🛠️ Gigabyte GA‑B250‑HD3 Motherboard
🧠 Platform & CPU Support
Chipset: Intel B250 Express (300‑series for mainstream Intel builds).
CPU Socket: Intel LGA1151 (supports 6th and 7th Gen Intel Core / Pentium / Celeron processors).
Compatible CPUs include:
Intel Core i3/i5/i7 (6th & 7th Gen)
Intel Pentium / Celeron (LGA1151)
👉 It does not support 8th/9th Gen Intel CPUs (like i5‑8500 or newer).
💾 Memory (RAM)
Memory Type: DDR4 — NOT DDR3
DIMM Slots: Typically:
GA‑B250‑HD3: 4 × DDR4 DIMM sockets — up to 64 GB total memory.
GA‑B250M‑HD3 variant: 2 × DDR4 DIMM sockets — up to 32 GB total.
Memory Speed Support: DDR4‑2133 / 2400 MHz (XMP requires a 7th Gen CPU).
❗ Important: DDR3 RAM (like G.Skill 2 GB DDR3 sticks) will not work on this board — DDR3 and DDR4 use different pin layouts and electrical signaling.
📦 Expansion & Storage
PCI‑Express Slots:
• 1 × PCIe 3.0 ×16 (for GPU)
• PCIe x1 slots depending on model variant.
Storage:
• 1 × M.2 slot (supports SATA & PCIe SSDs)
• SATA 6 Gb/s ports for HDD/SSD storage.
📺 Integrated Graphics Outputs
If you install a CPU with integrated graphics (Intel processors with HD Graphics):
HDMI port
DVI‑D port
VGA (D‑Sub) port
These allow display output without a discrete GPU.
🔊 Other Features
Audio: Realtek ALC audio codec (up to 7.1 channels).
LAN: Gigabit Ethernet (Realtek GbE).
UEFI BIOS with XMP: Supports memory overclock profiles when paired with compatible CPUs.
📌 Compatibility Summary
Feature | Specification
Socket | Intel LGA1151 (6th/7th Gen CPUs)
Chipset | Intel B250 Express
RAM Type | DDR4 only (not DDR3)
DIMM Slots | 2 or 4 × DDR4 (depends on revision)
Max RAM | 32 GB (B250M‑HD3) or 64 GB (B250‑HD3)
M.2 Slot | Yes — supports SSDs
CPU Support | Intel 6th & 7th Gen CPUs
🧠 What You Can Use With It
✔ Intel CPUs: Core i3, i5, i7 (6th/7th Gen)
✔ DDR4 RAM: Modules like DDR4‑2133, DDR4‑2400
✔ NVMe or SATA M.2 SSDs
✔ Discrete graphics cards via PCIe slot