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 socketKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	LGA 1151 (Socket H4)
Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 seriesKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	i3-6xxx, i5-6xxx, i7-6xxx
Memory1 differ
Number of memory slotsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	4
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers	2133,2400,2666,2800,3000,3200,3300,3333,3400,3466,3600,3666,3733,3866 MHz	2133 MHz
Unbuffered memoryKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Storage controllers1 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffers	SATA	SATA III
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
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 connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	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
12V power connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Parallel connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	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
eSATA ports quantityKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
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
Headphone outputsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
Networkidentical
LAN controllerKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Atheros Killer E2400
Features2 differ
Motherboard form factorDiffers	Extended ATX	ATX
Motherboard chipsetDiffers	Intel® Z170	Intel® H170
Audio chipKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Realtek ALC1150
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
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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