Gigabyte Z790 AORUS PRO X Motherboard Review – $279 US With Premium White Aesthetics

CPU & VRM Temperatures

Back in August, Gigabyte unveiled its refreshed Z790 X series motherboards which offered a range of upgrades over the existing Z790 Non-X motherboards. The primary goal of these motherboards was to offer something new to users who were looking to build new PCs, especially those who were going to purchase the newly released Intel 14th Gen CPUs.

On a technical level, the Gigabyte Z790 AORUS X motherboards have a lot going on with improved heatsinks, VRMs, I/O capabilities, and just the general look and feel has seen an update alongside the implementation of the latest WIFI 7 which is a major feature on these new refreshed products. For this review, we were sent the Gigabyte Z790 AORUS PRO AX motherboard for review which we will be testing with Intel's flagship Core i9-14900K CPU.

The Intel LGA 1700 Platform

Intel's Raptor Lake-S desktop CPUs feature support on LGA 1700 socket which is also used by the Alder Lake CPUs. The Raptor Lake-S CPUs launched alongside the 700-series motherboards. You can expect all the top-notch specs from the Z790 motherboards with the best overclocking & fine-tuning capabilities.

Another interesting thing to talk about the Z790 PCH is its process node and dimensions. The Z790 PCH is based on the 14nm node and measures at 98mm2 which is slightly larger than the Z590 PCH featured on LGA 1200 socket motherboards.

Intel Desktop Platform Chipset Comparison

Chipset Name	Arrow Lake-S (ARL-S) PCH / 800 Series (Z890)	Raptor Lake-S (RPL-S) PCH / 700 Series (Z790)	Alder Lake-S (ADL-S) PCH / 600 Series (Z690)	Rocket Lake-S (RKL-S) PCH / 500 Series (Z590)	Comet Lake-S (CML-S) PCH / 400 Series (Z490)	Coffee Lake S (CFL-S) PCH / 300 Series (Z390/H370, B360, Q370, H310)	Coffee Lake S (KBL-R) PCH / Z370 Platform
Process Node	7nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	14nm	22nm
Processor	24C, 20C, 14C, 12C, TBD)	24,16C,12C,10C,6C,4C	16C,12C,10C,6C,4C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	8C, 6C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	10C, 8C, 6C, 4C, 2C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	8C, 6C, 4C, 2C (Full corporate/consumer SKU stack at launch)	8C, 6C, 4C (6 Consumer SKUs at Launch)
Memory	Up To DDR5-6400 (Native)	Up To DDR5-5600 (Native) Up To DDR4-3200 (Native)	Up To DDR5-4800 (Native) Up To DDR4-3200 (Native)	Up To DDR4-3200 (Native)	Up To DDR4-2933 (Native)	Up To DDR4-2666 (Native)	Up To DDR4-2666 (Native)
Media, Display & Audio	eDP / 4DDI (DP, HDMI) Display Capabilities	eDP / 4DDI (DP, HDMI) Display Capabilities	eDP / 4DDI (DP, HDMI) Display Capabilities	DP 1.2 & HDMI 2.0, HBR3 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) 12-bit AV1/HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP With USB Audio offload SoundWire Digital Audio Interface	DP 1.2 & HDMI 1.4 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP SoundWire Digital Audio Interface	DP 1.2 & HDMI 1.4 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP SoundWire Digital Audio Interface	DP 1.2 & HDMI 1.4 HDCP 2.2 (HDMI 2.0a w/LSPCON) HEVC & VP9 10-bit Enc/Dec, HDR, Rec.2020, DX12 Integrated Dual-Core Audio DSP
I/O & Connectivity	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ 7 BT CNVio) with Gig+ Integrated SDXC 4.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ 7 BT CNVio) with Gig+ Integrated SDXC 4.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ 7 BT CNVio) with Gig+ Integrated SDXC 4.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20G) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi6E/ BT CNVi) Integrated SDXC 3.0 Controller Thunderbolt 4.0 (Maple Ridge)	Integrated USB 3.2 Gen 2 Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi / BT CNVi) Integrated SDXC 3.0 Controller Thunderbolt 3.0 (Titan Ridge) w/ DP 1.4	Integrated USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Integrated Intel Wireless-AC (Wi-Fi / BT CNVi) Integrated SDXC 3.0 Controller Thunderbolt 3.0 (Titan Ridge) w/ DP 1.4	Integrated USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) Thunderbolt 3.0 (Alpine Ridge)
Storage	PCIe 5.0 (CPU Lanes), 8x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 5.0 (CPU Lanes), 6x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 5.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 4.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next-Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 3.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 3.0, 6x SATA 3.0	Next Gen Intel Optane memory PCIe 3.0, 6x SATA 3.0
Max PCH PCIe Lanes	Up To 24 (Gen 4)	Up To 20 (Gen 4) Up To 8 (Gen 3)	Up To 12 (Gen 4) Up To 16 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)	Up To 24 (Gen 3)
Max CPU PCIe Lanes	Up To 20 (Gen 5) Up To 4 (Gen 4)	Up To 16 (Gen 5) Up To 4 (Gen 4)	Up To 16 (Gen 5) Up To 4 (Gen 4)	Up To 20 (Gen 4)	Up To 16 (Gen 3)	Up To 16 (Gen 3)	Up To 16 (Gen 3)
Max USB Ports	Up To 5 (USB 3.2 Gen 2z2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 5 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 4 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 3 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 2x1) Up To 10 (USB 3.2 Gen 1x1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 10 (USB 3.2) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 10 (USB 3.1) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)	Up To 10 (USB 3.0) Up To 14 (USB 2.0)
Security	Intel TET Intel Boot Guard	N/A	N/A	N/A	Intel SGX 1.0	Intel SGX 1.0	Intel SGX 1.0
Power Management	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C10 & S0ix Support for Modern Standby	C8 Support
Launch	2024	2022	2021	2021	2019	2018	2017

The LGA 1700 socket is here now. The new socket adds more pins to the socket and changes the dimensions entirely. The new LGA 1700 socket offers 500 more pin connections to the CPU, allowing for more communication channels with the board itself and accommodating electrical pin configurations that are required to support 14th, 13th & 12th Gen CPUs.

So as for the socket details, Intel has gone with an asymmetrical design since the Alder Lake CPUs are no longer square-shaped. The latest desktop CPUs will come in a 37.5x45.0mm package and are supported by the 'V0' socket which we know as LGA 1700.

The socket also changes the mounting positions to a 78x78mm grid rather than a 75x75mm grid. The Z-height has also changed to 6.529mm compared to 7.31mm on the previous LGA 12**/115* sockets.

Cooler Compatibility With LGA 1700 Socket

To make their existing coolers compatible with Intel's Raptor Lake & Alder Lake CPU lineup, many cooling brands have released LGA 1700 upgrade kits which feature mounting hardware for the new socket. But the Intel Raptor Lake and the Alder Lake CPU platform aren't just featuring a brand new mounting design but the CPU dimensions themselves have changed too.

The LGA 1700 (V0) socket not only has an asymmetrical design but also comes with a lower Z-stack height. This means that proper mounting pressure is needed to make full contact with the Intel Alder Lake IHS. Certain cooler manufacturers have already been using larger cold plates for Ryzen and Threadripper CPUs to make proper contact with the IHS but these are mostly higher-end and new cooling designs. Those who are still running older AIOs with round cold plates could have trouble maintaining the required pressure distribution which could lead to inadequate cooling performance.

The Z790 AORUS PRO AX motherboard comes in the standard cardboard package. The front is themed in white which is part of the new "ICE" series. You can also note the AORUS Eagle logo on the front which looks great. The front side also lists down support for Intel's 14th generation Core processors while the motherboard is clearly labeled as a gaming product.

The backside of the package lists the specifications and special features of the motherboard such as the 18+1+2 Phase Digital VRM Solution, VRM Thermal Armor Advanced heatsinks, a DIY-Friendly design, Ultra Durable PCIe UD Slot X, and WiFi 7 + Ultra-high gain antenna.

The motherboard itself is packaged in an anti-static wrap and held in a foam package which keeps it stable during shipping.

Inside the package is another box that contains the accessories and is located right below the box holder for the board itself. It is very easy to access and Gigabyte has included separate sections to make sure that the accessories remain tidy during shipping.

Following is the full list of accessories in the package:

• Quick Installation Guide, User's Manual
• 2 x SATA Cables
• 2 x Thermistors
• 2 x Screws for M.2 Sockets
• 2 x Standoffs for M.2 Sockets
• 1 x Gigabyte G-Connector
• 1 x Antenna (WiFi)

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

Gigabyte has been nailing the looks of its latest AORUS motherboards with a more futuristic theme approach. The Z790 AORUS PRO AX is now exception, offering a superb design based on our first glance at this ATX offering.

The Gigabyte Z790 AORUS PRO AX is the creation of the "AORUS Design Lab" and features a very nice white theme with a white-colored PCB, white heatsinks and a ceramic silver look on the back side of the PCB too. There are several silver and gray accents on the front IO plates and heatsinks.

The board uses the LGA 1700 socket to support Intel Core processors. The socket is compatible with Intel's 14th, 13th & 12th Generation core family. The socket has a protective cover on top of it that points out the exclusivity with Raptor Lake 13th Gen & Alder Lake 12th Gen CPUs, refraining users from running older 11th and 10th generation CPUs as they won't fit in the socket at all and forcing them in the socket is only going to cause permanent damage to your motherboard. For its AORUS X series, you don't need to upgrade your BIOS as a prerequisite to installing a 14th-generation CPU as it already comes with the latest one out of the factory.

Next to the socket are four DDR5 DIMM slots that can support up to 192 GB of dual-channel (24/48 GB modules) memory.

These slots are rated to support XMP profiles up to 8266 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 make sure signal integrity remains good while keeping the slots durable for long-term usage.

The Z790 AORUS Master X features an 18+1+2 (VCore/ VccGT/VccAUX)  phase digital power delivery that utilizes the Renesas 229130PWM controller and Renesas ILS99390 (90A) MOSFETs for the VCore. The Vcc GT MOSFET (DRPS) uses the Renesas ILS99360 (60A) chip.

The VRMs receive ample cooling from the VRM Thermal Armor Advanced heatsinks which features an integrated thermal heatpipe to transfer heat across the two large blocks.

The CPU is supplied power through an 8+8 pin power connector configuration. This will feed the CPU with up to 300 Watts of power. The Intel 14th 13th & 12th Gen Unlocked CPUs are very power-hungry with the maximum turbo power rated at 253W for the Core i9-14900K and more if you are planning to overclock these chips.

Getting a closer look at the VRM heatsinks reveals an aluminum fin design on both heatsinks. Each heatsink has thermal pads located underneath for efficient transfer of heat. The thermal pads on the Gigabyte Z790 AORUS PRO AX motherboard are rated at 7w/mK.

According to AORUS, the heatsinks on the PRO AX feature a 4x larger surface area, a multi-cut design that enhances airflow, and an 8mm heatpipe.

Expansion slots include three PCI Express x16 (1 x Gen 5.0 x16/8 / 1x Gen 4.0 x4 / 1x Gen 3.0x4) and five M.2 slots.

Gigabyte uses the PCIe UD Slot X and Memory UD Slot D5 design which includes metal shielding on the sides of all expansion and DDR5 DIMM slots, providing extra protection and durability. It adds more load-bearing capacity to protect that can sustain the load of modern-day graphics cards and also protect the PCB of your card from scratches. The DIMM slots provide a 1.3x increase in anti-plate bending and also offer reduced signal degradation through the use of SMD technology. The PCIe slot further comes with an EZ latch click feature which lets you remove the graphics card from the PCIe slot with relative ease.

All five M.2 slots are cooled off by the thermal pad and aluminum baseplate cooling which is part of the M.2 Thermal Guard design. This will ensure stable operation for M.2 storage devices. The thermal adhesive has a plastic cover over them which needs to be removed before using them with the storage devices. The topmost heatsink has the bulkiest heatsink as part of the M.2 Thermal Guard XL and it also incorporates the M.2 Thermal Guard backplate which ensures up to 9x heat dissipation. The AORUS PRO AX M.2 slot also has an M.2 EZ-Latch Plus design for easy removal. Even the large M.2 heatsink and front cover plate can easily be removed with the M.2 EZ-Latch Click feature.

The entire front M.2 cover can be removed by simply moving the latch. There are two magnetic locks on the end facing the PCH heatsink which further lock in the cover to the motherboard. It's simple yet very DIY-Friendly.

• CPU:
• - 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 25110/2580 PCIe 5.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2C_CPU)
  - 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2A_CPU)
• Chipset:
• - 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2Q_SB)
  - 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2P_SB)
  - 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2280 SATA and PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2M_SB) (M2M_SB)
• - 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
• RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID5, and RAID 10 support for NVMe SSD storage devices
• RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID5, and RAID 10 support for SATA storage devices

The Z790 PCH is housed beneath a large heatsink with the AORUS Eagle logo etched over it, offering a reflective surface.

The PCH cover and the AORUS logo on the I/O cover have an RGB accent plate that can be adjusted through the Gigabyte RGB Fusion software and there are plenty of ARGB/RGB headers that can also be used to adjust the appearance of the LEDs within your PC.

Storage options include four SATA III ports rated to operate at 6 GB/s. These can support 4 different storage devices at once. There are also 3 USB 3.2 front panel connectors (1 x Gen 2x2 + 2 x Gen 1). 2 USB 2.0 front panel connectors are also included.

Gigabyte is using a 7.1 CH HD audio design with the latest Realtek ALC1220-VB CODEC.

AORUS has a massive amount of fan headers however, there are no diagnostic features such as a DEBUG LED or Power On/Off & Reset buttons on the motherboard. The diagnostic LEDs are there to help users out but for a premium design like this, we would have liked to see some focus here.

The full list of connectors on the motherboard is listed as follows.

• 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
• 2 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connectors
• 1 x CPU fan header
• 1 x CPU fan/water cooling pump header
• 4 x system fan headers
• 2 x system fan/water cooling pump headers
• 3 x addressable RGB Gen2 LED strip headers
• 1 x RGB LED strip header
• 5 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors
• 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
• 1 x front panel header
• 1 x front panel audio header
• 1 x USB Type-C header, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support
• 1 x USB Type-C port (DisplayPort), with USB 2.0 support (Only available with the Intel® HD Graphics Processors.)
• 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 header
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
• 1 x noise detection header
• 2 x Thunderbolt™ add-in card connectors
• 1 x Trusted Platform Module header (For the GC-TPM2.0 SPI/GC-TPM2.0 SPI 2.0/ GC-TPM2.0 SPI V2 module only)
• 1 x Q-Flash Plus button
• 1 x reset button
• 1 x reset jumper
• 2 x temperature sensor headers
• 1 x Clear CMOS jumper

AORUS is using Intel's WiFi 7 MediaTek MT7927WiFi Module to power wireless connectivity with up to 5.8 Gbps data transfer rates, up to 320 MHz bandwidth, and Bluetooth 5.3. In terms of Ethernet, there is a single 5GbE LAN port powered by a Realtek controller. Other revisions of the board come with Qualcomm QCNCM865 (v1.2) and Intel BE200 (v1.1) controllers.

The motherboard comes with the following I/O connectors:

• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• 2 x SMA antenna connectors (2T2R)
• 4 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
• 1 x DisplayPort In port
• 1 x HDMI port
• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red)
• 1 x USB Type-C® port, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support
• 1 x USB Type-C® port (DisplayPort), with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support
• 1 x RJ-45 port
• 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
• 2 x audio jacks

For testing, I used the Intel Core i9-13900K which was sent to us by Intel on a range of Z790 motherboards.

Intel Z790 Motherboards Test Platform:

Processors	Intel Core i9-13900K
Motherboard	Maxsun iCraft B760M Cross Gigabyte Z790 AORUS PRO X (F5) Biostar Z790A-Silver (Z79BCC13.BST) ASRock Z790 Phantom Gaming NOVA (2.01) Gigabyte Z790 AORUS Master X (Launch) MSI MEG Z790 ACE MAX (Launch) MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk MAX WIFI (7E25vA0) ASRock Z790 Taichi LITE (1.06) MSI MEG Z790 ACE (7D86v164) ASRock Z790 Taichi Carrara (7.04) ASRock Z790 Steel Legend (8.05) Gigabyte Z790 AERO G (F5) ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO (0904)
Power Supply	MSI MEG Ai1300P 1300W PSU
Solid State Drive	T-Force A440 Pro 2 TB (Gen4x4)
Memory	G.SKILL Trident Z5 32 GB (2 x 16GB) CL34 7200 Mbps
Video Cards	MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X
Cooling Solutions	Corsair H150i (With LGA 1700 Mounting Kit)
OS	Windows 11 64-bit

Our test rig includes the T-Force A440 Pro 2 TB Gen4x4 SSD that boots up our main OS. In addition to these, we are running an MSI GeForce RTX 4090 SUPRIM X graphics card and an MSI MEG Ai1300P 1300W PSU. For this specific review, we used G.Skill's latest Trident Z5 DDR5-7200 memory kit running at CL34 timings.

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POV-Ray

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The Intel Raptor Lake CPUs feature the brand new hybrid architecture approach composed of Raptor Cove and Gracemont cores. The chip also relies on a brand new 10nm Enhanced SuperFin process node which delivers up to 6.0 GHz clock speeds on the flagship Core i9-13900KS.

The faster clocks along with the addition of more cores should lead to more power consumption but Intel is also touting increased efficiency per watt thanks to the overall performance increases we get this generation.

In terms of packaging, Intel's Raptor Lake Desktop CPUs ship with a Solder TIM interface and higher-quality gold plating under the IHS. The thermal testing was carried out with the Corsair H150i AIO liquid cooler. We additionally used the AORUS Waterforce II 360 ICE for the AORUS motherboard tests which you can compare below:

Gigabyte's latest offering within its AORUS X lineup is the Z790 AORUS PRO X which comes with a stunning design. At first glance, the motherboard has the looks of a premium product, with its pure white PCB and white heatsink/cover aesthetics. For PC builders who want to build a white-themed PC, the Z790 AORUS PRO X is a great choice and the features it packs are also quite good. AORUS also has lots of ICE-branded components such as the Waterforce II 360 ICE, a high-end liquid cooler which is perfect for the ICE motherboards, plus you can also get a premium ICE-branded NVIDIA RTX GPU which look stunning.

In terms of performance, the motherboard has a solid 18+1+2 phase power delivery solution which had no problem running the Intel Core i9-14900K CPU at its maximum potential. The performance was on par with some of the high-end Z790 offerings and we had no trouble booting the board up with DDR5-7600 memory even the 5.7 GHz all-core OC was easily supported which is the base-line of where we expect $300 US motherboards to land.

In terms of storage options, you are getting five M.2 slots with dedicated heatsinks and AORUS's latest latching mechanism which makes installing and removing M.2 storage devices very easy. The motherboard also offers four SATA III ports. While the M.2 slots are easy to access, it should be mentioned that if you have a GPU installed, then you'd need to remove it first as the heatsink plate sits right underneath it. The CMOS battery also sits underneath the heatsink plate so things can get a little bit complicated. The WIFI module rests beneath the fourth M.2 slot.

USB support is good with a total of 17 ports available (7 front panel and 10 on the back) and a 5 GbE LAN port is also decent plus there's also the ALC1220-VB codec for audio. There are 6 fan headers, 2 pump headers, 3 ARGB headers, and one RGB header on the motherboard.

For $279.99 US, the Gigabyte AORUS PRO X motherboard is a solid LGA 1700 product for new PC builders who are getting a Core i7 or Core i9 CPU. The motherboard looks absolutely stunning and we can't wait to see similar design choices extended to the next-gen Z890 series when they launch later this year.

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