Introduction

It is human nature to seek comfort and nothing is more comfortable than the familiar. Positive reinforcement strengthens familiarity; as long as we get what we expect from that particular object, we will use it again and again. In our modern society, this is evident with the consumer’s affection for a specific brand name. Brand names are developed and neatly cultivated so that the end customer is satisfied and their comfort level with the brand translates into repeat business. Customer satisfaction can be delivered in multiple ways: selling unique and superior products, developing intimate customer relationships, promotional bonuses and savings, etc. One such company, widely regarded for very high customer satisfaction, is Brea, California-based EVGA.

EVGA is a perennial name in the motherboard and video card industry, known for award winning designs and top notch customer service. EVGA’s philosophy of “Intelligent Innovation and Market Knowledge” is at the heart of their operation, offering product designs forged from the feedback of their massive customer base. EVGA has been late in the game, however, when it comes to releasing motherboards for Intels’ Sandy Bridge processors and only released their P67 FTW and SLI motherboards a few months ago. Now EVGA has finally caught up and have made their Z68 lineup available, starting with the EVGA Z68 Micro for the entry level Z68 market, the EVGA Z68 FTW for the enthusiast crowd and the EVGA Z68 SLI for the mainstream market.

The EVGA Z68 SLI is physically identical in layout to EVGA’s P67 SLI motherboard. The difference, however, is that the EVGA Z68 SLI motherboard is capable of using Intel’s Smart Response Technology, an SSD caching feature that marries traditional HDD performance with SSD speeds. The EVGA Z68 SLI can run up to two PCI-E x16 graphic cards with an additional PCI-E x16 at x4 mode underneath for a dedicated PhysX card. Enthusiast features, like on-board power, reset, clear CMOS and a debug LED found on the EVGA Z68 FTW, are also available on the EVGA Z68 SLI motherboard. Since it carries the Z68 chipset, the EVGA Z68 SLI is capable of using Intel’s Smart Response Technology to improve hard drive transfer rates by utilizing a low-cost SSD as a cache drive. Whether you are a tech addict, a habitual overclocker or just a mainstream consumer looking for a reliable motherboard for a new system build, the EVGA Z68 SLI mainboard promises to cater to your needs.