SvanirePerish :
Hello, I'm looking to upgrade my ASRock Z77 Extreme3 mobo, and have pretty much come down to these two options (but am open to others if they're $150 or less). Can anyone tell me, objectively, which is the better board feature wise? I know the Killer has more/better reviews, but It's hard for me to really tell which is the better featured board as someone who clearly hasn't looked at mobos in a very long time. Also, it's unclear, but how many fans can these two mobos support other than the CPU fan? Thank you.
The
Gigabyte GA-270X-DESIGNARE and the
ASRock Z270 KILLER SLI have these
similarities:
Both have
4x RAM slots supporting up to
64GB capacity and
3866MHz speeds
Both have
1x HDMI and
1x DVI-D on-board video output ports
Both use
Intel LAN controller
Both have
6x SATA ports
Both have
all their respective PCIe x16 slots reinforced
Both require a
24-pin ATX and an
8-pin ATX12V power cable
Both have
1x USB3.0 Internal Header
Both have
1x RGB LED strip header
Both have
RGB LED Ambient Lighting
Both have
I/O Armor/Shield
Both have
1x PS/2 rear panel port
Both have
8 Power Phases
Both support
2-Way Nvidia SLI or
2-Way AMD CrossFire
What sets these two motherboards apart are their
major and salient differences:
Designare has
3x PCIe3.0 x16 slots |
Killer SLI has
2x PCIe2.0 x16 slots
Designare can support 3-Way AMD CrossFire |
Killer SLI does not support 3-Way
Designare has
3x PCIe3.0 x1 slots |
Killer SLI has
4x PCIe3.0 x1 slots
Designare uses
Realtek ALC1220 audio codec |
Killer SLI uses
Realtek ALC892
Designare has
1x M.2 socket |
Killer SLI has
2x M.2 sockets
Designare has
5x fan headers (incl. CPU) |
Killer SLI has
only 4x fan headers (incl. CPU)
Designare has
1x USB3.1 Internal Header |
Killer SLI does not
Designare has
2x USB2.0 Internal Headers |
Killer SLI has
3x USB2.0 Internal Headers
Designare has
2x USB3.1 rear panel ports |
Killer SLI has
no USB3.1 rear ports
Designare has
1x Type-C (USB3.1) rear port |
Killer SLI has
1x Type-C (USB3.0) rear port
Designare has
4x USB3.0 rear ports |
Killer SLI has
5x USB3.0 rear ports
Designare has
2x USB2.0 rear ports |
Killer SLI has
no USB2.0 rear ports
Designare supports SATAe connection |
Killer SLI supports Thunderbolt connection
Designare has
5x rear audio jacks |
Killer SLI has
6x rear audio jacks
Designare is
ATX (305mm x 244mm) |
Killer SLI is
slightly narrower ATX (305mm x 224mm)
Designare support
DualBIOS (exclusive) |
Killer SLI does not
Designare has a
G Connector for all front panel cables (exclusive) |
Killer SLI has none
Designare is Silver/Gray/Black Themed |
Killer SLI is Black/White/Gray Themed
Designare has
4 out of 6 SATA ports in 90-deg. orientation |
Killer SLI has
all in 90-deg.
Designare has
Diagnostic/Debug LEDs |
Killer SLI has none
Designare currently costs
$185 in Amazon |
Killer SLI is not available (but the
SLI/ac version, with Wi-Fi costs $145 in Newegg).
Which motherboard is "better", objectively, depends on your personal needs and wants. You can use the above differences as to which ports/connectivity you require for your build and which features suits your tastes in determining what motherboard is best for you (as well as your budget).