Product comparison · 2 motherboards

GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX vs MSI Z97 GAMING 3

51specifications compared
13differ
38identical
16known for one product only

Key differences

Supported memory clock speeds
- GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:1333,1600 MHz
- Z97 GAMING 3:1066,1333,1600 MHz
RAID levels
- GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:1, 5, 10
- Z97 GAMING 3:0, 1, 5, 10
Maximum resolution
- GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:4096 x 2160 pixels
- Z97 GAMING 3:4096 x 2304 pixels
Number of displays supported
- GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:3
- Z97 GAMING 3:2
USB 2.0 connectors
- GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:1
- Z97 GAMING 3:2
Number of SATA connectors
- GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:7
- Z97 GAMING 3:6
USB 2.0 ports quantity
- GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:4
- Z97 GAMING 3:2
PCI Express x1 slots
- GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX:1
- Z97 GAMING 3:2

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only

Comparison of GA-Z97X-SOC, Z97 GAMING 3
67 specifications	A GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard Intel® Z97 LGA 1150 (Socket H3) ATX Model GA-Z97X-SOC View product	B MSI Z97 GAMING 3 View product
Processor1 differ
Compatible processor seriesDiffers	Intel® Core™ i3, Intel® Core™ i5, Intel® Core™ i7	Intel® Celeron®, Intel® Pentium®
Memory1 differ
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers	1333,1600 MHz	1066,1333,1600 MHz
Unbuffered memoryKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Storage controllers1 differ
RAID levelsDiffers	1, 5, 10	0, 1, 5, 10
Graphics3 differ
Maximum graphics card memoryKnown for one	1000 MB	Unknown — not stated by the source
Parallel processing technology supportDiffers	2-Way CrossFireX, 2-Way SLI, 3-Way CrossFireX, 4-Way CrossFireX	2-Way CrossFireX
Maximum resolutionDiffers	4096 x 2160 pixels	4096 x 2304 pixels
Number of displays supportedDiffers	3	2
Internal I/O2 differ
USB 2.0 connectorsDiffers	1	2
Number of SATA connectorsDiffers	7	6
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
Number of Parallel ATA connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	0
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
TPM connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Rear panel I/O ports1 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantityDiffers	4	2
Expansion slots3 differ
PCI Express x1 slotsDiffers	1	2
PCI Express x16 slotsDiffers	1	2
PCI slotsDiffers	2	3
PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.x) slotsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	2
PCI Express x16 (Gen 2.x) slotsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slotsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
BIOS1 differ
BIOS typeDiffers	UEFI AMI	UEFI
BIOS memory sizeKnown for one	128 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
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
Other featuresidentical
BIOS switch buttonKnown 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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