Product comparison · 2 motherboards

ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD vs MSI Z68A-G43 (B3)

51specifications compared
26differ
25identical
21known for one product only

Key differences

The MSI Z68A-G43 (B3) has 1 more USB 2.0 connectors than the ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD (4 vs 3). The MSI Z68A-G43 (B3) has 2 more SATA III connectors than the ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD (2 vs 0). The ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD has 2 more SATA II connectors than the MSI Z68A-G43 (B3) (6 vs 4). Only the ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD has on-board graphics card. Processor manufacturer: AMD on the ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD, Intel on the MSI Z68A-G43 (B3).

Processor manufacturer
- M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD:AMD
- Z68A-G43 (B3):Intel
Processor socket
- M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD:Socket AM3+
- Z68A-G43 (B3):LGA 1155 (Socket H2)
Supported memory clock speeds
- M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD:1066,1333,1600,1800,1866 MHz
- Z68A-G43 (B3):1066,1333,1600,1866,2133 MHz
Supported memory module capacities
- M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD:1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 512MB
- Z68A-G43 (B3):1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
Supported storage drive interfaces
- M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD:SATA II
- Z68A-G43 (B3):SATA II, SATA III
RAID levels
- M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD:0, 1, 10, JBOD
- Z68A-G43 (B3):0, 1, 5, 10
On-board graphics card
- M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD:Yes
- Z68A-G43 (B3):No
USB 2.0 connectors
- M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD:3
- Z68A-G43 (B3):4

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only

Comparison of M5A78L-M/USB3, Z68A-G43 (B3)
72 specifications	A ASUS M5A78L-M/USB3 AMD Model M5A78L-M/USB3 View product	B MSI Z68A-G43 (B3)View product
Processor3 differ
Processor manufacturerDiffers	AMD	Intel
Processor socketDiffers	Socket AM3+	LGA 1155 (Socket H2)
Compatible processor seriesDiffers	AMD Phenom II X2, AMD Phenom II X4, AMD Phenom II X6	Intel® Core™ i3, Intel® Core™ i5, Intel® Core™ i7
System bus rateKnown for one	5.2 GT/s	Unknown — not stated by the source
Processor thermal power (max)Known for one	140 W	Unknown — not stated by the source
Memory2 differ
Supported memory types	DDR3-SDRAM	DDR3-SDRAM
Number of memory slots	4	4
Memory slots typeKnown for one	DIMM	Unknown — not stated by the source
Memory channels	Dual-channel	Dual-channel
ECC сompatibilityKnown for one	ECC & Non-ECC	Unknown — not stated by the source
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers	1066,1333,1600,1800,1866 MHz	1066,1333,1600,1866,2133 MHz
Maximum internal memory	32 GB	32 GB
Supported memory module capacitiesDiffers	1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 512MB	1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
Memory voltageKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1.5 V
Storage controllers2 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffers	SATA II	SATA II, SATA III
RAID levelsDiffers	0, 1, 10, JBOD	0, 1, 5, 10
Graphics1 differ
Maximum graphics card memoryKnown for one	1024 MB	Unknown — not stated by the source
Parallel processing technology supportKnown for one	Hybrid CrossFireX	Unknown — not stated by the source
On-board graphics cardDiffers	Yes	No
Graphics card familyKnown for one	AMD	Unknown — not stated by the source
Graphics cardKnown for one	Radeon 3000	Unknown — not stated by the source
Internal I/O4 differ
USB 2.0 connectorsDiffers	3	4
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectors	0	0
Number of SATA III connectorsDiffers	0	2
Number of SATA II connectorsDiffers	6	4
Number of Parallel ATA connectors	0	0
S/PDIF out connector	Yes	Yes
Front panel audio connector	Yes	Yes
Number of EATX power connectors	1	1
CPU fan connector	Yes	Yes
Number of chassis fan connectorsDiffers	1	3
Chassis intrusion connector	Yes	Yes
Number of COM connectorsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
Parallel connector	Yes	Yes
CD/AUX audio inKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	No
ATX Power connector (24-pin)Known for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
TPM connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Rear panel I/O ports4 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantity	4	4
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantity	2	2
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports	1	1
eSATA ports quantity	0	0
PS/2 ports quantityDiffers	1	2
Firewire (IEEE 1394) ports	0	0
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantity	1	1
HDMI ports quantityDiffers	1	0
DVI-D ports quantity	1	1
Headphone outputsDiffers	6	1
Digital audio optical outDiffers	1	0
DVI-I ports quantityKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
Microphone inKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
S/PDIF out portKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Networkidentical
Ethernet interface type	Gigabit Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet
LAN controller	Realtek RTL8111E	Realtek RTL8111E
Features4 differ
Component for	PC	PC
Motherboard form factorDiffers	micro ATX	ATX
Motherboard chipset familyDiffers	AMD	Intel
Motherboard chipsetDiffers	AMD 760G	Intel Z68
Audio chipDiffers	VIA VT1708S	Realtek ALC887
Audio output channels	7.1 channels	7.1 channels
Power source type	ATX	ATX
Compatible operating systemsKnown for one	Windows	Unknown — not stated by the source
Expansion slots3 differ
PCI Express x1 slotsDiffers	1	2
PCI Express x16 slotsDiffers	1	2
PCI Express slots version	2.0	2.0
PCI slotsDiffers	2	3
BIOS1 differ
BIOS typeDiffers	AMI	UEFI
BIOS memory sizeKnown for one	16 Mbit	Unknown — not stated by the source
ACPI versionKnown for one	2.0a	Unknown — not stated by the source
Weight & dimensions2 differ
WidthDiffers	244 mm	305 mm
DepthDiffers	244 mm	220 mm
Other featuresidentical
S/PDIF in portKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	No
Controller interface typeKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Intel Z68 (B3)

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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