As we method the subsequent technology of Intel CPUs (which have not been formally introduced but), motherboard producers are doing their greatest to prepare. Gigabyte calls its new line of Z790 X motherboards the “quick monitor to Gen X,” promising quicker overclocking capabilities, higher connectivity, and a few welcome DIY updates.
The Taiwanese producer invited me to examine a few of its upcoming Z790 X motherboards and get hands-on time with the Z790 Aorus Grasp X, Professional X, and Elite X WiFi 7.
Extracting as a lot pace as attainable from DDR5 RAM appears to be Gigabyte’s massive mission right here. The redesigned BIOS of the Z790 X will let overclockers improve DDR5 reminiscence frequencies with the assistance of an auto-boost that may robotically set DDR5 modules to the very best profile, improve bandwidth, and shorten latency, all with one click on. The twin-channel DDR5 board will even assist as much as DDR5-8266+, which is fairly wild.
Gigabyte says its unique back-drilling know-how will cut back “sign reflections and timing points” and improve “sign integrity, enhancing system efficiency and reliability.” It is robust to see in images, however I may make out the back-drilled spots in particular person as soon as the backplate of the board is eliminated. They aren’t fairly holes however extra like little bumps. We’ll must take their phrase on the advantages of the know-how for now.
The brand new I/O design, however, does function holes. Effectively, they’re being known as “vents.” Gigabyte says it is for cooling effectivity, and this design has a temperature distinction of as much as 7 levels Celsius.
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The three boards are Wi-Fi 7 appropriate and include a redesigned antenna. Gigabyte is basically future-proofing with these boards. As an illustration, the PCIe UD slot (the place the graphics card goes) has been strengthened to carry our more and more heavy video playing cards higher and stop them from sagging.
All of the boards function some variation of an EZ-Latch, that are screwless M.2 slots that additionally accommodate heatsinks. You possibly can slot within the SSD and safe it with a latch as an alternative of a screw. I acquired an opportunity to pop an SSD on and off every of the boards, and it was a painless expertise, which made me query why extra motherboard producers do not do that.
The board that caught everybody’s eye at this occasion was the Z790 Aorus Professional X, with its beautiful white paint job on each the back and front. Aside from the alabaster coating, what makes this Professional X particular is its Sensor Panel Hyperlink, which makes putting in the board in a chassis with a built-in display a lot simpler and avoids unpleasant cables.
In case you’re searching for a extra budget-friendly motherboard to pair with an reasonably priced Intel CPU, I am fairly impressed with what the Aorus Elite X WiFi 7 has to supply. Priced below $300, it presents a compelling possibility.
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Talking of CPUs, every of the Z790 Xs I noticed is designed to assist “next-gen processors,” which, utilizing my eager powers of deduction, are almost definitely Intel’s anticipated Raptor Lake CPUs rumored to launch in October Nevertheless, in case you’re curious, the Z790s will even be appropriate with the earlier thirteenth and Twelfth-gen processors. So, even when you do not have fast plans to improve your CPU, these motherboards nonetheless present a stable basis to work with.
Naturally, Gigabyte did not delve into particular CPU efficiency particulars, as Intel hasn’t but formally unveiled its new chips. In keeping with latest leaks , the refreshed Raptor Lake is anticipated to ship multi-core efficiency positive factors starting from 8% to fifteen%. Nevertheless, till we will check these motherboards and CPUs ourselves, we’ll see if these numbers maintain true.
Concerning pricing, Gigabyte offered us with pricing info for the 5 motherboards introduced right now, beginning at $280 for the Aorus Elite X Wi-Fi 7 and going as much as $1,000 for the Aorus Excessive X. We should always anticipate extra particulars on launch dates quickly; it seems they’re aiming for a late September launch.
