Asus MAXIMUS IV EXTREME-Z vs. Asus P8Z68-DELUXE

Hi, I'm planning on buying a new system by the end of the year and I'm a bit confused with these mobo's. To me they seem almost identical, the maximus has a few more usb ports and what not but comes in at about $140 more expensive than the P8Z68 board. I've heard that the maximus is good for overclocking but I'm not really an overclocking kinda guy.

So I just need some help differentiating between the two boards. Is the maximus worth $140 more on its own or is it just worth that much to people trying to squeeze every hertz out of their system?

Here are some links to the boards and their specs:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/Maximus_IV_ExtremeZ/#specifications
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8Z68_DELUXE/#specifications

Dont spend the money on a board made for extreme overclockers. In fact, you dont even need the Asus Deluxe. Get the Pro or V saying it has enough ports for you.

Cool thanks do you think it's worth getting a GEN 3 board for PCIe 3.0?

I would say yes for the heck of it. Those Z68 boards will support IVybridge coming out in a few months.

did gen3 motherboards just come out? I can't see any on local computer shop websites.

Within a few weeks, yes. Do you NEED it, no...but its nice to have for future upgrades.

okay I'll keep an eye on the sites. thanks for all your advice EarthDog

The only huge difference you'll notice between the pro and deluxe is more connection in the deluxe. You will lose some video ports, but if you're going to spend 199.99+ on a motherboard it's essentially assumed you will have a dedicated graphics card (although onboard ports would be nice regardless). For the sake of 60 dollars the deluxe gen 3 is probably a better choice as it is 'immediate future proof'. Ivy bridge will run on it, as will PCIe 3. If it means waiting an extra week or two for a paycheck, it might be worth it in the long run. However, if you don't plan to hook up 8 USB devices and what-not, go for the pro as it is better value in that regard.