Product comparison · 2 motherboards

ASUS MAXIMUS VII HERO vs MSI Z97 GUARD-PRO

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  • 37specifications compared
  • 10differ
  • 27identical
  • 32known for one product only

Key differences

  • Supported storage drive interfaces
    • MAXIMUS VII HERO:SATA III
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:SATA, SATA II, SATA III
  • USB 2.0 connectors
    • MAXIMUS VII HERO:3
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:2
  • Number of SATA III connectors
    • MAXIMUS VII HERO:8
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:6
  • HDMI ports quantity
    • MAXIMUS VII HERO:1
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:0
  • PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.x) slots
    • MAXIMUS VII HERO:3
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:4
  • BIOS type
    • MAXIMUS VII HERO:UEFI AMI
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:UEFI
  • Depth
    • MAXIMUS VII HERO:244 mm
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:220 mm

Side by side

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Comparison of MAXIMUS VII HERO, Z97 GUARD-PRO
69 specifications
Processor1 differ
Processor manufacturerIntelIntel
Processor socketLGA 1150 (Socket H3)LGA 1150 (Socket H3)
Compatible processor seriesDiffersIntel® Celeron®, Intel® Pentium®Intel® Core™ i3, Intel® Core™ i5, Intel® Core™ i7
Maximum number of SMP processorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
Memory1 differ
Supported memory typesDDR3-SDRAMDDR3-SDRAM
Number of memory slotsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source4
Memory slots typeDIMMDIMM
Memory channelsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceDual-channel
ECC сompatibilityKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceNon-ECC
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers1333,1600,1866,2000,2133,2200,2400,2600,2666,2800,2933,3000 MHz1066,1333,1600,1866,2000,2133,2200,2400,2600,2666,2800,3000 MHz
Maximum internal memoryKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source32 GB
Unbuffered memoryKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Storage controllers1 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffersSATA IIISATA, SATA II, SATA III
RAID levelsKnown for one0, 1, 5, 10Unknown — not stated by the source
Graphics1 differ
Parallel processing technology supportDiffersQuad-GPU CrossFireX, Quad-GPU SLI2-Way CrossFireX
On-board graphics cardKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Maximum resolutionKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source4096 x 2304 pixels
DirectX versionKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source11
Discrete graphics supportKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Internal I/O2 differ
USB 2.0 connectorsDiffers32
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectors11
Number of SATA III connectorsDiffers86
Number of SATA II connectors00
Number of Parallel ATA connectorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source0
Front panel audio connectorYesYes
CPU fan connectorYesYes
Number of chassis fan connectors44
Parallel connectorKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Serial port headersKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
TPM connectorYesYes
Number of SATA connectorsKnown for one8Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of EATX power connectorsKnown for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
Rear panel I/O ports1 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantity22
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantity44
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports11
eSATA ports quantityKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source0
PS/2 ports quantity11
Firewire (IEEE 1394) portsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source0
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantity11
HDMI ports quantityDiffers10
DVI-D ports quantity11
DisplayPorts quantityKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
Headphone outputsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
Microphone inYesYes
S/PDIF out portKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Networkidentical
Ethernet LANYesYes
Ethernet interface typeGigabit EthernetGigabit Ethernet
LAN controllerKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceRealtek RTL8111G
Wake-on-LAN readyKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Featuresidentical
Component forPCPC
Motherboard form factorATXATX
Motherboard chipset familyIntelIntel
Motherboard chipsetIntel® Z97Intel® Z97
Audio output channels7.1 channels7.1 channels
Power source typeATXATX
Windows operating systems supportedKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceWindows 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, Win
Expansion slots1 differ
PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.x) slotsDiffers34
PCI Express x16 (Gen 2.x) slots11
PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slotsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
PCI Express x16 slotsKnown for one3Unknown — not stated by the source
BIOS1 differ
BIOS typeDiffersUEFI AMIUEFI
Clear CMOS jumperKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
BIOS memory sizeKnown for one64 MbitUnknown — not stated by the source
ACPI versionKnown for one5.0aUnknown — not stated by the source
Clear CMOS buttonKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Weight & dimensions1 differ
Width305 mm305 mm
DepthDiffers244 mm220 mm
Packaging contentidentical
Drivers includedKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Other featuresidentical
Quick installation guideKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes

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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