Product comparison · 2 motherboards

ASUS Z97-C Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX vs MSI Z97 GUARD-PRO

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  • 46specifications compared
  • 14differ
  • 32identical
  • 23known for one product only

Key differences

  • Supported storage drive interfaces
    • Z97-C Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:SATA III
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:SATA, SATA II, SATA III
  • Parallel processing technology support
    • Z97-C Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:Quad-GPU CrossFireX
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:2-Way CrossFireX
  • USB 2.0 connectors
    • Z97-C Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:1
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:2
  • USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectors
    • Z97-C Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:3
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:1
  • Number of SATA III connectors
    • Z97-C Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:4
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:6
  • Number of chassis fan connectors
    • Z97-C Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:3
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:4
  • HDMI ports quantity
    • Z97-C Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:1
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:0
  • LAN controller
    • Z97-C Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:Intel® I218-V
    • Z97 GUARD-PRO:Realtek RTL8111G

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Comparison of Z97-C, 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 slots44
Memory slots typeDIMMDIMM
Memory channelsDual-channelDual-channel
ECC сompatibilityNon-ECCNon-ECC
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers1333,1600,1866,2000,2133,2200,2250,2400,2600,2666,2800,2933,3000 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 memoryYesYes
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 CrossFireX2-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/O4 differ
USB 2.0 connectorsDiffers12
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectorsDiffers31
Number of SATA III connectorsDiffers46
Number of SATA II connectors00
Number of Parallel ATA connectors00
Front panel audio connectorYesYes
CPU fan connectorYesYes
Number of chassis fan connectorsDiffers34
Parallel connectorKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Serial port headersKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
TPM connectorYesYes
S/PDIF out connectorKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Number of EATX power connectorsKnown for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of COM 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 quantity00
PS/2 ports quantity11
Firewire (IEEE 1394) ports00
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 inKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Network1 differ
Ethernet LANYesYes
Ethernet interface typeKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceGigabit Ethernet
LAN controllerDiffersIntel® I218-VRealtek RTL8111G
Wake-on-LAN readyKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Features1 differ
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 supportedDiffersWindows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8, Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 Enterprise, Windows 8.1 ProWindows 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) slotsDiffers24
PCI Express x16 (Gen 2.x) slots11
PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slots11
PCI slotsKnown for one3Unknown — not stated by the source
BIOS1 differ
BIOS typeDiffersUEFI AMIUEFI
Clear CMOS jumperYesYes
BIOS memory sizeKnown for one64 MbitUnknown — not stated by the source
ACPI versionKnown for one5.0Unknown — not stated by the source
Weight & dimensions1 differ
Width305 mm305 mm
DepthDiffers218 mm220 mm
Packaging contentidentical
Drivers includedKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Cables includedKnown for oneSATAUnknown — not stated by the source
Other featuresidentical
Quick installation guideKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes

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