Asus Prime Z270-A vs Asus Z170-A: What is the difference?

USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (through expansion)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Asus Prime Z270-A)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Asus Z170-A)

The number of USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports that can be added by using the USB headers (connectors) on the motherboard.

USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (through expansion)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Asus Prime Z270-A)

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Asus Z170-A)

The number of USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports that can be added by using the USB headers (connectors) on the motherboard.

USB 2.0 ports (through expansion)

2

4

The number of USB 2.0 ports that can be added by using the USB headers (connectors) on the motherboard.

SATA 3 connectors

6

6

SATA is an interface used to connect mass storage devices such as hard drives and Blu-ray drives. SATA 3 has a native transfer rate of 6 Gbit/s, which is twice as fast as SATA 2, the previous revision. This is particularly useful if you use an SSD as it can perform at higher speeds.

fan headers

5

6

Fan headers are connection points on the motherboard that cooling fans can be connected to. Fans can also be connected straight to the power supply, but when connected to the motherboard you gain much finer control over them through software.

USB 3.0 ports (through expansion)

4

4

The motherboard has USB 3.0 headers, which are pin connections that you can connect additional USB ports to.

M.2 sockets

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Asus Prime Z270-A)

1

M.2 is an interface used to connect different types of devices, mainly mass storage devices like M.2 SSDs. It is a revision of mSATA and can support much higher data transfer rates.

Has TPM connector

✖

Asus Prime Z270-A

✔

Asus Z170-A

Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a component that significantly increases security. One example is that it allows encryption keys to be created in a secure environment, minimizing the risk of a hacker gaining access.

U.2 sockets

Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Asus Prime Z270-A)

0

U.2 is an interface used to connect different types of devices, mainly mass storage devices. It has the same performance as M.2, but U.2 SSDs come in the form of regular 2.5″ SATA drives and could therefore support much higher capacities than mSATA drives.