Asus M5A78L-M Plus/USB3 vs Z87-PLUS Motherboard Comparison

Asus M5A78L-M Plus/USB3 and ASUS Z87-PLUS are both motherboards with the same RAM Slots (4), Maximum Supported RAM (32 GB) and Onboard USB 3.2 Gen 1 (1). The main differences are in Socket, Form factor, Chipset and Supported Memory.

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Asus M5A78L-M Plus/USB3	ASUS Z87-PLUS
Prices (Change region) Out of Stock Free shipping $79.96 - Buy now	Prices (Change region) Out of Stock + $10.23 Shipping $149.99 - Buy now
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Pangoly Score (How do we rate?) -	Pangoly Score (How do we rate?) 85
Brand Asus	Brand ASUS
Model M5A78L-M Plus/USB3	Model Z87-PLUS
Release Date 📅 September 2018	Release Date 📅 November 2013
* First availability for purchase, it may not correspond to the actual market launch date.
User reviews Add a product review	User reviews ★★★★★ (57 reviews) Add a product review
Price history View Details ►	Price history View Details ►
Compatible PC parts Processors ► Memory ► Cases ► CPU Coolers ►	Compatible PC parts Processors ► Memory ► Cases ► CPU Coolers ►
Pros -	Pros Lots of USB 3.0 ports 6x 4-Pin Fan connectors Intel LAN controller Overclock capabilities
Series	Series -
Socket AM3+	Socket LGA1150
Form factor Micro ATX	Form factor ATX
Chipset AMD A78	Chipset Intel Z87
Supported Memory DDR3 1066Mhz 1333Mhz 1600Mhz 1800Mhz 1866Mhz 2000Mhz	Supported Memory DDR3 1333Mhz 1600Mhz 1800Mhz 1866Mhz 2000Mhz 2200Mhz 2400Mhz 2500Mhz 2600Mhz 2666Mhz 2800Mhz
* High clock speeds may require enabling the XMP profile in the motherboard BIOS ** RAM support may also depend on the CPU memory controller
ECC RAM Support No	ECC RAM Support No
Audio Chipset Realtek ALC887	Audio Chipset -
LAN Chipset Realtek 8111H	LAN Chipset -
Max LAN Speed 10/100/1000Mbps	Max LAN Speed -
SLI Support No	SLI Support Yes
CrossFire Support No	CrossFire Support Yes
RAID Support No	RAID Support Yes
Back Connect No	Back Connect No
Wireless LAN No	Wireless LAN No
PCI-Express x16 Slots 1	PCI-Express x16 Slots 3
PCI-Express x4 Slots 0	PCI-Express x4 Slots 0
PCI-Express x1 Slots 1	PCI-Express x1 Slots 2
SATA 6 Gbps Ports 6	SATA 6 Gbps Ports 8
SATA Express Ports 0	SATA Express Ports 0
M.2 Ports 0	M.2 Ports 0
RAM Slots 4	RAM Slots 4
Maximum Supported RAM 32 GB	Maximum Supported RAM 32 GB
Onboard USB 2.0 2	Onboard USB 2.0 4
Onboard USB 3.2 Gen 1 1	Onboard USB 3.2 Gen 1 1
Onboard USB 3.2 Gen 2 0	Onboard USB 3.2 Gen 2 0
Onboard USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 0	Onboard USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 0

Comparison and key differences summary

⛔ You are comparing motherboards with different sockets. They cannot support the same CPUs. Try to compare motherboards within the same platform.

Reasons to buy the Asus M5A78L-M Plus/USB3:

47% cheaper, you can save $70.03
Newer Product, it was released around 5 years later

Buy now

Reasons to buy the ASUS Z87-PLUS:

Supports NVIDIA SLI
Supports AMD CrossFire
Supports RAID
Supports the following RAM types: DDR3 2200MHz, 2400MHz, 2500MHz, 2600MHz, 2666MHz, 2800MHz
+2 Slots PCI-E x16
+1 Slots PCI-E x1
+2 Ports SATA 6Gb/s
+2 Onboard USB 2.0