Product comparison · 2 motherboards

GIGABYTE GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0) vs MSI Z170A TOMAHAWK

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  • 49specifications compared
  • 13differ
  • 36identical
  • 36known for one product only

Key differences

The GIGABYTE GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0) has 1 more USB 2.0 connectors than the MSI Z170A TOMAHAWK (2 vs 1). The GIGABYTE GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0) has 6 more SATA III connectors than the MSI Z170A TOMAHAWK (6 vs 0). The MSI Z170A TOMAHAWK has 1 more parallel ATA connectors than the GIGABYTE GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0) (1 vs 0). Supported memory types: DDR3-SDRAM on the GIGABYTE GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0), DDR4-SDRAM on the MSI Z170A TOMAHAWK. Supported storage drive interfaces: M.2, SATA III on the GIGABYTE GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0), M.2, SATA on the MSI Z170A TOMAHAWK.

  • Supported memory types
    • GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0):DDR3-SDRAM
    • Z170A TOMAHAWK:DDR4-SDRAM
  • Supported storage drive interfaces
    • GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0):M.2, SATA III
    • Z170A TOMAHAWK:M.2, SATA
  • USB 2.0 connectors
    • GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0):2
    • Z170A TOMAHAWK:1
  • Number of SATA III connectors
    • GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0):6
    • Z170A TOMAHAWK:0
  • Number of Parallel ATA connectors
    • GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0):0
    • Z170A TOMAHAWK:1
  • USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantity
    • GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0):4
    • Z170A TOMAHAWK:2
  • USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Type-A ports quantity
    • GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0):0
    • Z170A TOMAHAWK:2
  • VGA (D-Sub) ports quantity
    • GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0):1
    • Z170A TOMAHAWK:0

Side by side

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Comparison of GA-Z170-HD3 DDR3 (rev. 1.0), Z170A TOMAHAWK
85 specifications
Processoridentical
Processor manufacturerIntelIntel
Processor socketLGA 1151 (Socket H4)LGA 1151 (Socket H4)
Compatible processor seriesIntel® Celeron®, Intel® Pentium®Intel® Celeron®, Intel® Pentium®
Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 seriesKnown for onei3-6xxx, i5-6xxx, i7-6xxxUnknown — not stated by the source
Maximum number of SMP processorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
Memory2 differ
Supported memory typesDiffersDDR3-SDRAMDDR4-SDRAM
Number of memory slotsKnown for one4Unknown — not stated by the source
Memory slots typeDIMMDIMM
Memory channelsDual-channelDual-channel
ECC сompatibilityECC & Non-ECCECC & Non-ECC
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers1333,1600,1866,2000,2133,2400,2666,2800,2933,3000,3100,3200 MHz2133,2400,2600,2800,3000,3200,3600 MHz
Maximum internal memory64 GB64 GB
Storage controllers1 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffersM.2, SATA IIIM.2, SATA
RAID levels0, 1, 5, 100, 1, 5, 10
Graphicsidentical
Maximum graphics card memoryKnown for one1024 MBUnknown — not stated by the source
Parallel processing technology supportKnown for one2-Way CrossFireXUnknown — not stated by the source
On-board graphics cardKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Graphics cardKnown for oneHD GraphicsUnknown — not stated by the source
Maximum resolutionKnown for one4096 x 2160 pixelsUnknown — not stated by the source
Number of displays supportedKnown for one3Unknown — not stated by the source
Internal I/O3 differ
USB 2.0 connectorsDiffers21
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectors22
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) connectorsKnown for one0Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of SATA III connectorsDiffers60
Number of SATA II connectors00
Number of SATA Express connectorsKnown for one3Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of Parallel ATA connectorsDiffers01
S/PDIF out connectorKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Front panel audio connectorYesYes
Front panel connectorKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
ATX Power connector (24-pin)YesYes
CPU fan connectorYesYes
12V power connectorKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Parallel connectorKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Serial port headers11
TPM connectorYesYes
Thunderbolt headersKnown for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of SATA connectorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source6
Number of chassis fan connectorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source3
Rear panel I/O ports3 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantity22
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantityDiffers42
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-C ports quantityKnown for one0Unknown — not stated by the source
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Type-A ports quantityDiffers02
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Type-C ports quantityKnown for one0Unknown — not stated by the source
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports11
eSATA ports quantity00
PS/2 ports quantity11
Firewire (IEEE 1394) ports00
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantityDiffers10
HDMI ports quantity11
HDMI versionKnown for one1.4Unknown — not stated by the source
DVI-D ports quantity11
Headphone outputs11
Microphone inYesYes
Networkidentical
Ethernet LANYesYes
Ethernet interface typeGigabit EthernetGigabit Ethernet
LAN controllerKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceRealtek RTL8111H
Featuresidentical
Component forPCPC
Motherboard form factorATXATX
Motherboard chipset familyIntelIntel
Motherboard chipsetIntel® Z170Intel® Z170
Audio chipKnown for oneRealtek ALC887Unknown — not stated by the source
Audio output channels7.1 channels7.1 channels
Power source typeATXATX
Windows operating systems supportedKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Expansion slots1 differ
PCI Express x1 (Gen 3.x) slotsDiffers23
PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slots22
PCI slots22
Number of M.2 (M) slots11
BIOS1 differ
BIOS typeDiffersUEFI AMIUEFI
BIOS memory sizeKnown for one16 MbitUnknown — not stated by the source
ACPI versionKnown for one5.0Unknown — not stated by the source
Clear CMOS jumperYesYes
Clear CMOS buttonKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Processor special featuresidentical
Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)Known for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Intel Rapid Storage TechnologyKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Intel® High Definition Audio (Intel® HD Audio)Known for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Intel® Smart Response TechnologyKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT)Known for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceVT-d
Weight & dimensions2 differ
WidthDiffers305 mm304 mm
DepthDiffers199 mm224 mm
Packaging contentidentical
Cables includedKnown for oneSATAUnknown — not stated by the source
ManualKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Drivers includedKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Bundled softwareKnown for oneNorton Internet Security (OEM version) Intel Smart Response Technology cFosSpeedUnknown — not stated by the source

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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