates at up to x 8 mode when AMD Cross Fire X™/NVIDIA SLI is enabled. Storage Interface Chipset: 0.2 x SATA 6 Gb/s connectors (SATA3_0~SATA3_1) supporting up to 2 SATA 6 Gb/s devices 4 x SATA 3 Gb/s connectors (SATA2_2~SATA2_5) supporting up to 4 SATA 3 Gb/s devices * The SATA2_5 connector will become unavailable when the m SATA connector is installed with a solid state drive. Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, & RAID 10 * When a RAID set is built across the SATA 6 Gb/s & SATA 3 Gb/s channels, the system performance of the RAID set may vary depending on the devices being connected. 1 x Marvell 88SE9172 chip: 0.2 x SATA 6 Gb/s connectors (GSATA3_6, GSATA3_7) supporting up to 2 SATA 6 Gb/s devices Support for SATA RAID 0 & RAID 1 USB (Universal Serial Bus) Chipset: 0. Up to 14 USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0/1.1 ports (8 ports on the back panel, 6 ports available through the internal USB (Universal Serial Bus) headers) 2 x Etron EJ168 chips: 0. Up to 4 USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0/2.0 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB (Universal Serial Bus) header) IEEE 1394 VIA VT6308 chip: 0. Up to 2 IEEE 1394a ports (1 port on the back panel, 1 port available through the internal IEEE 1394a header) Internal I/O Connectors 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector 4 x SATA 6 Gb/s connectors 4 x SATA 3 Gb/s connectors 1 x m SATA connector 1 x CPU fan header 2 x system fan headers 1 x power fan header 1 x front panel header 1 x front panel audio header 1 x S/PDIF Out header 3 x USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0/1.1 headers 1 x USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0/2.0 header 1 x IEEE 1394a header 1 x serial port header 1 x clearing CMOS jumper 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header Back Panel Connectors 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port 1 x HDMI port 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector 1 x IEEE 1394 port 8 x USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0/1.1 ports 2 x USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0/2.0 ports 1 x RJ-45 port 6 x audio jacks (Center/ Subwoofer Speaker Out/ Rear Speaker Out/ Side Speaker Out/ Line In/ Line Out/ Microphone) I/O Controller i TE IT8728 chip H/W Monitoring System voltage detection CPU/ System temperature detection CPU/ System/ Power fan speed detection CPU overheating warning CPU/ System/ Power fan fail warning CPU/ System fan speed control * Whether the CPU/system fan speed control function is supported will depend on the CPU/system cooler you install. BIOS 2 x 32 Mbit flash Use of licensed AWARD BIOS Support for Dual BIOS™ Pn P 1.0a, DMI 2.0, SM BIOS 2.4, ACPI 1.0b Unique Features Support for @BIOS Support for Q-Flash Support for Xpress BIOS Rescue Support for Download Center Support for Xpress Install Support for Xpress Recovery 2 Support for Easy Tune * Available functions in Easy Tune may differ by motherboard model. Support for Dynamic Energy Saver 2 Support for Smart 6 Support for Auto Green Support for e Xtreme Hard Drive (X.H.D) Support for ON/OFF Charge Support for Cloud OC Support for 3TB+ Unlock Support for Touch BIOS Support for Q-Share Operating System Support for Microsoft Windows 7/ Vista/XP Form Factor ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm