Product comparison · 2 motherboards

ASUS M5A97 AMD 970 Socket AM3 ATX vs MSI Z68A-GD55 (B3)

45specifications compared
20differ
25identical
20known for one product only

Key differences

Processor manufacturer
- M5A97 AMD 970 Socket AM3 ATX:AMD
- Z68A-GD55 (B3):Intel
Processor socket
- M5A97 AMD 970 Socket AM3 ATX:Socket AM3
- Z68A-GD55 (B3):LGA 1155 (Socket H2)
Supported memory clock speeds
- M5A97 AMD 970 Socket AM3 ATX:1066,1333,1600,1866 MHz
- Z68A-GD55 (B3):1066,1333,1600,2133 MHz
Supported memory module capacities
- M5A97 AMD 970 Socket AM3 ATX:1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 512MB, 8GB
- Z68A-GD55 (B3):1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
On-board graphics card
- M5A97 AMD 970 Socket AM3 ATX:Yes
- Z68A-GD55 (B3):No
Number of SATA III connectors
- M5A97 AMD 970 Socket AM3 ATX:6
- Z68A-GD55 (B3):4
Number of chassis fan connectors
- M5A97 AMD 970 Socket AM3 ATX:2
- Z68A-GD55 (B3):4
USB 2.0 ports quantity
- M5A97 AMD 970 Socket AM3 ATX:6
- Z68A-GD55 (B3):4

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only

Comparison of M5A97, Z68A-GD55 (B3)
65 specifications	A ASUS M5A97 AMD 970 Socket AM3 ATX Model M5A97 View product	B MSI Z68A-GD55 (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® Pentium®
System bus rateKnown for one	4.8 GT/s	Unknown — not stated by the source
Memory2 differ
Number of memory slots	4	4
Memory channels	Dual-channel	Dual-channel
ECC сompatibilityKnown for one	Non-ECC	Unknown — not stated by the source
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers	1066,1333,1600,1866 MHz	1066,1333,1600,2133 MHz
Maximum internal memory	32 GB	32 GB
Supported memory module capacitiesDiffers	1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 512MB, 8GB	1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
Memory voltageKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1.5 V
Storage controllersidentical
RAID levels	0, 1, 5, 10	0, 1, 5, 10
Graphics1 differ
Parallel processing technology supportKnown for one	Quad-GPU CrossFireX	Unknown — not stated by the source
On-board graphics cardDiffers	Yes	No
Internal I/O2 differ
USB 2.0 connectors	3	3
Number of SATA III 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
Power fan connectorKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
CPU fan connector	Yes	Yes
Number of chassis fan connectorsDiffers	2	4
Chassis intrusion connector	Yes	Yes
Number of COM connectorsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
Number of SATA II connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	4
CD/AUX audio inKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
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 ports6 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantityDiffers	6	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	2	1
Firewire (IEEE 1394) ports	0	0
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantityDiffers	0	1
HDMI ports quantityDiffers	0	1
DVI-D ports quantityDiffers	0	1
Headphone outputsDiffers	6	1
S/PDIF out port	Yes	Yes
Digital audio optical out	1	1
Microphone inKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Networkidentical
LAN controller	Realtek RTL8111E	Realtek RTL8111E
Ethernet interface typeKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Gigabit Ethernet
Features2 differ
Component for	PC	PC
Motherboard form factor	ATX	ATX
Motherboard chipsetDiffers	AMD 970	Intel Z68
Audio chipDiffers	Realtek ALC887	Realtek ALC892
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 slots2 differ
PCI Express x1 slotsDiffers	2	3
PCI Express x4 slotsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
PCI Express x16 slotsDiffers	1	2
PCI Express slots version	2.0	2.0
PCI slots	2	2
BIOSidentical
BIOS typeKnown for one	EFI	Unknown — not stated by the source
BIOS memory sizeKnown for one	32 Mbit	Unknown — not stated by the source
ACPI versionKnown for one	2.0a	Unknown — not stated by the source
Weight & dimensions1 differ
Width	305 mm	305 mm
DepthDiffers	229 mm	245 mm
Other features1 differ
Controller interface typeDiffers	AMD SB950	SATAIII 6Gb/s
Manageability featuresKnown for one	WfM 2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE	Unknown — not stated by the source
Controller 2nd interface typeKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	SATAII 3Gb/s

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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