All categories
Phones & WearablesView all 31

Departments

Phones & WearablesComputers & TabletsComponents & StorageNetworkingPrinting & OfficePower & ChargingTV, Audio & VideoGaming, Toys & RobotsKitchen AppliancesHome AppliancesPersonal Care & HealthSmart Home & SecurityCar & MobilityTools & GardenCameras & Photo

Shopping country

Browse

All categoriesCompare products

Product comparison · 2 motherboards

MSI Z97 GUARD-PRO vs MSI Z97 U3 PLUS

Add a product
  • 54specifications compared
  • 11differ
  • 43identical
  • 14known for one product only

Key differences

  • Supported storage drive interfaces
    • SATA, SATA II, SATA III
    • SATA III
  • Maximum resolution
    • 4096 x 2304 pixels
    • 4096 x 2160 pixels
  • USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectors
    • 1
    • 2
  • Number of chassis fan connectors
    • 4
    • 1
  • USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantity
    • 4
    • 8
  • HDMI ports quantity
    • 0
    • 1
  • LAN controller
    • Realtek RTL8111G
    • Realtek 8111G
  • PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.x) slots
    • 4
    • 2

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only
68 specifications
A

MSI

Z97 GUARD-PROView product
B

MSI

Z97 U3 PLUSView product
Processor1 differ
Processor manufacturerIntelIntel
Processor socketLGA 1150 (Socket H3)LGA 1150 (Socket H3)
Compatible processor seriesDiffersIntel® Core™ i3, Intel® Core™ i5, Intel® Core™ i7Intel® Celeron®, Intel® Pentium®
Maximum number of SMP processors11
Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 seriesKnown for onei3-4xxx, i5-4xxx, i7-4xxx
Memory1 differ
Supported memory typesDDR3-SDRAMDDR3-SDRAM
Number of memory slots44
Memory slots typeDIMMDIMM
Memory channelsDual-channelDual-channel
ECC сompatibilityNon-ECCNon-ECC
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers1066,1333,1600,1866,2000,2133,2200,2400,2600,2666,2800,3000 MHz1066,1333,1600,1866,2000,2133,2400,2600,2666,2800,3000,3100,3200 MHz
Maximum internal memory32 GB32 GB
Unbuffered memoryYesYes
Storage controllers1 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffersSATA, SATA II, SATA IIISATA III
RAID levelsKnown for one0, 1, 5, 10
Graphics1 differ
Parallel processing technology support2-Way CrossFireX2-Way CrossFireX
On-board graphics cardYesYes
Maximum resolutionDiffers4096 x 2304 pixels4096 x 2160 pixels
DirectX versionKnown for one11
Discrete graphics supportYesYes
Internal I/O2 differ
USB 2.0 connectors22
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) connectorsDiffers12
Number of SATA III connectors66
Number of SATA II connectors00
Number of Parallel ATA connectors00
Front panel audio connectorYesYes
CPU fan connectorYesYes
Number of chassis fan connectorsDiffers41
Parallel connectorYesYes
Serial port headers11
TPM connectorYesYes
ATX Power connector (24-pin)Known for oneYes
Power fan connectorKnown for oneYes
Chassis intrusion connectorKnown for oneYes
Rear panel I/O ports2 differ
USB 2.0 ports quantity22
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (3.1 Gen 1) Type-A ports quantityDiffers48
Ethernet LAN (RJ-45) ports11
eSATA ports quantity00
PS/2 ports quantity11
Firewire (IEEE 1394) ports00
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantity11
HDMI ports quantityDiffers01
DVI-D ports quantity11
DisplayPorts quantityKnown for one1
Headphone outputsKnown for one1
Microphone inYesYes
Network1 differ
Ethernet LANYesYes
Ethernet interface typeGigabit EthernetGigabit Ethernet
LAN controllerDiffersRealtek RTL8111GRealtek 8111G
Wake-on-LAN readyKnown for oneYes
Featuresidentical
Component forPCPC
Motherboard form factorATXATX
Motherboard chipset familyIntelIntel
Motherboard chipsetIntel® Z97Intel® Z97
Audio output channels7.1 channels7.1 channels
Power source typeATXATX
Windows operating systems supportedWindows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Basic x64, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Professional x64, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Starter x64, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Windows 8, Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows 8 Enterprise x64, WinWindows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Basic x64, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Home Premium x64, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Professional x64, Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Starter x64, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 7 Ultimate x64, Windows 8, Windows 8 Enterprise, Windows 8 Enterprise x64, Win
Audio chipKnown for oneRealtek ALC892
Expansion slots1 differ
PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.x) slotsDiffers42
PCI Express x16 (Gen 2.x) slots11
PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slots11
PCI slotsKnown for one3
BIOSidentical
BIOS typeKnown for oneUEFI
Clear CMOS jumperYesYes
Weight & dimensions1 differ
Width305 mm305 mm
DepthDiffers220 mm244 mm
Packaging contentidentical
Drivers includedKnown for oneYes
Other featuresidentical
Quick installation guideKnown for oneYes

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.

More motherboard comparisons

All motherboard comparisons