I'm looking to upgrade my current computer, which has a motherboard powered by a P55 chipset and the Core i5-650 processor. This computer has been unstable since I had it (system clock running too fast, frequent program freezes and crashes and the occasional memory error dialog), using Windows 2000 and later Windows XP. Memory and hard disk diagnostic tools never found a problem.
I have thought about this for a long time, and concluded that it would be best if I split my workload onto two computers instead of one. The first box would be a modern PC running a modern version of Windows, which will be used for video editing and storage (manual backups) exclusively. The second box should be a high-performing "legacy" computer running a dual boot of Windows XP 32-bit and 64-bit, which I will use for basic tasks. Unfortunately, "basic tasks" in this day-and-age have become quite hardware-demanding: H.264 decoding, browsing Facebook, etc.
It's this second box I'd like some input on regarding the hardware components that I'd use best. I realize that it's possible to just take a Haswell or Skylake board and use generic drivers, but something tells me I can get better performance using "official" drivers as they are specifically written for individual hardware devices.
After some digging around and weighing specs against one another, I have already limited my search to the Z68 and Z77 chipsets, part of the LGA1155 socket range which is the most recent with official support for Windows XP. The Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge CPUs fall into this range.
From what I can see, the only real difference of importance to me between the Z68 and Z77 chipsets, is the inclusion of native USB 3.0 by Intel on Z77 boards. Since there are no Windows XP drivers for this, choosing a Z77 setup will limit me to motherboards that have an extra USB 3.0 chip by another manufacturer such as ASMedia. But I don't like the thought of working on a system on which some things don't work normally, or need to be disabled in the BIOS or in Device Manager.
Question 1: the native USB 3.0 problem aside, are there any benefits for me to still pick a Z77 motherboard?
I already went ahead to find more information on the Z68 chipset, which raises a few more questions. There appear to be two main versions of it: the "standard" version and the "Gen3" version, the latter supporting PCIe 3.0 if used in combination with an Ivy Bridge CPU. Another advantage of Ivy Bridge is that it has improved onboard graphics (Intel HD 4000) compared to the onboard graphics of Sandy Bridge (Intel HD 3000). On the other hand, I have read posts on forums stating that Ivy Bridge CPUs are running hotter than the Sandy Bridge CPUs. Silence is an important factor for me as well.
Graphics-wise, I want:
- smooth playback of 1080p uncompressed video
- hardware-accelerated 1080p H.264 decoding (online videos on Youtube, etc.)
- smooth operations on multi-layered PSD images in Photoshop 7
Question 2: would the onboard graphics of the Ivy Bridge CPU (Intel HD 4000) be powerful enough to handle that, or is a discrete graphics card still required?
I have also done some digging with respect to graphics cards, as nVidia (my preferred manufacturer) has dropped Windows XP support somewhere along the line as well. The newest supported cards are the 700 series as well as the GTX 950 and 960-based cards. If a separate graphics card is still required, I was thinking of one of the following:
- Asus STRIX-GTX750TI-OC-2GD5 (19.6cm ~ 7.71in / 640 CUDA)
- Asus STRIX-GTX750TI-DC2OC-4GD5 (19.6cm ~ 7.71in / 640 CUDA)
- Asus STRIX-GTX950-DC2OC-2GD5-GAMING (22cm ~ 8.66in / 768 CUDA)
- Asus STRIX-GTX950-DC2-2GD5-GAMING (22cm ~ 8.66in / 768 CUDA)
- Asus STRIX-GTX960-DC2OC-2GD5 (21.5cm ~ 8.46in / 1024 CUDA)
- Asus STRIX-GTX960-DC2-2GD5 (21.5cm ~ 8.46in / 1024 CUDA)
I chose Asus STRIX boards because their fans don't spin below a certain point (65°C if I'm not mistaken). All of these are marketed as PCIe 3.0 cards, but I have read on various forums that there is practically no difference with PCIe 2.0 in terms of gaming performance. I don't do games, but does that mean they will still work as spec'd if I put them on a PCIe 2.0 slot on a "standard" Z68 motherboard? I might save some bucks there if "Gen3" boards are more expensive.
Lastly, as far as the motherboard goes, I have the following "prerequisites":
- 1 PS/2 port for a keyboard
- 1 PCI slot, preferably at the bottom
- 4 SATAIII 6Gbps ports and 2 SATAII 3Gbps ports (requires additional controller as Z68 only supports 2 SATAIII ports)
I'd prefer not to have more than 1 or 2 PCI slots as they are usually positioned in such a way that not all PCIe ports can be utilized in conjunction with the PCI ports. If I will ever need another extension card of any kind, I plan on going PCIe all the way.
These are the boards I had in mind:
- Asus P8Z68 Deluxe / Gen3
- Asrock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
The Asus is a bit overkill with the dual LAN and Bluetooth features, but their other boards in the Z68 series don't offer everything I need. Long-term durability is also a concern as the PC will be left turned on 24/7. How can I tell if a motherboard is better or worse equipped for continuous operation?
Anyone have any thoughts on this?
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Windows XP: new Z68/Z77 rig in 2017
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