Product comparison · 2 motherboards

GIGABYTE GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0) vs MSI H170 Gaming M3

46specifications compared
17differ
29identical
46known for one product only

Key differences

Supported storage drive interfaces
- GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0):SATA
- H170 Gaming M3:SATA III
USB 2.0 connectors
- GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0):2
- H170 Gaming M3:1
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectors
- GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0):2
- H170 Gaming M3:1
Number of SATA connectors
- GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0):11
- H170 Gaming M3:7
Number of SATA Express connectors
- GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0):3
- H170 Gaming M3:1
USB 2.0 ports quantity
- GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0):2
- H170 Gaming M3:4
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantity
- GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0):5
- H170 Gaming M3:4
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Type-A ports quantity
- GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0):1
- H170 Gaming M3:0

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only

Comparison of GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0), H170 Gaming M3
92 specifications	A GIGABYTE GA-Z170X-SOC FORCE (rev. 1.0)View product	B MSI H170 Gaming M3 View product
Processoridentical
Processor manufacturer	Intel	Intel
Processor socketKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	LGA 1151 (Socket H4)
Compatible processor series	Intel® Celeron®, Intel® Pentium®	Intel® Celeron®, Intel® Pentium®
Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 seriesKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	i3-6xxx, i5-6xxx, i7-6xxx
Memory1 differ
Supported memory types	DDR4-SDRAM	DDR4-SDRAM
Number of memory slotsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	4
Memory slots type	DIMM	DIMM
Memory channels	Dual-channel	Dual-channel
ECC сompatibility	ECC & Non-ECC	ECC & Non-ECC
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers	2133,2400,2666,2800,3000,3200,3300,3333,3400,3466,3600,3666,3733,3866 MHz	2133 MHz
Maximum internal memory	64 GB	64 GB
Unbuffered memoryKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Storage controllers1 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffers	SATA	SATA III
RAID levels	0, 1, 5, 10	0, 1, 5, 10
Graphics1 differ
Parallel processing technology supportDiffers	2-Way CrossFireX, 2-Way SLI, 3-Way CrossFireX, 3-Way SLI, 4-Way CrossFireX, 4-Way SLI, Quad-GPU CrossFireX, Quad-GPU SLI	2-Way CrossFireX
Maximum resolution	4096 x 2160 pixels	4096 x 2160 pixels
DirectX versionKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	12.0
Maximum graphics card memoryKnown for one	512 MB	Unknown — not stated by the source
Graphics card familyKnown for one	AMD, Intel, NVIDIA	Unknown — not stated by the source
Discrete graphics supportKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of displays supportedKnown for one	3	Unknown — not stated by the source
Internal I/O4 differ
USB 2.0 connectorsDiffers	2	1
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectorsDiffers	2	1
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
Number of SATA III connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	6
Number of SATA II connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
Number of SATA connectorsDiffers	11	7
Number of SATA Express connectorsDiffers	3	1
Number of Parallel ATA connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
Front panel audio connector	Yes	Yes
Front panel connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
ATX Power connector (24-pin)	Yes	Yes
CPU fan connector	Yes	Yes
Number of chassis fan connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
Chassis intrusion connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
EPS power connector (8-pin)	Yes	Yes
12V power connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Parallel connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Serial port headers	1	1
TPM connector	Yes	Yes
S/PDIF out connectorKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Peripheral (Molex) power connectors (4-pin)Known for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
Rear panel I/O ports4 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantityDiffers	2	4
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantityDiffers	5	4
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-C ports quantityKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Type-A ports quantityDiffers	1	0
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Type-C ports quantityDiffers	1	0
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports	1	1
eSATA ports quantityKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
PS/2 ports quantity	1	1
Firewire (IEEE 1394) portsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantityKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
HDMI ports quantity	1	1
HDMI version	1.4	1.4
DVI-D ports quantity	1	1
Headphone outputsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
Microphone in	Yes	Yes
S/PDIF out port	Yes	Yes
Networkidentical
Ethernet LAN	Yes	Yes
Ethernet interface type	Gigabit Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet
LAN controllerKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Atheros Killer E2400
Features2 differ
Component for	PC	PC
Motherboard form factorDiffers	Extended ATX	ATX
Motherboard chipset family	Intel	Intel
Motherboard chipsetDiffers	Intel® Z170	Intel® H170
Audio chipKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Realtek ALC1150
Audio output channels	7.1 channels	7.1 channels
Power source type	ATX	ATX
Windows operating systems supportedKnown for one	Windows 10 Education x64, Windows 10 Enterprise x64, Windows 10 Home x64, Windows 10 Pro x64, Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 7 Enterprise x64, Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Basic x64, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Professional x64, Window	Unknown — not stated by the source
Expansion slots1 differ
PCI Express x1 (Gen 3.x) slotsDiffers	3	2
PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slotsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	2
PCI slotsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	3
Number of M.2 (M) slotsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
PCI Express x8 (Gen 1.x) slotsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
PCI Express x8 (Gen 2.x) slotsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
PCI Express x16 (Gen 2.x) slotsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
BIOS1 differ
BIOS typeDiffers	UEFI AMI	UEFI
Clear CMOS jumper	Yes	Yes
BIOS memory sizeKnown for one	256 Mbit	Unknown — not stated by the source
ACPI versionKnown for one	5.0	Unknown — not stated by the source
Clear CMOS buttonKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Processor special featuresidentical
Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)Known for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Weight & dimensions2 differ
WidthDiffers	305 mm	304 mm
DepthDiffers	264 mm	244 mm
Packaging contentidentical
Cables includedKnown for one	SATA	Unknown — not stated by the source
Drivers includedKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Bundled softwareKnown for one	Norton® Internet Security (OEM version), Intel® Smart Response Technology, cFosSpeed	Unknown — not stated by the source
Other featuresidentical
Mini DisplayPorts quantityKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
PCI Express x16 (Gen 1.x) slotsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
BIOS switch buttonKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Other featuresKnown for one	3D OSD, @BIOS, Ambient LED, AutoGreen, Cloud Station, EasyTune, Easy RAID, Fast Boot, Smart TimeLock, Smart Keyboard, Smart Backup, System Information Viewer, USB Blocker, Q-Flash, Smart Switch, Xpress Install, GIGABYTE HW OC	Unknown — not stated by the source
Quick installation guideKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — 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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