Product comparison · 2 motherboards

GIGABYTE GA-A55M-DS2 motherboard AMD A55 Socket FM1 micro ATX vs MSI Z68MA-G45 (G3)

46specifications compared
23differ
23identical
22known for one product only

Key differences

Processor manufacturer
- GA-A55M-DS2 motherboard AMD A55 Socket FM1 micro ATX:AMD
- Z68MA-G45 (G3):Intel
Processor socket
- GA-A55M-DS2 motherboard AMD A55 Socket FM1 micro ATX:Socket FM1
- Z68MA-G45 (G3):LGA 1155 (Socket H2)
Number of memory slots
- GA-A55M-DS2 motherboard AMD A55 Socket FM1 micro ATX:2
- Z68MA-G45 (G3):4
Supported memory clock speeds
- GA-A55M-DS2 motherboard AMD A55 Socket FM1 micro ATX:1066,1333,1600,1866 MHz
- Z68MA-G45 (G3):1066,1333,1600,1866,2133 MHz
Supported memory module capacities
- GA-A55M-DS2 motherboard AMD A55 Socket FM1 micro ATX:16GB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
- Z68MA-G45 (G3):1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
Supported storage drive interfaces
- GA-A55M-DS2 motherboard AMD A55 Socket FM1 micro ATX:SATA II
- Z68MA-G45 (G3):SATA II, SATA III
RAID levels
- GA-A55M-DS2 motherboard AMD A55 Socket FM1 micro ATX:0, 1, 10, JBOD
- Z68MA-G45 (G3):0, 1, 5, 10
Parallel processing technology support
- GA-A55M-DS2 motherboard AMD A55 Socket FM1 micro ATX:Not supported
- Z68MA-G45 (G3):2-Way SLI

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only

Comparison of GA-A55M-DS2, Z68MA-G45 (G3)
68 specifications	A GIGABYTE GA-A55M-DS2 motherboard AMD A55 Socket FM1 micro ATX Model GA-A55M-DS2 View product	B MSI Z68MA-G45 (G3)View product
Processor3 differ
Processor manufacturerDiffers	AMD	Intel
Processor socketDiffers	Socket FM1	LGA 1155 (Socket H2)
Compatible processor seriesDiffers	AMD A, AMD E2	Intel® Core™ i3, Intel® Core™ i5, Intel® Core™ i7
Maximum number of SMP processorsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
Memory3 differ
Supported memory types	DDR3-SDRAM	DDR3-SDRAM
Number of memory slotsDiffers	2	4
Memory slots typeKnown for one	DIMM	Unknown — not stated by the source
Memory channels	Dual-channel	Dual-channel
Memory voltage	1.5 V	1.5 V
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers	1066,1333,1600,1866 MHz	1066,1333,1600,1866,2133 MHz
Maximum internal memory	32 GB	32 GB
Supported memory module capacitiesDiffers	16GB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB	1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
Controller typeKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Intel Z68 (B3)
Storage controllers2 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffers	SATA II	SATA II, SATA III
RAID levelsDiffers	0, 1, 10, JBOD	0, 1, 5, 10
Graphics2 differ
Parallel processing technology supportDiffers	Not supported	2-Way SLI
On-board graphics cardDiffers	Yes	No
Graphics card familyKnown for one	AMD	Unknown — not stated by the source
Internal I/O2 differ
USB 2.0 connectorsDiffers	2	3
Number of SATA II connectors	4	4
Number of Parallel ATA connectors	0	0
S/PDIF out connectorKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Front panel audio connector	Yes	Yes
ATX Power connector (24-pin)	Yes	Yes
Number of EATX power connectors	1	1
CPU fan connector	Yes	Yes
Number of chassis fan connectorsDiffers	1	2
Number of COM connectorsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of SATA III connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	2
CD/AUX audio inKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	No
Chassis intrusion connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Parallel connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
TPM connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Rear panel I/O ports5 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantityDiffers	4	6
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantityDiffers	0	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 quantity	1	1
HDMI ports quantityDiffers	0	1
DVI-D ports quantity	1	1
Headphone outputsDiffers	2	1
Microphone in	Yes	Yes
Digital audio optical outKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
Networkidentical
Ethernet interface type	Gigabit Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet
LAN controllerKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Realtek RTL8111E
Features2 differ
Component for	PC	PC
Motherboard form factor	micro ATX	micro ATX
Motherboard chipset familyDiffers	AMD	Intel
Motherboard chipsetDiffers	AMD A55	Intel Z68
Audio output channels	7.1 channels	7.1 channels
Power source type	ATX	ATX
Compatible operating systemsKnown for one	Microsoft Windows 7/Vista/XP	Unknown — not stated by the source
Audio chipKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Realtek ALC892
Expansion slots1 differ
PCI Express x1 slots	1	1
PCI Express x16 slotsDiffers	1	2
PCI Express slots versionKnown for one	2.0	Unknown — not stated by the source
PCI slotsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
BIOS1 differ
BIOS typeDiffers	AWARD	UEFI
BIOS memory sizeKnown for one	64 Mbit	Unknown — not stated by the source
ACPI versionKnown for one	1.0b	Unknown — not stated by the source
Clear CMOS button	Yes	Yes
Weight & dimensions2 differ
WidthDiffers	225 mm	244 mm
DepthDiffers	174 mm	244 mm
Packaging contentidentical
Drivers includedKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Trial softwareKnown for one	Norton Internet Security	Unknown — not stated by the source
Other featuresidentical
Controller interface typeKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Realtek ALC892

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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