Product comparison · 2 motherboards

GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0) vs MSI A88XM-E45 V2

41specifications compared
18differ
23identical
39known for one product only

Key differences

Processor manufacturer
- GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0):Intel
- A88XM-E45 V2:AMD
Processor socket
- GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0):LGA 1150 (Socket H3)
- A88XM-E45 V2:Socket FM2+
Maximum internal memory
- GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0):32 GB
- A88XM-E45 V2:64 GB
Supported storage drive interfaces
- GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0):M.2, SATA III
- A88XM-E45 V2:SATA III
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectors
- GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0):1
- A88XM-E45 V2:2
Number of SATA III connectors
- GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0):6
- A88XM-E45 V2:8
USB 2.0 ports quantity
- GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0):4
- A88XM-E45 V2:2
LAN controller
- GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0):Atheros Killer E2201
- A88XM-E45 V2:Realtek RTL8111G

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only

Comparison of GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0), A88XM-E45 V2
80 specifications	A GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 (rev. 1.0)View product	B MSI A88XM-E45 V2 View product
Processor3 differ
Processor manufacturerDiffers	Intel	AMD
Processor socketDiffers	LGA 1150 (Socket H3)	Socket FM2+
Compatible processor seriesDiffers	Intel® Celeron®, Intel® Pentium®	AMD Athlon
Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 seriesKnown for one	i3-4xxx, i3-5xxx, i5-4xxx, i5-5xxx, i7-4xxx, i7-5xxx	Unknown — not stated by the source
Memory2 differ
Supported memory types	DDR3-SDRAM	DDR3-SDRAM
Number of memory slots	4	4
Memory slots type	DIMM	DIMM
Memory channels	Dual-channel	Dual-channel
ECC сompatibility	Non-ECC	Non-ECC
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers	1333,1600,1800,1866,2000,2133,2200,2400,2600,2666,2800,2933,3000,3100,3200 MHz	1333,1600,1866,2133 MHz
Maximum internal memoryDiffers	32 GB	64 GB
Unbuffered memoryKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Storage controllers1 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffers	M.2, SATA III	SATA III
RAID levels	0, 1, 5, 10	0, 1, 5, 10
RAID supportKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Graphicsidentical
Maximum graphics card memoryKnown for one	512 MB	Unknown — not stated by the source
Parallel processing technology supportKnown for one	2-Way CrossFireX, 2-Way SLI, 3-Way CrossFireX	Unknown — not stated by the source
On-board graphics cardKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Graphics cardKnown for one	HD Graphics	Unknown — not stated by the source
Maximum resolutionKnown for one	4096 x 2160 pixels	Unknown — not stated by the source
Discrete graphics supportKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Internal I/O2 differ
USB 2.0 connectorsKnown for one	2	Unknown — not stated by the source
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectorsDiffers	1	2
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) connectorsKnown for one	0	Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of SATA III connectorsDiffers	6	8
Number of SATA II connectorsKnown for one	0	Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of SATA Express connectorsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of Parallel ATA connectorsKnown for one	0	Unknown — not stated by the source
S/PDIF out connectorKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Front panel audio connector	Yes	Yes
Front panel connectorKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
ATX Power connector (24-pin)	Yes	Yes
CPU fan connector	Yes	Yes
12V power connectorKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Serial port headers	1	1
TPM connector	Yes	Yes
Chassis intrusion connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Peripheral (Molex) power connectors (4-pin)Known for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
Rear panel I/O ports1 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantityDiffers	4	2
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantity	4	4
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-C ports quantityKnown for one	0	Unknown — not stated by the source
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Type-A ports quantityKnown for one	0	Unknown — not stated by the source
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (3.1 Gen 2) Type-C ports quantityKnown for one	0	Unknown — not stated by the source
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports	1	1
eSATA ports quantityKnown for one	0	Unknown — not stated by the source
PS/2 ports quantity	2	2
Firewire (IEEE 1394) portsKnown for one	0	Unknown — not stated by the source
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantity	1	1
HDMI ports quantity	1	1
HDMI versionKnown for one	1.4a	Unknown — not stated by the source
DVI-D ports quantity	1	1
Headphone outputsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
Microphone inKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
S/PDIF out portKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Digital audio optical outKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	6
Parallel ports quantityKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
Network1 differ
Ethernet LAN	Yes	Yes
Ethernet interface type	Gigabit Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet
LAN controllerDiffers	Atheros Killer E2201	Realtek RTL8111G
Features4 differ
Component for	PC	PC
Motherboard form factorDiffers	ATX	micro ATX
Motherboard chipset familyDiffers	Intel	AMD
Motherboard chipsetDiffers	Intel® Z97	A88X
Audio chipDiffers	Realtek ALC1150	Realtek ALC887
Audio output channels	7.1 channels	7.1 channels
Power source typeKnown for one	ATX	Unknown — not stated by the source
Windows operating systems supportedKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Expansion slots2 differ
PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.x) slotsDiffers	3	1
PCI Express x16 (Gen 2.x) slots	1	1
PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slotsDiffers	2	1
Number of M.2 (M) slotsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
PCI slotsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
BIOSidentical
BIOS typeKnown for one	UEFI AMI	Unknown — not stated by the source
BIOS memory sizeKnown for one	16 Mbit	Unknown — not stated by the source
ACPI versionKnown for one	5.0	Unknown — not stated by the source
Clear CMOS jumper	Yes	Yes
Processor special featuresidentical
Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)Known for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Weight & dimensions2 differ
WidthDiffers	305 mm	243 mm
DepthDiffers	225 mm	243 mm
Packaging contentidentical
Bundled softwareKnown for one	Norton Internet Security (OEM version) Intel Rapid Start Technology Intel Smart Connect Technology Intel Smart Response Technology	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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