What is the difference? Z170A Krait Gaming 3X vs Z170A KRAIT GAMING

[wrenward]

My heart is sold on this beautiful black and white MSI Z170 Krait Edition Motherboard but when I took a closer look while shopping I found two. I've loaded them up into a comparison window here *clicky* but I am not really sure what I am looking at. Can you spot the difference? Which is the better buy?

 

Here is the MSI Z170A Krait Gaming 3x

Here is the MSI Z170A Krait Gaming

 

Thank you for your help!

Wren

[ThinkWithPortals]

2 minutes ago, wrenward said:

 

The Krait Gaming 3X fixed a major design flaw with the Krait Gaming. Basically, the SATA ports were in a really stupid position on the motherboard, so putting a GPU in the middle PCI-E slot was nearly impossible because the SATA plugs got in the way. On the 3X, they were moved elsewhere, so putting a GPU in that slot is no longer impossible.

[wrenward]

2 minutes ago, ThinkWithPortals said:

The Krait Gaming 3X fixed a major design flaw with the Krait Gaming. Basically, the SATA ports were in a really stupid position on the motherboard, so putting a GPU in the middle PCI-E slot was nearly impossible because the SATA plugs got in the way. On the 3X, they were moved elsewhere, so putting a GPU in that slot is no longer impossible.

Okay, so the 3x is an upgraded version then. I did see that the 3x has 6 x SATA 6Gb/s ports with 2 ports reserved for the SATA Express. 

[TidaLWaveZ]

That and some added USB 3.1 ports.

[Thorimus]

MSI has a compare tool on their site for this purpose, however it doesn't seem to work ATM. 

[NumLock21]

Krait gaming has upward facing sata ports. This can interfere with long length graphic cards. Krait gaming 3x fixes that flaw by having the SATA ports at a right angle.  The 3x is also the same as the R6 Siege, where it doesn't come with that game.

The flaw SATA ports, are those white ones, next to the heatsink for the Z170 PCH.

https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/Z170A-KRAIT-GAMING-R6-SIEGE.html

[wrenward]

1 minute ago, Thorimus said:

MSI has a compare tool on their site for this purpose, however it doesn't seem to work ATM. 

I noticed that, so I pulled them up on Newegg hoping it would help.

[NumLock21]

Comparison tool never works. Cause it will have missing specs. Only way to compare is to do it manually and visually inspect both boards.

[wrenward]

Just now, NumLock21 said:

Comparison tool never works. Cause it will have missing specs. Only way to compare is to do it manually and visually inspect both boards.

That is a good point. I'd love to get my hands on both, but that just isn't going to happen. Even when looking at the product page, I can't seem to weed out the major differences. 

[Joe_MacDougall]

The only difference I can discern is that the 3X has USB 3.1 Type C whereas the Non 3X does not.

[NumLock21]

4 minutes ago, wrenward said:

That is a good point. I'd love to get my hands on both, but that just isn't going to happen. Even when looking at the product page, I can't seem to weed out the major differences. 

No need to buy them. Just look at the pictures. 3x has 1 extra internal usb 3 header. and a USB type C on the rear i/o.

[wrenward]

1 minute ago, NumLock21 said:

No need to buy them. Just look at the pictures.

But hands on is more fun.  You can see the Sata upgrade in the pictures though. Good eye. Plus the 3x has more white components. That is just cosmetic but worth noting. 

[NumLock21]

2 minutes ago, wrenward said:

But hands on is more fun.  You can see the Sata upgrade in the pictures though. Good eye. Plus the 3x has more white components. That is just cosmetic but worth noting. 

3x has 1 extra internal usb 3 header. and a USB type C on the rear i/o. Gaming has a PCI slot. Color scheme are the same for both.

[wrenward]

2 minutes ago, Joe_MacDougall said:

The only difference I can discern is that the 3X has USB 3.1 Type C whereas the Non 3X does not.

Ahh, yes. The 3x is looking like the better buy. 

[Joe_MacDougall]

1 minute ago, wrenward said:

Ahh, yes. The 3x is looking like the better buy. 

If it costs extra is it really worth it though? The non 3X still has USB 3.1 but it's a Type A connector.

[wrenward]

I am not understanding the price difference. The 3x has fixed the wonky sata issue, has USB 3.1, and is almost 50 dollars less expensive that the Krait Gaming. 

[NumLock21]

Get the 3x or the R6 siege if you want a free game.

[wrenward]

I am going to stick with the 3x. 

[ThinkWithPortals]

4 minutes ago, wrenward said:

I am going to stick with the 3x. 

Good call

[FRN]

Does it OC very well?