Are there still faulty Sandybridge motherboards on the market?

tronator

Hi Techies,

I just want to buy some PC components and stumbled over this motherboard on ebuyer

http://www.ebuyer.com/252616-asrock-p67-pro3-p67-socket-1155-8-channel-audio-atx-motherboard-p67-pro3

It has the following warning in red in the desription

**Please note**
Intel Sandybridge P67 and H67 Motherboards SATA issue. The issue has been raised that devices connected to SATA Ports 2-5 may degrade over time.Devices connected to SATA ports 0 and 1 are not affected and can be used as normal. There is NO issue with Sandybridge Processors, only P67 and H67 Motherboards are potentially affected.

I thought all the affected motherboards were withdrawn from the market a long time ago.

Do I still need to worry about this problem when buying a new motherboard?

robmar0se

If in doubt, keep out....

IMHO, Gigabyte boards are more reliable that Asrock - this one isn't that more expensive and is worth the difference

http://www.ebuyer.com/264878-gigabyte-ga-p67a-d3-b3-p67-socket-1155-7-1-channel-hd-audio-atx-motherboard-ga-p67a-d3-b3

tronator

robmar0se wrote: »

If in doubt, keep out....

IMHO, Gigabyte boards are more reliable that Asrock - this one isn't that more expensive and is worth the difference

http://www.ebuyer.com/264878-gigabyte-ga-p67a-d3-b3-p67-socket-1155-7-1-channel-hd-audio-atx-motherboard-ga-p67a-d3-b3

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have a look.

I wasn't about to buy this specific motherboard, I was just surprised to see that warning and was wondering whether there are still boards out there with the bug but without a warning.

John_Gray

You should soon be able to get Ivy Bridge motherboards!

Ximian

It is surprising that there are resellers still selling motherboards that are affected by the SATA issue, most should have been recalled. FYI, the motherboards that address the SATA issue should have a "B3" revision, it looks like the ASRock you linked to on eBuyer is a first revision/release P67 board, at a reduced price probably due to the SATA issues. I guess this gives someone the option to buy this board and only use the SATA 0 and 1 connectors

DervProf

John_Gray wrote: »

You should soon be able to get Ivy Bridge motherboards!

You already can. AFAIK, most Z68 (and maybe other Sandybridge) boards can take an IB CPU (but may need a BIOS update).

Z77 boards have been available for a few weeks, and can take either existing Sandybridge or the forthcoming Ivybridge chips.

AliceJenkins

robmar0se wrote: »

If in doubt, keep out....

IMHO, Gigabyte boards are more reliable that Asrock - this one isn't that more expensive and is worth the difference

http://www.ebuyer.com/264878-gigabyte-ga-p67a-d3-b3-p67-socket-1155-7-1-channel-hd-audio-atx-motherboard-ga-p67a-d3-b3

Well said.

DervProf

I'm planning an upgrade from AMD to Intel. Waiting for reports on IB's overclocking capablities before I decide on CPU.

The choice of motherboard is just as difficult, with so many options. It's going to be a Z77, but which make/model ? I keep hearing great things about Gigabyte. In fact, my current board is a Gigabyte, as is my GFX card. What a lot of "fun" I have had with this pairing (not !). It turned out that my GTX460 was the likely culprit, although it has been working fine for the past 12 months (after being replaced by Gigabyte).

I`ve got an eye on an Asrock board, but despite recent experiences with Gigabyte, I am still inclined to believe that they are high quality boards. Mind you, ASUS are supposed to make a decent MB.

Decisions !

tronator

DervProf wrote: »

You already can. AFAIK, most Z68 (and maybe other Sandybridge) boards can take an IB CPU (but may need a BIOS update).

Z77 boards have been available for a few weeks, and can take either existing Sandybridge or the forthcoming Ivybridge chips.

That's interesting. So to be on the safe side I should buy the MSI Z77A-G43 instead of the ASUS P8Z68?

I didn't buy such components for a long time and the more I research the more I change my order. I guess I need a "K" CPU now in order to use the OC feature. But then I need other RAM too...

DervProf

tronator wrote: »

That's interesting. So to be on the safe side I should buy the MSI Z77A-G43 instead of the ASUS P8Z68?

I didn't buy such components for a long time and the more I research the more I change my order. I guess I need a "K" CPU now in order to use the OC feature. But then I need other RAM too...

I would choose a Z77 over a Z68 now, no matter which CPU (SB or IB) that goes in it.

"K" cpu if you want to overclock (don't forget a decent heatsink too, a good power supply is also a "must"). Choice of motherboard is a bit tricky. What make/model will depend on your preference/budget/feature requirements.

I've used motherboards from various manufacturers, with only 1 failure, which was an A-Bit board. Recently built with Biostar, ASUS, MSI, Foxconn, Gigabyte. I had no problems with any of them. Gigabyte seem to have a very good reputation, and they have UK service support in the event of any problems.

Anyway, go for a Z77 over a Z68. I think that's a wise move. The only thing I'll add is that Z68shave been around for a while, so they are proven technology. Z77s are new, so there might be a few bugs to iron out. I doubt there'll be any serious issues though.