Product comparison · 2 motherboards

MSI Z97 MPOWER MAX AC vs MSI Z97 U3 PLUS

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  • 34specifications compared
  • 5differ
  • 29identical
  • 34known for one product only

Key differences

  • Supported storage drive interfaces
    • Z97 MPOWER MAX AC:SATA
    • Z97 U3 PLUS:SATA III
  • Parallel processing technology support
    • Z97 MPOWER MAX AC:2-Way SLI, 3-Way CrossFireX
    • Z97 U3 PLUS:2-Way CrossFireX
  • PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.x) slots
    • Z97 MPOWER MAX AC:4
    • Z97 U3 PLUS:2
  • PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slots
    • Z97 MPOWER MAX AC:3
    • Z97 U3 PLUS:1

Side by side

Differences highlightedShow differences only (on)
Comparison of Z97 MPOWER MAX AC, Z97 U3 PLUS
68 specifications
Processoridentical
Maximum number of SMP processorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
Intel Core i3/i5/i7/i9 seriesKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourcei3-4xxx, i5-4xxx, i7-4xxx
Memory1 differ
Number of memory slotsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source4
Supported memory clock speedsDiffers1066,1333,1600,1866,2000,2100,2133,2400,2600,2666,2800,3000 MHz1066,1333,1600,1866,2000,2133,2400,2600,2666,2800,3000,3100,3200 MHz
Maximum internal memoryKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source32 GB
Unbuffered memoryKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Internal memoryKnown for one32 GBUnknown — not stated by the source
Storage controllers1 differ
Supported storage drive interfacesDiffersSATASATA III
RAID levelsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source0, 1, 5, 10
Graphics1 differ
Parallel processing technology supportDiffers2-Way SLI, 3-Way CrossFireX2-Way CrossFireX
On-board graphics cardKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Maximum resolutionKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source4096 x 2160 pixels
Discrete graphics supportKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Internal I/Oidentical
Number of SATA III connectorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source6
Number of SATA II connectorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source0
Number of Parallel ATA connectorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source0
Power fan connectorKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Number of chassis fan connectorsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
Parallel connectorKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
Serial port headersKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
Number of SATA connectorsKnown for one8Unknown — not stated by the source
Rear panel I/O portsidentical
eSATA ports quantityKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source0
Firewire (IEEE 1394) portsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source0
VGA (D-Sub) ports quantityKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
HDMI ports quantityKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
DVI-D ports quantityKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
Microphone inKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceYes
DisplayPorts quantityKnown for one1Unknown — not stated by the source
S/PDIF out portKnown for oneYesUnknown — not stated by the source
Digital audio optical outKnown for one6Unknown — not stated by the source
Networkidentical
LAN controllerKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceRealtek 8111G
Featuresidentical
Audio chipKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceRealtek ALC892
Windows operating systems supportedKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the sourceWindows 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
Expansion slots2 differ
PCI Express x1 (Gen 2.x) slotsDiffers42
PCI Express x16 (Gen 2.x) slotsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source1
PCI Express x16 (Gen 3.x) slotsDiffers31
PCI slotsKnown for oneUnknown — not stated by the source3
BIOSidentical
BIOS typeKnown for oneAMIUnknown — not stated by the source
Clear CMOS buttonKnown for oneYesUnknown — 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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