Intel's Z170 Chipset
Z170 is the most feature-rich consumer chipset available for the LGA 1151 platform - only the Q170 chipset can surpass it in terms of features, but most of those extras are targeted at business users and are of no real value to gamers.
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The Z170 chipset is also unquestionably the highest performance LGA 1151 solution currently available, as it is the only one that allows you to overclock the CPU. This, paired with the ability to support multi-GPU configurations by splitting the CPU’s PCI-E lanes across several graphics cards, make it the best option for gamers and PC enthusiasts. The chipset also supports the most HSIO lanes, tied only by Q170, which OEMs can use to support a wide number of connections and third-party hardware controllers.
Other chipsets can be viewed as stripped-down versions of Z170, but there is one reason why you might want to buy one of those instead: price. With its features, Z170 is the most expensive chipset on the market. Even when you have the choice between a low-end Z170 motherboard and an H170 board, for example, at comparable prices the Z170 may not be the clear winner. Although a straight comparison of the chip would show the Z170 is superior, secondary characteristics of the motherboard such as the power design, audio solution, SATA ports and other features added by the OEM might make the Z170 board less appealing. Therefore, be sure to compare all aspects of the motherboard before buying.
MORE: Intel H170 Motherboard Price List
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Intel 100 Series Consumer Chipsets
| Chipset | Z170 | H170 | B150 | H110 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU PCI-E 3.0 Config Support | 1x 16 / 2x 8 / 1x 8 + 2x 4 | 1x 16 | 1x 16 | 1x 16 |
| Independent Display Support | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Memory Channels/ DIMMs per Channel | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 | 2 / 1 |
| DMI | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| CPU Overclocking Support | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Intel Smart Sound Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Intel Small Business Advantage 4.0 | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Intel Small Business Basics | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Intel RAID Support 0/1/5/10 | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Intel Smart Response Technology | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Max Intel RST for PCI-E | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| I/O Port Flexibility | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Maximum HSIO Lanes | 26 | 22 | 18 | 14 |
| Chipset PCI-E Support | 20x v3.0 | 16x v3.0 | 8x v3.0 | 6x v2.0 |
| USB Support (USB 3.0) | 14 (10) | 14 (8) | 12 (6) | 10 (4) |
| SATA 3.0 Ports | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
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