Product comparison · 2 motherboards

MSI X79A-GD65 motherboard Intel X79 LGA 2011 (Socket R) ATX vs MSI Z68MA-G43 (G3)

46specifications compared
20differ
26identical
23known for one product only

Key differences

Processor socket
- X79A-GD65 motherboard Intel X79 LGA 2011 (Socket R) ATX:LGA 2011 (Socket R)
- Z68MA-G43 (G3):LGA 1155 (Socket H2)
Memory channels
- X79A-GD65 motherboard Intel X79 LGA 2011 (Socket R) ATX:Quad-channel
- Z68MA-G43 (G3):Dual-channel
Maximum internal memory
- X79A-GD65 motherboard Intel X79 LGA 2011 (Socket R) ATX:64 GB
- Z68MA-G43 (G3):32 GB
USB 2.0 connectors
- X79A-GD65 motherboard Intel X79 LGA 2011 (Socket R) ATX:2
- Z68MA-G43 (G3):3
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectors
- X79A-GD65 motherboard Intel X79 LGA 2011 (Socket R) ATX:1
- Z68MA-G43 (G3):0
Number of SATA III connectors
- X79A-GD65 motherboard Intel X79 LGA 2011 (Socket R) ATX:4
- Z68MA-G43 (G3):2
Number of chassis fan connectors
- X79A-GD65 motherboard Intel X79 LGA 2011 (Socket R) ATX:4
- Z68MA-G43 (G3):2
USB 2.0 ports quantity
- X79A-GD65 motherboard Intel X79 LGA 2011 (Socket R) ATX:8
- Z68MA-G43 (G3):6

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only

Comparison of X79A-GD65, Z68MA-G43 (G3)
69 specifications	A MSI X79A-GD65 motherboard Intel X79 LGA 2011 (Socket R) ATX Model X79A-GD65 View product	B MSI Z68MA-G43 (G3)View product
Processor2 differ
Processor manufacturer	Intel	Intel
Processor socketDiffers	LGA 2011 (Socket R)	LGA 1155 (Socket H2)
Compatible processor seriesDiffers	Intel® Core™ i7	Intel® Core™ i3, Intel® Core™ i5, Intel® Core™ i7
Memory3 differ
Supported memory types	DDR3-SDRAM	DDR3-SDRAM
Number of memory slots	4	4
Memory slots typeKnown for one	DIMM	Unknown — not stated by the source
Memory channelsDiffers	Quad-channel	Dual-channel
Memory voltageKnown for one	1.5 V	Unknown — not stated by the source
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers	1066,1333,1600,1800,2133,2400 MHz	1066,1333,1600,1866,2133 MHz
Maximum internal memoryDiffers	64 GB	32 GB
Unbuffered memoryKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Supported memory module capacitiesKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB
Storage controllersidentical
Supported storage drive interfaces	SATA II, SATA III	SATA II, SATA III
RAID levels	0, 1, 5, 10	0, 1, 5, 10
Graphicsidentical
Parallel processing technology supportKnown for one	3-Way SLI	Unknown — not stated by the source
Maximum graphics card memoryKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1024 MB
On-board graphics cardKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	No
DirectX versionKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	10.1
Internal I/O4 differ
USB 2.0 connectorsDiffers	2	3
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectorsDiffers	1	0
Number of SATA III connectorsDiffers	4	2
Number of SATA II connectors	4	4
Number of Parallel ATA connectors	0	0
Front panel audio connector	Yes	Yes
ATX Power connector (24-pin)	Yes	Yes
CPU fan connector	Yes	Yes
Number of chassis fan connectorsDiffers	4	2
Chassis intrusion connector	Yes	Yes
EPS power connector (8-pin)Known for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Number of IEEE1394 connectorsKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
TPM connector	Yes	Yes
S/PDIF out connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Number of EATX power connectorsKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
Parallel connectorKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Yes
Rear panel I/O ports5 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantityDiffers	8	6
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantity	2	2
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports	1	1
eSATA ports quantity	0	0
PS/2 ports quantity	1	1
Firewire (IEEE 1394) portsDiffers	1	0
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantityDiffers	0	1
HDMI ports quantityDiffers	0	1
DVI-D ports quantityDiffers	0	1
Headphone outputs	1	1
Microphone in	Yes	Yes
S/PDIF out portKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Digital audio optical outKnown for one	1	Unknown — not stated by the source
Serial ports quantityKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	1
Networkidentical
Ethernet LANKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Ethernet interface type	Gigabit Ethernet	Gigabit Ethernet
LAN controller	Realtek RTL8111E	Realtek RTL8111E
Features2 differ
Component for	PC	PC
Motherboard form factorDiffers	ATX	micro ATX
Motherboard chipset family	Intel	Intel
Motherboard chipsetDiffers	Intel X79	Intel Z68
Audio output channels	7.1 channels	7.1 channels
Power source type	ATX	ATX
Audio chipKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Realtek ALC892
Expansion slots2 differ
PCI Express x1 slotsDiffers	1	2
PCI Express x16 slotsDiffers	5	2
PCI Express slots versionKnown for one	2.0, 3.0	Unknown — not stated by the source
BIOSidentical
BIOS type	UEFI	UEFI
Clear CMOS jumper	Yes	Yes
Clear CMOS buttonKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Weight & dimensions2 differ
WidthDiffers	244 mm	243 mm
DepthDiffers	305 mm	244 mm
Other featuresidentical
Audio outputKnown for one	4	Unknown — not stated by the source
BIOS switch buttonKnown for one	Yes	Unknown — not stated by the source
Controller interface typeKnown for one	Unknown — not stated by the source	Intel Z68 (B3)

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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