AMD’s A520 chipset occupies what could be seen as a crowded space. Now that Ryzen 5000 series CPUs are supported on the 400-Series chipsets, is there really room for the A520? Most would simply look at it and say, no, B450 boards only cost a bit more and you have the overclocking support. It’s a no brainer. Or, is it? After all, if you’re using your rig for work as well as play, do you really need cost up features like 2.5GbE? What about integrated Wi-Fi if you’re parked near your modem or router? Are you one to shy away from overclocking to retain that warranty, or simply don’t want to invest in an expensive cooler? These factors and more make A520, especially the “premium” A520 boards, more enticing.
Today, we have a quick preview of an enthusiast level A520 motherboard, the GIGABYTE A520 AORUS ELITE.
GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, today announced the new Z590 AORUS motherboards which support the 11th Gen Intel Core processors. The new motherboards feature up to 20-phase digital power VRM design and an improved Fins-Array II heatsink design. GIGABYTE’s Z590 AORUS lineup is geared with the best power design and thermal management to optimize overclocking performance on the upcoming 11th Gen Intel Core processors. GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards adopt up to 10 layers PCB, on the high-end models, for better heat dissipation. Moreover, the use of Daisy Chain memory routing with an anti-interference design improves the memory overclocking, stability, and overall memory performance. Selected GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards offer feature-rich I/O with an integrated I/O shield as well as the newest Thermal Guard II design, Smart Fan 6 and much more. Performance, power management, thermals, audio, GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards check all the boxes for users seeking to take their computing firepower to the next level.
With PCIe 4.0 support, users can enjoy the high bandwidth, the ultra-high transfer speed, and improved CPU performance on Intel platform. GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards use PCIe 4.0 grade PCBs, PCIe slots, M.2 slots, and controllers for the highest bandwidth quality, which enabling speeds up to 7000 MB/s. Z590 AORUS motherboards equip up to three PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots with direct connection to the CPU for the highest bandwidth possible. RAID configurations are possible and they could provide access rate of more than 20000 MB/s. GIGABYTE’s patent, Thermal Guard II, is a double sided heat dissipation solution that provides optimal cooling to the PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSD modules to prevent thermal throttling under high-speed operation.
GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards pack features such as the advanced power design which can deliver up to 2100 Amps and provide the best power balance, with up to 20+1 phases which each of them can hold up to 100 amps with its DrMOS power stages design. The diverse power designs can unleash the extreme overclocking performance and unlock the full potential of the new processors. Furthermore, the addition of Tantalum Polymer capacitors improves the transient response of the VRM between high and low loads, increasing the stability and purity of the processor so that users won’t have to worry about overlocking failures caused by unstable power.
GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards are designed with a renewed focus on heat dissipation. The Fins-Array II design features a redesigned stacked fin heatsink which enlarges the surface area up to 3 times compared to traditional heatsinks and it introduces newly reshaped fins that allow for superior heat dissipation. Direct-Touch Heatpipe II design features a larger, 8mm direct touch heatpipe with shortened distance and increased contact area between the heatpipe and heatsink to speed up heat transfer from the VRM to the heatsink, lowering the temperatures significantly.
GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards implement a new generation LAIRD 7.5W/mK thermal pad which offers 4x the heat dissipation compared to traditional thermal pads. The metal backplate adds extra sturdiness and rigidity to the motherboard while its nanocarbon coating quickly dissipates heat away from the backside components and the PCB. Reactive Armor is featured on selected GIGABYTE Z590 motherboards. The multiple skived fins and grooved surface provide two times larger dissipation area than traditional design that improves dramatically the heat convention and conduction by allowing more airflow pass through the heatsink.
Aside from power and thermal management, GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards boast an impressive memory configuration with support for single-slot 32GB memory capacity. The memory circuits are embedded within the PCB ground layers while the metal outer layer of the PCB reduces electromagnetic interference so those using dual channel configuration can enjoy high-speed, stable overclocked RAM performance boost above XMP 5000MHz. GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS XTREME features the exclusive SMT Memory DIMM design which utilizes surface adhesion welding technology so that the solder joints of the memory slots are smoothly fixed onto the PCB. This reduces signal interference between the open fiber cloths of the PCB and the memory wiring. The signal stabilizing function of the tantalum Polymer capacitors at the base of the memory slots further enhance the stability of the board especially when overclocking at XMP high frequencies.
GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards are equipped with the latest technologies from all the aspects. USB4, 3.2 Gen2x2, 3.2 Gen2 slots, 2.5G and 10G Ethernet, audio jacks, and Thunderbolt 4 expansion interface are some of them. The Intel 2.5Gbps Ethernet controller brings ultra-fast connectivity that is 2.5 faster than Gigabit Ethernet. Also, the lineup implements an Intel WiFi 6E 802.11ax network adapter with new exclusive 6GHz frequency band to lessen surrounding Electromagnetic Interference and to provide Gigabit level wireless network. The latest AORUS triple-band (2.4GHz/5GHz/6GHz) high-gain WiFi smart antenna can deliver up to 2.4Gbps transmission speed which offers smoother steaming videos, gaming performance, and more stability. The addition of QFLASH and Clear CMOS buttons makes it much easier and more convenient for users to troubleshoot their systems or update their BIOS without installing a processor.
User customization is where the GIGABYTE Z590 motherboards thrive. The redesigned Smart Fan 6, the multiple temperature sensors, Hybrid fan design, noise detection, and increased fan control points from 5 to 7 and more give users the absolute system control and customization.. Users can now switch quickly between Slope mode and Stair mode by their demands. Slope mode is the traditional linear fan speed curve, and Stair mode is a newly introduced mode to maintain the same fan speed within a specified interval which can avoid the annoying noise from the sudden speed-up or down of the fan RPM. EZ Tuning features the friendly adjustment and advanced manual setting mode, which enabling users to control the system temperature setting for the optimal balance among silent, cool, and high performance.
When it comes to audio, GIGABYTE is always on top of the game. The top of GIGABYTE Z590 lineup utilizes a high SNR audio engine and pairs it with the WIMA FKP2 studio-grade audio capacitors to deliver studio-grade and high-fidelity audio. The GIGABYTE exclusive audio design integrates ESS SABRE DAC as well as DTS：X Ultra to deliver high fidelity audio for the most immersive sound experience whether it’s for gaming or watching movies/listening to music. The flagship Z590 AORUS XTREME motherboard introduces the ESSential USB DAC, a USB Type C interface with built-in ESS SABRE HiFi ES9280C PRO.
Moreover, GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards support technologies such as LED lighting and Q-Flash Plus which allow users to flash a BIOS file without installing a CPU, RAM, GPU, and other peripherals. GIGABYTE BIOS has been completely revamped with a new graphical interface that displays key information such as clock speeds, memory, storage devices, fan statuses/settings, and other important hardware information in a more intuitive and user friendly manner.
GIGABYTE motherboards are highly recognized for their durability and stability by overclockers. The GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS TACHYON is the much anticipated overclocking motherboard of Z590 lineup, featuring 12+1-phase digital power design with phases rated for up to 100 Amps each. The exclusive Overclocking kit of robust overclocking buttons and detection features allow overclockers to break through the limits with ease. The persistence of GIGABYTE’s R&D team makes the Z590 AORUS TACHYON the successor of SOC series for overclockers, who want to reach the highest CPU and DRAM frequencies.
GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS motherboards offer a diverse range of enticing features to be the best choice for high-end computing and gaming platform. For more information and news, please visit the GIGABYTE AORUS website: https://www.aorus.com
Courtesy of HXL on Twitter, we have our first pictures of the upcoming GIGABYTE X570 AORUS MASTER OC. This X570 based motherboard could be GIGABYTE’s answer to some recently announced competitive products like the MSI UNIFY X. The board appears to be stripped of the cosmetics like the rear I/O cover and shield, as well as featuring densely finned VRM heatsinks. The VRM itself appears to be a 12+2 setup judging solely from the photo. Only two DDR4 DIMMs are provided here, along with 2 8-pin CPU power headers. Clearly, this is a board aimed at the overclocking crowd. We’ll see what comes of this board when it is announced.
The AORUS line from Gigabyte spans a broad range of products—laptops, peripherals, and core components. Across the enthusiast spectrum, the AORUS name denotes Gigabyte’s gaming-focused products. The AORUS motherboard range features a consistent naming scheme that includes the Pro, Elite, Ultra, Master, and Extreme motherboards. Within this line up, the Master serves as the high-end mainstream option offering prime features at a high, but attainable price point.
The Gigabyte Z490I AORUS Ultra features a robust VRM utilizing 90 A power stages, along with Q-Flash for a redundant safety net for ambitious overclocking. The Gigabyte Z490I AORUS Ultra also offers a full-coverage aluminium backplate for added rigidity and additional VRM cooling. This little board should pack a punch, so let’s see how the Gigabyte Z490I AORUS Ultra stacks up against the competition.
Over at VideoCardz, they have a couple photos of the upcoming GIGABYTE Z590 AORUS XTREME. These new 500-series motherboards are expected to launch next week, so this is only the first of many looks we’ll soon be getting with these new motherboards. The board features three PCIe x16 slots, two of which are PCIe Gen 4.0 compatible. Given the 20 lanes expected on Rocket Lake-S, this means we’re looking at a likely 1 x16 / 2 x8 PCIe 4.0 bifurcation setup. The board is also sporting three M.2 slots. One would run at PCIe 4.0, the remainder PCIe 3.0. For more, head on over to take a look.
Gigabyte is set to launch its 500-series motherboards next week. The company will refresh its Aorus Xtreme motherboard by adding more power stages and faster Wi-Fi.
The Z590 Aorus Xtreme motherboard features 20+1 digital power stages, which is more than the Z490 series which features 16+1. The motherboard is equipped with advanced networking such as 1x 10Gbe and 1×2.5 Gbe Ethernet ports, Thunderbolt 4, and Wifi 6E (a new standard that operates in a 6 GHz band).
The GIGABYTE Z490 Aorus Master is a very capable board for overclocking with its solid 14-phase power delivery for the CPU. It uses premium 90 A power stages, with adequate VRM cooling, which we saw in our thermal testing. The GIGABYTE performs better in this regard than most Z490 models we’ve tested, and when it came to testing the overclocks, we saw very tight VDroop control. There are plenty of potentials to unlock with the Z490 Aorus Master, not just for the CPU but also in memory, with official support for DDR4-5000 memory.
The GIGABYTE B550 AORUS ELITE we have today is based on the AMD B550 chipset and like all others in this series of chipsets, this board features the design in terms of CPU, RAM, and PCI-Express support and reliability. It also supports AMD Ryzen 5000 Series CPUs. However, this board is a mid-level design so it may be lacking some of the features that are found in the higher-level motherboards. We were rather surprised to see the logo “(rev 1.0)” indicating they are planning a further revision of the same board.
The WRX80 chipset based motherboard rumors date all the way back to 2019 when we first heard about it. Back then, we heard that AMD was going to segment their workstation and consumer line of Threadripper chips on their own respective platforms. The TRX40 platform with 4-channel DDR4 memory was going to be used for the consumer Ryzen Threadripper 3000 lineup while the WRX80 platform with 8-channel DDR4 memory was going to support the Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3000 line of processors.
In this review, we benchmark the GeForce RTX 3080 AORUS XTREME 10G from Gigabyte; yes AORUS is back with their super-premium model loaded with cooling, an LCD screen, and among the best factory tweaks available on the market.With their aim to perform at low acoustics combined with a beautiful design card that comes with a dual BIOS, one silent mode, and one gaming (perf) mode, let’s start this review, shall we?
While AMD has done a great job of maintaining motherboard compatibility with new generation processors, none of the previous-generation AM4 motherboards featured official PCIe 4.0 support, not even from the storage and PCIe controlled by PCIe 4.0 compatible CPUs. Enter B550, the more value-oriented little brother of X570. While the B550 chipset is PCIe 3.0 only, B550 motherboards support PCIe 4.0 from the CPU to the primary PCIe slot as well as the primary M.2 slot (dependent on a PCIe 4.0 ready CPU).
