Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master ICE X3D Motherboard Review: AMD X3D Keeps On Getting Faster With AORUS’s Top-Class Design

Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master X3D ICE - Unboxing & Close Up Inspection

The Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master X3D ICE motherboard comes in a standard cardboard package. The front features the large AORUS Eagle logo in a white and silver theme. The motherboard is designed with full support for AMD's AM5 CPUs, such as the Ryzen 9000 series.

The backside of the motherboard is very simple, listing down the specifications and some unique features such as X3D Turbo Mode 2, PCIe EZ-Latch Duo, a 22 Phase VRM design, front QC-USB 65W ports, 10 GbE plus 5 GbE LAN ports, M.2 EZ-Flex slots, a BIOS with integrated drivers, WIFI7 support, and a DIY-Friendly design.

Underneath the anti-static wrapped motherboard is another container that houses the accessories. These include:

• 1 x Installation Guide
• 1 x Manual Book
• 2 x SATA Data Cables
• 1 x EZ-Latch WIFI Antenna
• 1 x DDR5 Fan Bracket (including fan)
• 1 x G-Connector
• 1 x 3-Fan header
• 1 x AORUS Case Badge
• 2 x Thermistor Cable

With all the accessories done, it's time to put that box aside and take the motherboard out of its package.

The Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master X3D ICE motherboard is an ATX offering that measures 244 x 305 mm. That's quite surprising given just how much the Master X3D packs. Being an "ICE" product, AORUS has gone with an all-white color scheme with some purple and blue hints. To be honest, this is the best that the Master has looked.

The X870E AORUS Master X3D ICE is part of the new "X3D" refresh from Gigabyte. These motherboards are designed with AMD's Ryzen 9000X3D and future 3D V-Cache CPUs in mind. Features such as a BCLK generator and a lot more AI tuning software are integrated and designed around this motherboard, so it's a feature-loaded option for enthusiasts who are building high-end AM5 PCs.

The board uses the LGA 1718 socket to support AMD Ryzen "AM5" processors. The socket works with Ryzen 7000, Ryzen 8000G, and Ryzen 9000 CPUs and will also support future generations of AM5 Ryzen chips that are supported by the platform.

Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 256 GB of dual-channel (24/48/64 GB modules) memory.

These slots are rated to support XMP/EXPO profiles up to 9000 MT/s (OC Plus). Each slot is labeled, making it easier to install DIMMs in the proper orientation. DDR5 memory comes with a different latch position, so forcing a DDR4 module into a DDR5 slot will cause permanent damage. Each slot is also combined with a reinforced design to ensure signal integrity remains good while keeping the slots durable for long-term usage. The UD Slot D5 can withstand over 5000 DRAM insertion/removal cycles. The full QVL list can be found here.

The Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master X3D ICE motherboard features an 18+2+2 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX)  phase VRM power delivery that utilizes 110A phases for the VCore and SOC, while the rest are 90A for two MISC phases.

The VRMs and power delivery solution are scattered around the AM5 socket. The motherboard itself uses a new 8-layer "Back Drill" process technology, which reduces signal reflections, improves timing accuracy & also enhances system performance. There's also a nice white-colored backplate with an AORUS Eagle mascot. This isn't just for show off, it has actual heatpads underneath it and is a large aluminum heat dissipating plate.

The overall design and aesthetics of the upgraded X3D Master are superb and reflect its enthusiast nature.

The VRMs receive ample cooling from a large aluminum heatsink solution, which covers the VRMs. The IO plate comes with a large Lightning panel, which features an RGB-lit AORUS logo. It first seemed to me that this was an LCD, but it looks like that is reserved for the AORUS Xtreme X3D, which should be launching soon.

The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8-pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 600 Watts of power. The AMD Ryzen 9000 CPUs are very power-hungry, with the maximum target power going above 220W for the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X CPU.

Coming to the cooling solution, we first have the updated Thermal Armor with Direct-Touch Heatpipe. AORUS is known to be the first one to implement finned-aluminum heatsinks with direct touch heat-pipes on its motherboards, and that continues.

For the X3D AORUS Master, Gigabyte has implemented a large 6mm heat pipe that runs through both heatsinks. Underneath the VRM heatsink are 12W/mK Thermal pads, which transfer heat from the VRMs to the heatsink. Gigabyte claims that this updated cooling design offers up to 8 °C cooler VRM temps than the prior Master model.

Expansion slots include three PCI Express x16 (1 x Gen 5.0 x16, 1x Gen 5.0 x8, 1 x Gen 4.0 x4) slots.

CPU:

• 1 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX16), integrated in the CPU:
  -AMD Ryzen 9000/7000 Series Processors support PCIe 5.0 x16 mode
  -AMD Ryzen 8000 Series-Phoenix 1 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x8 mode
  -AMD Ryzen 8000 Series-Phoenix 2 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode
  (The PCIEX8 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16 slot. When the PCIEX8 slot is populated, the PCIEX16 slot operates at up to x8 mode.
  -The PCIEX16 slot can only support a graphics card or an NVMe SSD. If only one graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.)

• 1 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX8), integrated in the CPU:
  -AMD Ryzen™ 9000/7000 Series Processors support PCIe 5.0 x8 mode
  (The PCIEX8 slot becomes unavailable when an AMD Ryzen 8000 Series-Phoenix 1/ Phoenix 2 processor is used.)

Chipset:

• 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 4.0 and running at x4 (PCIEX4)
  (The PCIEX4 slot shares bandwidth with the M2D_SB connector. The PCIEX4 slot becomes unavailable when a device is installed in the M2D_SB connector.)

The PCIe slots utilize Gigabyte's Ultra Durable design in the form of PCIe UD Slot X, which has 10x load-bearing capacity, an inner lining rubber strip, and is made out of Zinc Alloy. This prevents damage to the PCB and the GPU while retaining an effective EMI shield. The top two PCIe Gen5 slots also have two PCIe EZ-Latch mechanisms, which make removal of graphics cards and other AICs easier. There are two EZ-Latch buttons on the motherboard, which are easy to access.

The Gen5 slots are also ideally positioned to support two 4-slot graphics cards, making this board a good option for those who want to run multiple GPUs for AI-oriented tasks.

There are a total of five M.2 slots on the motherboard, two of which are rated at Gen5 while the others are rated at Gen4 specs.

The top-most Gen5 slot is featured under a dedicated M.2 Thermal Guard Ext. Heatsink. The best part about the M.2 slots is that the heatsinks and the coverplate can be easily removed using the EZ-Latch implementation. All slots also feature an EZ-Flex design, which has a pressure plate at the bottom that applies proper pressure on the M.2 storage device. This further cools the SSDs on the X3D ICE boards & you are also getting dual-sided thermal pads across all five slots. The motherboard also offers two SATA III ports for those who want to go the traditional HDD route.

2 of 9

Following is the full list of M.2 ports and their details on the Gigabyte X870E AORUS Master X3D ICE motherboard:

CPU:

• 1 x M.2 connector (M2A_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2580/2280 SSDs
• 1 x M.2 connector (M2B_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2280 SSDs

Chipset:

• 2 x M.2 connectors (M2C_SB, M2D_SB), integrated in the Chipset, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs
• 1 x M.2 connector (M2E_SB), integrated in the Chipset, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2280 PCIe 4.0 x2 SSDs

The dual X870E PCHs are housed beneath a large heatsink with a stylish acrylic accent plate that features a reflective surface and has a large AORUS Eagle logo.

The motherboard comes with several RGB accent zones, with one implemented on the IO plate, one underneath the PCH heatsink, and there are also several ARGB/RGB headers across the motherboard.

There are a lot of buttons and internal IO connectors on the motherboard. You are getting 2 USB4 Type-C ports, 1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A port, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port, 1 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port, and 6 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports on the rear IO. The internal side includes 4 USB 3.2 Gen1, 1 USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (with 65W PD & QC 4+ fast charging), and 4 USB 2.0/1.1 ports.

2 of 9

AORUS uses a 5.1 CH HD audio design with the Realtek ALC1220CODEC and an ESS ES9118 DAC. The full list of connectors on the motherboard includes:

• 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
• 2 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connectors
• 1 x PCIe power connector
• 1 x CPU fan header
• 1 x CPU fan/water cooling pump header
• 4 x system fan headers
• 1 x system fan extension cable header (can extend three system fan headers through one cable)
• 1 x system fan/water cooling pump header
• 4 x addressable RGB Gen2 LED strip headers
• 1 x RGB LED strip header
• 5 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors
• 2 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
• 1 x front panel header
• 1 x front panel audio header
• 1 x speaker header
• 1 x USB Type-C header, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support
• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 headers
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
• 1 x noise detection header
• 1 x Trusted Platform Module header (For the GC-TPM2.0 SPI V2 module only)
• 1 x HDMI port (Note)
• 1 x chassis intrusion header
• 1 x reset jumper
• 1 x Clear CMOS jumper
• 2 x temperature sensor headers

Gigabyte is using the latest WIFI 7 Module (Mediatek MT7927/RZ738) to power wireless connectivity with a 320 MHz channel bandwidth and Bluetooth 5.4. In terms of Ethernet, there are two LAN ports, a 5GbE & a 10 GbE.

The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:

• 1 x Q-Flash Plus button
• 1 x Clear CMOS button
• 1 x reset button
• 1 x power button
• 1 x HDMI port (Note)
• 2 x USB4 USB Type-C ports (DisplayPorts (Note))
• 1 x USB Type-C port, with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support
• 1 x USB Type-C port, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support
• 7 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red)
• 2 x RJ-45 ports
• 2 x antenna connectors (2T2R)
• 2 x audio jacks
• 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector

You can find additional information about our hardware review process and ethics policy here.

Follow Wccftech on Google to get more of our news coverage in your feeds.