Product comparison · 2 motherboards

ASUS A78M-E AMD A78 Socket FM2+ micro ATX vs MSI Z97 GAMING 7

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  • 34specifications compared
  • 20differ
  • 14identical
  • 39known for one product only

Key differences

  • Processor manufacturer
    • A78M-E AMD A78 Socket FM2+ micro ATX:AMD
    • Z97 GAMING 7:Intel
  • Processor socket
    • A78M-E AMD A78 Socket FM2+ micro ATX:Socket FM2+
    • Z97 GAMING 7:LGA 1150 (Socket H3)
  • Supported storage drive interfaces
    • A78M-E AMD A78 Socket FM2+ micro ATX:SATA III
    • Z97 GAMING 7:SATA
  • Parallel processing technology support
    • A78M-E AMD A78 Socket FM2+ micro ATX:Not supported
    • Z97 GAMING 7:2-Way SLI, 3-Way CrossFireX
  • USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantity
    • A78M-E AMD A78 Socket FM2+ micro ATX:2
    • Z97 GAMING 7:8
  • PS/2 ports quantity
    • A78M-E AMD A78 Socket FM2+ micro ATX:2
    • Z97 GAMING 7:1
  • HDMI ports quantity
    • A78M-E AMD A78 Socket FM2+ micro ATX:1
    • Z97 GAMING 7:2
  • LAN controller
    • A78M-E AMD A78 Socket FM2+ micro ATX:Realtek RTL8111GR
    • Z97 GAMING 7:Bigfoot Killer E2205

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only (on)
Comparison of A78M-E, Z97 GAMING 7
73 specifications
Processor3 differ
Processor manufacturerDiffersAMDIntel
Processor socketDiffersSocket FM2+LGA 1150 (Socket H3)
Compatible processor seriesDiffersAMD AIntel® Celeron®, Intel® Pentium®
Maximum number of SMP processorsKnown for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
Memory1 differ
Number of memory slotsKnown for one2Unknown — not stated by the source
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers1333,1600,1866,2133,2400 MHz1066,1333,1600,1866,2000,2133,2200,2400,2600,2800,3000 MHz
Maximum internal memoryKnown for one32 GBUnknown — not stated by the source
Unbuffered memoryKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Internal memoryKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source32 GB
Storage controllers1 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffersSATA IIISATA
RAID levelsKnown for one0, 1, 10, JBODUnknown — not stated by the source
Graphics1 differ
Maximum graphics card memoryKnown for one2048 MBUnknown — not stated by the source
Parallel processing technology supportDiffersNot supported2-Way SLI, 3-Way CrossFireX
Graphics card familyKnown for oneAMDUnknown — not stated by the source
Maximum resolutionKnown for one4096 x 2160 pixelsUnknown — not stated by the source
Internal I/Oidentical
Number of SATA III connectorsKnown for one6Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of SATA II connectorsKnown for one0Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of Parallel ATA connectorsKnown for one0Unknown — not stated by the source
S/PDIF out connectorKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
CPU fan connectorKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Number of chassis fan connectorsKnown for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
Chassis intrusion connectorKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Peripheral (Molex) power connectors (4-pin)Known for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of SATA connectorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source8
Front panel audio connectorKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Serial port headersKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
Rear panel I/O ports3 differ
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantityDiffers28
eSATA ports quantityKnown for one0Unknown — not stated by the source
PS/2 ports quantityDiffers21
Firewire (IEEE 1394) portsKnown for one0Unknown — not stated by the source
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantityKnown for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
HDMI ports quantityDiffers12
DVI-D ports quantityKnown for one0Unknown — not stated by the source
DVI-I ports quantityKnown for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
Headphone outputsKnown for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
Microphone inKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
DisplayPorts quantityKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
S/PDIF out portKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Digital audio optical outKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source6
Network2 differ
Ethernet interface typeDiffersFast Ethernet, Gigabit EthernetGigabit Ethernet
LAN controllerDiffersRealtek RTL8111GRBigfoot Killer E2205
Features4 differ
Motherboard form factorDiffersmicro ATXATX
Motherboard chipset familyDiffersAMDIntel
Motherboard chipsetDiffersAMD A78Intel® Z97
Audio chipDiffersRealtek ALC887Realtek ALC1150
Cooling typeKnown for onePassiveUnknown — not stated by the source
Windows operating systems supportedKnown for oneWindows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Basic x64, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Professional x64, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Starter x64, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Windows 8, Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows 8 Enterprise x64, WinUnknown — not stated by the source
Expansion slots2 differ
PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.x) slotsDiffers14
PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slotsDiffers13
PCI-X slotsKnown for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
BIOS1 differ
BIOS typeDiffersUEFI AMIAMI
BIOS memory sizeKnown for one64 MbitUnknown — not stated by the source
ACPI versionKnown for one4.0aUnknown — not stated by the source
Clear CMOS jumperKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Processor special featuresidentical
Trusted Platform Module (TPM)Known for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Weight & dimensions2 differ
WidthDiffers226 mm305 mm
DepthDiffers188 mm244 mm
Packaging contentidentical
Drivers includedKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Bundled softwareKnown for oneASUS utilities ASUS Update Anti-virus software (OEM version)Unknown — not stated by the source

A dash means the value is not stated by the source. Unknown values are never counted for or against a product, and there is no overall score.

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