Customer Ratings & Reviews

Great motherboard for the price. I got this on sale and wanted to update my system with a new DDR5 board. I used to have another brand and I was fine with it but with recent issues arising I decided to swap to Gigabyte. I I like that this has Wi-Fi-6E and it has bluetooth so I don't need to have a usb port taken up by an adapter like my old one. This has great thermal performance on the M.2 slots they all have heat syncs which is nice. The RGB is tasteful and isn't overly there and easy to control in the software. The Bios is great and works as it should with easy and advanced modes. I9-12900k 32gb DDR5 4 M.2 SSD RTX 4070ti Super Cooler Master 850w PSU Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX

Easy to use and quick to install. Offers great expandability and plays nicely with other RGB peripherals. One important note: make sure to update the BIOS right away—mine shipped with a version that was two years out of date, which can cause issues with 13th and 14th gen Intel CPUs. Once updated, everything ran flawlessly. Great value overall.

Built my rig around this board and it handles everything like a champ. Paired it with a Ryzen 7000 and RX 6600—zero bottlenecks. Games run smooth, temps stay low, and I’ve got all the USB ports and fast Wi-Fi I need. If you’re building a gaming setup, this is the foundation you want.

The motherboard is a very god for undervolt and overclock and the customers services gigabyte very fast

Had to get this in a rush as my motherboard cpu socket had broken when trying to rebuild. Ever since havent had any problems and has over enough usbs for you to plug anything you need to in

Excellent board. Highly recommend. Stable with the 7600 c36 ram which is more than fast enough for any task. I game at 4K mostly not do internet browsing.

Great board. Pairs well with 12700kf. Awesome features with good performance

My Ethernet port has failed after owning it just over a year, everything else on my wired network is fine but the Realtek adapter they have on this thing is junk and I paid a little extra for this for no reason I guess. No matter how much stuff ive tried like driver reinstalls, network resets, etc, it just doesnt work.

Parts are easy to install. Decent pricing, over all great products

The Z790 Aorus Elite AX features a robust design with a black PCB and RGB lighting accents that add a touch of flair to any build. The build quality is exceptional, with high-quality components that ensure durability and long-term reliability. The VRM heatsinks work incredibly well and are among the coolest PCB temps tested on Z790 boards. This motherboard is built on the Intel Z790 chipset, supporting the latest 12th and 13th Gen Intel Core processors out of the box, with support for 14th Gen processors through a fairly easy BIOS flash. It delivers excellent performance for both gaming and productivity tasks. The support for DDR5 RAM with speeds up to 7600 MHz (OC) ensures fast and responsive system performance. One of the standout features of the Z790 Aorus Elite AX is its comprehensive connectivity options. It includes multiple USB ports, including USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C, which provides fast data transfer speeds. The integrated Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5GbE LAN ensure fast and stable internet connectivity, essential for online gaming and streaming. The motherboard offers ample expansion slots, including a PCIe 5.0 x16 slot, allowing for future-proofing with the latest GPUs and other expansion cards. The four M.2 slots with thermal guards support PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs. Additionally, the SATA ports provide plenty of options for traditional hard drives and SSDs. The Z790 Aorus Elite AX features high-quality audio components, including the Realtek ALC1220-VB codec, which delivers immersive sound quality for gaming and multimedia. However, it is worth noting that this motherboard does not have a full audio interface with line-in capability. This omission may be noticeable for users who require that functionality for specific audio applications. Those needing a line-in interface will likely need to use an external audio device or an add-in PCI-E card. Ease of installation is another strong point of this motherboard. One particularly helpful feature is the included 'G Connector.' This small accessory simplifies the process of connecting the case buttons and lights to the motherboard, making the installation process more straightforward and less time-consuming. Additionally, the screw-free M.2 drive locking mechanism allows for quick and easy installation of M.2 drives. The pre-installed thermal pads on the single Thermal Guard III M.2 heatsink, as well as the 3-slot M.2 heatsink, ensure optimal thermal performance. Gigabyte’s BIOS interface is user-friendly and packed with features. It offers easy overclocking options for both beginners and advanced users, allowing you to fine-tune your system for maximum performance. The included software suite, such as the Gigabyte Control Center, provides additional control over RGB lighting, fan speeds, and system monitoring. The Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX is an outstanding motherboard that combines top-notch performance, excellent build quality, and a wealth of features. Whether you’re a gamer, content creator, or power user, this motherboard provides the stability, connectivity, and future-proofing needed for a high-performance PC build. It’s a fantastic choice for anyone looking to build a cutting-edge system with the latest Intel processors and DDR5 memory. Highly recommended!

I build PC’s regularly as a hobby, to stay up to date on the new technologies, but also to get more people into gaming on a PC. But I haven’t upgraded my own system beyond the GPU since 2018, which I had an AMD Gigabyte Master board in. I wanted to go with an intel for this build so I would have both AMD and Intel systems in the house for testing, even though AM5 is the better upgrade options right now. Since my last Gigabyte board did so well, I decided to pick up the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX as it had all the ports and features I needed. Pros: - Plenty of Ports and Connections. - 4x M.2 Drives with EZ-Latch. - Designed with Thermals in mind. Cons: - NVMe and SATA port connection notice buried in the Manual. Setup: In the box, Gigabyte includes only the minimum required parts with the Z790 Aorus Elite AX; Wireless antenna, 2 SATA cables, a thermal pad, and a front panel connector. The inclusion of the front panel connector is always a plus, as those little cables are a nightmare to thread on in the limited space of a case. With the built in I/O shield, which should be necessary on all boards above budget, the installation is as easy as sliding the board into the case and screwing down. I chose to install an Intel i7 14700K with 64GB (2x32GB) of DDR5 RAM and 4x 2TB NVMe with some HDD for backup. All paired with an RTX 4080 and 1000 Watt PSU, for more than enough performance and power. Having four slots for super-fast NVMe storage is a huge plus to this board, for most users this will provide an easy upgrade option in the coming years as NVMe storage drive size increases and prices drop. I chose to populate all four now as a test for the board, which helped me identify one minor issue, and to work on another project that I needed a large amount of local fast storage. There is an option to RAID the NVMe drives, but that does not make sense for the general user. The EZ-Latches make it easy to install the drives, no little screws that you drop into the case while trying to keep the drive down. The included thermal guards on the drives are great at keeping the thermals under control, even a Gen 5 NVMe would not have any issues keeping cool with the massive thermal guard included. Gigabyte thought about how the Z790 Aorus Elite AX would be used when considering the layout and ports to be included on the board, for what can be changed from the standard board placement. Plugs are spaced far enough apart from other plugs and heatsinks so you can get the cables in. There are plenty of headers, such as the 6 fan headers, so you have more than enough for most users. Finally, the IO ports on the back leave little to be missed. Gigabyte did decide to remove the ancient PS/2 port which has no place on a PC in 2024. This leaves enough space for 9 USB-A and 1 USB-C port, and other ports which will suit the needs of most users. Bios: I had no issues booting up the board the first time and getting into Bios. I switched on the XMP Profiles and adjusted power limits to ensure the Intel 14th Gen CPU doesn’t cook itself. Gigabyte provides a lot of options in bios, but most users should only enable XMP and ensure Re-sizeable Bar is on. OS Install and Update: The Windows OS install didn’t have any issues, I was able to see all the NVMe drives and select the one I wanted easily. I was pleasantly surprised by the compatibility of the hardware drivers, all of the devices on the board were detected and working with the standard windows drivers on the initial load in. I still installed Gigabyte Control Center to check and update the drivers, just be careful not to accidentally install the bloatware buried in with the updates. Say no to Norton. This board is still new enough that there isn’t an update to BIOS yet, but so far I have not had any stability or compatibility issues with anything I’ve done. I will check back in a few months just for an update, as there are ongoing known issues for the Intel 14th gen CPUs that are worth updating BIOs for. One issue I did run into was when the bottom M.2 Slot, the slot labeled M2M_SB, is populated with an NVMe drive the 2 SATA ports labeled 2 & 3 are disabled. This isn’t a major issue for my use as I only need 2 SATA ports, but I didn’t find this out until after plugging everything in and trying to setup my backup drives. This required removing the GPU, which has a support bracket with screws that need to be removed, to be able to access the SATA ports. Details on the storage configuration are buried on page 27 & 28 of the manual, as noted in fine print under the product specifications. This was only a minor annoyance at best, but it would be nice to see this listed in some details in the Product Specifications. Performance: Performance has been great, though most of that is due to the included parts, but none of that would work without the stable board. I’ve not had any issues playing games and recording, even while encoding a video the temperatures stayed within an acceptable range, below 80 on the CPU and below 55 C on the SSD’s. I usually use additional heatsinks for the NVMe drives to ensure there is no issues with thermal wear on the drive, I did that with the main drive as it was included with the drive. But for the three other NVMe drives I opted to use the thermal guard Gigabyte included on the board as it was much bigger and provided plenty of heat capacity. Plus, it looked so much better than the separate heat sinks for the drivers. Conclusion: Gigabyte has positioned the Z790 Aorus Elite AX as a solid feature packed mid-range motherboard, which covers most users’ needs while not going overboard on the bells and whistles. Even if you’re not a gamer, this board probably has more than you’d need for gaming or professional use. If you need a reliable Intel Z790 motherboard with plenty of ports and NVMe slots, while not breaking the bank, the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX is a solid option. But honestly, you should check out the AMD options first.

Pros: Excellent Build Quality- Ez- Latches are a game changer Best in Class Thermal Solution Easy DIY Design Simple BIOS Cons: Only WIFI 6E not WIFI 7 for more future proofing and speeds. (Does come with 2.5GbE LAN on board for future fast speeds) I love building my own PC rigs as it affords me the opportunity to get the quality parts to build something truly spectacular. This MOBO ( motherboard) is built solid and comes jammed packed with everything a gamer or pc builder could ask for. The dark aesthetics allow this MOBO to blend into my case with its bold dark design. For this build I used an i7-14700KF with 32GB of DDR5 Ram and 4TB PCIE Gen4 of M.2 SSD NVMe along with a 360MM AIO cooler paired with a 4070 TI Super and a 850 watt PSU. First up, taking the massive thermal guard off the first NVME slot is a very welcomed addition, as these drives can produce some heat. But I can tell you My drives are operating at 26 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees respectfully under heavy loads. So these thermals are very good. While installing the drives it was very simple as the little latches are nice and easy which all four slots come with. I am happy they created this because I really never like the tiny screw method and wondering did i get it all the way tighten or did I over tighten it. Overall this new thermal solution will help ensures VRM Power stability as I put it under heavy loads and keeps the M.2 SSD performing at optimal speeds and temps. Spacing is generally an issue when you are doing any build and trying to figure out how to make it look nice as all the headers and pins are right next to each other. or not marked well enough. Well Good News, Gigabyte has made this board truly DYI friendly. The main shrouds up top still give ample space to run CPU, pump and fan headers neatly through the cases small gaps. While building this rig, I just couldn't help but notice how heavy this MOBO was just screamed quality through out. This build quality extends to its Twin 16+1+2 Digital VRM Design with its high quality power phases that help unleash your CPU. These capacitor arrays are high quality. Also this PCB is very Durable which you notice in its thickness. Overall, This MOBO is a gamers and builders paradise. The ease of functionality that was incorporated into the design of this board is very refreshing. Additionally, the thermals on this MOBO are something I was very happy with and have enjoyed seeing from my previous MOBO. If you are truly wanting a future proof motherboard, this thing is compatible with multiple generations of CPUS allowing you to upgrade as you need especially with its PCIE5 design allows for truly next generation performance.

This motherboard (MOBO) is so nicely built and so well featured that it is clear to me that there was a passionate gamer development team behind the design of this board. Upgrading my factory Asus G16CH PC with this motherboard has increased my PC's aesthetics and utility dramatically with all of its high-end features, and it has also fully unlocked the power and potential of my Intel i7-13700F processor! The factory motherboard my desktop came with was abysmal. Not only did it lack many features that make it more relevant for modern gamers, but it also held back the full power of my Intel 13700F CPU, not allowing it to turbo up and limiting the power the chip could draw! This meant I was getting terrible performance on my games with CPU-intensive needs (like Helldivers 2) compared to my friends running the same processor. Enter this new motherboard. What Gigabyte has done with this Aorus Z70 Elite AX board is truly beautiful. For one, it was incredibly easy to build on. When I say you can tell gamers were behind the design, I mean that everything on this MOBO is reinforced and simplified for gamers who need to upgrade and expand out of the box and in the future! One of the best features are the EZ-latch M.2 SSD latches! Say goodbye to those freaking annoying tiny M.2 mounting screws that always get dropped and lost in the void of your PC cases and carpet. The latches make it super easy to plug in the M.2 and swivel into place with a gentle spring-loaded tension to hold your M.2 SSD drives securely! This MOBO has four PCIE 4.0 M.2 slots total: the primary one is up top with one of the most robust heatsinks I have ever seen on an out-of-the-box MOBO. If you want to run a toasty top-of-the-line PCIE gen 4 SSD in your PC, this mobo has you covered. There are three more PCIE 4.0 M.2 SSD slots complete with EZ-latch securement on each underneath a heat shield that I have pictured. Each slot has thermal shielding for your M.2 drives. I would have complete confidence running four M.2 SSD’s simultaneously in this build and not worrying about the GPU or other neighboring components roasting them. Speaking of thermals, according to HWmonitor, my whole system seems to be running cooler. The board is so well built, hefty, and reinforced with metal shielding that there is more capacity for heat to dissipate off of items like your RAM, SSDs, and even the chipsets themselves. Now, for the GPU mounting solution, I was very pleased to see a highly robust and reinforced PCIE slot that is labeled as “Ultra Durable PCIE Gen 5 Armor. From what I can tell slotting my 3060 GPU in, this is no mere boast. It feels ultra solid and makes me suspect that your GPU’s own mounting PCB would be the item to break before this MOBO’s PCIE slot would ever give. On that note, support your GPU, folks! They are getting too heavy these days not to use a support brace or prob! The I/O is another huge bragging point on this MOBO. It finally seems like companies are getting the notion that modern builds don’t need PS/2 port connectors for ancient mice and keyboards. Gamers today would much rather have plenty of USB-A ports, modern display connectors, and even the utility of a USB-C port on the I/O selection. This has NINE USB-A ports of various connection types! I am happy to report that this rear USB-C connector appears to be USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, able to support a theoretical 20GB/s transfer speed. I hooked up my Crucial X9 drive to it and was able to attain full 1gb read and write speeds on it! The front USB-C panel connector supports 10GB/s. For internal connectivity on the MOBO, I was very pleased to find plenty of fan headers and RGB headers to allow me to control my MSI AIO RGB cooler and RGB fans, all from the MOBO itself, with no adapters needed! This is super convenient and also highly gamer oriented. Altogether, I couldn’t be happier with my new MOBO. I am getting 20-30FPS more on games like Helldivers 2 with the new unlocked performance of my Intel 13700F CPU and I am happy to have support here for a 14th gen Intel CPU when I am ready to upgrade one day. Thank you, Gigabyte, for making such a robust and excellent MOBO! 5 out of 5 stars and I will be recommending to all of my friends!

I love building computers and was excited to get my hands on the z790 ATX motherboard from Gigabyte. I use to always go with Asus motherboards however lately their quality has went downhill so decided to venture off into Gigabyte and so glad I did. Right out of the box I could feel/tell that this motherboard was made very well. All the connectors were reinforced and the head sinks across the motherboard are secure into place. This ATX board is small than my normal eATX that I go with however that is ok as this one is packed with features. Unfortuantely mine did not come with a manual so I had to download the one off the website. I was unsure if that is the norm or just a 1 off from my order. Installation was so smooth, everything seem to have fit in place perfectly. The Intel i9 popped right in along with the RAM with barely any force. The manual says it can hold up to 192GB of RAM however I only put in 64GB. The spacing for the graphics card fit well which was one of my worries being a smaller ATX board that I was use too. The M.2 connectors were easy to install the storage sticks. With proper cable management you can really make the setup look nice as they have proper spacing for all the connectors / peripherals. I was really excited to try out the new Thunderbolt connection as I never had one before. I went with a large power supply which was probably overkill however I wanted to do a little overclocking. I also used up every fan connector placing fans everywhere within my setup. I love how there are 6 fan connectors and I took advantage of that haha. Performance was very impressive, its quiet, runs cool and the bios settings were great! Acutally there are a ton of settings that could be modified within the gigabyte control center. They have defaults based on your cooling system however I like to tweak mine a little more as I have really good air flow. The most imporant is to use really good thermal paste, for the past 20 years of my PC builds I have always used Artic Silver 5. It has withstood the test of time and all my older machines CPU's still run very low temps. Overall this is a great motherboard, you can go crazy with some of the features and recommend exploring them all RAM – G.Skill Trident 64GB 4x16GB Duals Intel i9 24 Core Samsung SSD990 Pro 2TB Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Paste GeForce RTX 4090 Graphics Card 1200e ATX Power Supply

Getting my hands on the GIGABYTE - Z790 AORUS ELITE AX and unboxing it was an exciting experience! The packaging was sleek and well-designed, with the motherboard securely nestled inside. Along with the board, I found the usual suspects: SATA cables, M.2 screws, a user manual, and a Wi-Fi antenna. The overall presentation was neat, making the unboxing process smooth and satisfying. Look and Feel The Z790 AORUS ELITE AX has a premium aesthetic. The matte black PCB, combined with stylish heatsinks and subtle RGB accents, makes it a great centerpiece for any build. The build quality feels solid, and the layout is well-thought-out, with clear labeling and accessible ports and slots. The integrated I/O shield is a nice touch, adding to the overall clean look. Installation Into PC Case I chose to buy a case from Gigabyte as well. The installation of the Z790 AORUS ELITE AX into the Gigabyte AORUS C500 GLASS case that I chose was pretty straightforward. The C500 GLASS case is spacious and well-designed for easy cable management. The motherboard fit perfectly, and the pre-installed standoffs made the mounting process a breeze. Connecting the front panel connectors, power supply, and other components was hassle-free, thanks to the clear labeling on the motherboard. Next, I installed an Intel Core i5 12th Gen i5-12500 Hexa-core processor. The LGA 1700 socket on the Z790 AORUS ELITE AX was easy to work with, and the CPU dropped into place without any issues. Securing the processor with the retention arm was straightforward, and attaching the cooler was equally simple. The motherboard's robust VRM design ensures stable power delivery to the CPU, which is crucial for maintaining performance. Gaming Tests I put the Z790 AORUS ELITE AX through its paces with some first-person shooters, including Call of Duty and Destiny 2. Using the built-in Wi-Fi 6E, I experienced smooth and lag-free online gaming sessions. The motherboard's networking capabilities are impressive, providing a reliable and fast connection. Both games ran at high settings without any hiccups, and the overall performance was stellar. BIOS Features and Overclocking Capabilities The BIOS on the Z790 AORUS ELITE AX is user-friendly and packed with features. Navigating through the settings was a breeze, thanks to the intuitive interface. Overclocking the Intel Core i5 12th Gen was straightforward, with plenty of options to tweak voltage, frequency, and other parameters. The motherboard's robust power delivery and cooling solutions helped achieve stable overclocks, enhancing overall performance. SSD and NVMe Hard Drive Issues One area where the Z790 AORUS ELITE AX fell short was when using all SSD and NVMe ports simultaneously. I encountered some issues with the system recognizing all drives, particularly when populating all M.2 slots. After some troubleshooting, it became clear that BIOS updates and proper configuration were necessary to resolve these issues. While it wasn't a deal-breaker, it's something to be aware of for users planning to max out storage options. Security Features The Z790 AORUS ELITE AX comes with a range of security features, including TPM support and secure boot. These features provide peace of mind, ensuring that the system is protected against unauthorized access and potential threats. The inclusion of these security measures is a testament to GIGABYTE's commitment to delivering a reliable and secure motherboard. Conclusion Overall, the GIGABYTE - Z790 AORUS ELITE AX is an excellent motherboard for gamers and enthusiasts. It offers a sleek design, robust performance, and a wealth of features that cater to various needs. Despite some minor issues with SSD and NVMe drive compatibility, the motherboard's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. Paired with the Gigabyte AORUS C500 GLASS case and the Intel Core i5 12th Gen i5-12500, this setup delivers a fantastic gaming experience with plenty of room for customization and expansion.

positive side first, every other component works flawlessly with Windows 10. My board is straightforward. The M.2 slots are user-friendly and screwless. The power, reset, and HD LED cables connect into a larger plug, simplifying installation. I encountered some issues with the build. There was an issue with a bug in the onboard flash program. Using the GUI buttons during the flash process resulted in an error message. I found the fix was to double-click the BIOS file name instead of using the GUI buttons. However, the system wouldn't boot after flashing, requiring a cold boot by unplugging the power cord. Another minor inconvenience is the lack of a physical manual; you need to download a PDF. Womp womp The M.2 SSD installation is incredibly smooth: flip a tiny rotary lever to remove the included heatsink, insert the SSD, push it down, flip another lever, and the SSD clicks into place. The heatsink reattaches just as easily. It's a very slick design. My only gripe is that adding M.2 SSDs after the initial installation requires removing the video card, but that's a minor inconvenience. Overall, it's a great product. During the burn-in test, I maxed out the heat and experienced zero crashes. I’m really pleased with this build and highly recommend it.

The Intel Z790 chipset is aimed at those demanding the highest performance and features for their Intel CPUs, and Gigabyte has a very fine implementation of it in their Z790 AORUS Elite AX board. This motherboard is packed with features that would satisfy just about anyone, with a plethora of connection options. The board is supports LGA 1700 CPUs, so anything from 12th to 14th gen CPUs are supported, giving a wide choice of CPUs to choose from since processors from all of these generations are still readily available. My test system was as follows: Core i9-12900KF, 2x16GB DDR5 6400, 4 M.2 PCIe SSDs, 1 SATA SSD, 2 SATA hard drives, and an RTX 3080 10GB GPU, backed with an 850W power supply, 4 120mm fans, and a 280mm AIO liquid cooler. The motherboard is a revision 1.1 (you can check on the lower left corner of the board), and the shipping BIOS was FG. Since my CPU is older, I left the BIOS as is, but very helpfully this board has the ability to upgrade the BIOS without installing the CPU, a very nice feature to have. The board is a full ATX board with an integrated I/O plate, so no fumbling around with a flimsy aluminum backplate. Rear connectivity is very generous: 4 USB 2.0, Wireless AX antenna connectors (antenna included), 2 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (red ports), HDMI and DP (if using integrated graphics), USB Type C 3.2 2x2 (so 20Gbps), and 3 USB 3.2 (blue) ports. There's 2.5Gbps ethernet, two analog audio ports, and an SPDIF out. While the 12900KF is not quite as power hungry as the i9s from the 13th and 14th generations, it is a very demanding CPU to power. I was therefore very pleased to see the beefy power and especially the heavy passive cooling around the CPU socket. Indeed, those heatsinks, along with very large ones for the M.2 slots, are the first things you notice about this board. I had no problem pushing my 12900KF to its limits, so the board ably handled keeping it electrically fed. I was also really pleased with the heatsinks for the M.2 slots. All 4 are PCIe 4.0, so no 5.0 SSD support, but 4.0 drives are still blisteringly fast. The top slot, sitting above the PCIe 5.0 x16 slot for the GPU, comes with what Gigabyte calls Thermal Guard III, and it consists of a huge heatsink and thermal pad. Below the x16 slot sits another huge, but thinner, heatsink secured by 3 screws. Underneath this you'll find 3 more M.2 slots. All four ports use EZ-Latch Plus, a thankfully screwless method of securing the SSDs without having to use those ridiculously tiny and easy to lose M.2 mounting screws. Installing 4 SSDs was a breeze using this method. The PCIe 5.0 x16 slot sits between those SSD slots, and I had no problem getting a hefty RTX 3080 around them. The slot felt strong and it uses an EZ-Latch when installing the card. Still, I use a support arm to take weight off the slot. Next to the CPU socket are 4 DDR5 DIMM slots. I use DDR5 6400 CL32 RAM that is on the Gigabyte memory QVL; the board supports overclocked RAM up to DDR5 7600, but that's dependent upon the integrated memory controller on your CPU, and I didn't feel confident that a 12th gen CPU could reliably do so. Those using 13th and 14th gen CPUs, with a later generation memory controller, I would suspect may fare better achieving higher clocked RAM. As far as board layout goes, everything felt fairly logical, and other than having to do some rerouting of wires (the system fan slots are all at the bottom of the board), I didn't have problems fitting things in or getting them plugged in. There are multiple additional USB headers, and even a header for a Thunderbolt add-in card, should you want to add that capability. The six SATA ports are more than adequate for today, especially with the presence of the 4 M.2 slots. The BIOS is full featured and contains both an "easy" mode and an advanced one; most options helpfully have an explanation as to what they are. There are an incredible number of items to configure if you wish, from memory timings to voltages to fan curves and so on. The main one most people will want is to load the XMP profile for their RAM to run at their fastest rated speed, and that setting is addressable on the easy mode display. Overall, it's a really satisfying board with regard to the features I most care about: lots of connection options (USB 3.2 and faster, especially), plenty of space for M.2 SSDs, and most importantly, a properly cooled power implementation to keep a high-end CPU fed. What's more--and this is no small thing for my middle-aged eyes--I found the board easy to work with. If you want a board for high-end gaming rig or productivity PC, especially if using unlocked K-series i7 or i9 CPUs, this very much warrants your consideration.

I’ve always been interested in building a new PC and finally took the leap with the Aorus Z790 Elite AX motherboard. It was quite the journey and I’m glad I made it. So I offer my opinions on the performance of the motherboard from the perspective of a newbie. As such, I can’t talk about the motherboard without also referencing my first time building a PC, which I think is important for those looking to make the leap too. The box is pretty. You get the motherboard expertly wrapped and protected, and then you have a few other items, such as the Wi-Fi 6E antenna (which was new to me - I assumed all Wi-Fi antennas were built in). There’s an instruction manual that on its face makes sense, it tells you which order you should install the various components (i.e. CPU, RAM, GPU, HDD). But it’s devoid of any specifics. It took me a little bit to figure out that the limited instructions was by design (to save paper) and that you needed to locate the complete manual online. Speaking to the people new to building a PC, I highly suggest you do a lot of research first including websites like PCpartpicker to help you make sure your components are compatible. I did this, and had no issues with compatibility (when I finally figured out how everything connected). Going back to the motherboard, it was expertly crafted. It’s quite the marvel to look at. When you look closely at the motherboard, you’ll notice code names/words which will help you determine which cable and which part you need to plug into. As far as the CPU is concerned, this was the most worrisome experience for me. Luckily, the new Intel chipsets (for which this motherboard was designed for) don’t have pins sticking out - so no concern of bending them. Putting the CPU in was quite intuitive, you unlock the spring loaded bar, place the CPU in the right orientation and then pull it down and lock it. But I urge you to follow the old adage of “ measure twice and cut once,” practice and double-check everything that you’re doing - and focus on the order in which you do it. After I got the CPU installed, I snapped in the RAM. This is where the lack of experience started to creep in. The CPU, while delicate, was intuitive. The RAM is too, but there’s four slots and I was using a dual setup so I wasn’t sure which slots to place my two RAM sticks into. But, with enough Google searching, I found the answer - it was in the manual. But once I figured which which spots to place the RAM, I had no issues getting them installed. I’ll note that this motherboard takes DDR5 RAM with speeds upwards of 6000 Mhz. I didn’t go all out on my RAM, but after doing research I figured I didn’t need to, but the upside is that I have the option to install even faster RAM in the future - assuming I ever needed to. From there, I installed my M.2 sticks. I was absolutely blown away by the number of slots this motherboard has - 4. Even better, there’s a heatsink plate over three of those slots with the 4th having its own heat sink. These are all easy to access, the big heatsink over 3 of the slots has three phillips head screws. Once that’s taken off, you can easily snap in the M.2 and there’s a smart little plastic top with a spring that twists and then locks into place (so less screws). I very much appreciate the built in heat sink, but it does mean any extra M.2s you might have with heatsinks already installed (which I have because of my PS5) won’t work as there’s not enough headspace above the heatsinks attached to the motherboard. One caveat, and maybe the only downside is that there are no PCI Express 5.0 M.2 socket, all of them are 4.0. Once those major parts are installed, which was pretty easy, the next step is connecting it to your case. I had no issues attaching it to the side of my NZXT case. From there it was installing the coolers (I was using a liquid cooler with radiator). For me, I had to install a bracket on the backside of the motherboard, and then the cooler (also NZXT brand) had preapplied thermal paste. So all I had to do was peel off the protective screen, push it onto the CPU and then tighten the four screws (which were supposed to be done in a certain order). But I had zero issues - and ever since completing my build, my CPU has been plenty cool. Once I had the GPU installed, it was time to connect the auxiliary buttons on my case, power and SATA cables. I had a heck of a time trying to figure out which cable goes where. You have to remember, with different brand parts, they say (somewhat) different things. And some cables, like the cables to connect the fans and radiators aren’t really fool proof as they can technically fit in many spots. Going back to measuring twice and cutting once, if you review the manual in detail - the one online - you’ll figure out which component should go where in the motherboard. The only big question I had with this motherboard - again, because this was my first go around - was figuring out how to plug the motherboard power cables into my power supply. The manual told me where the power ports were, but as a first timer, it was guessing which cables from power unit went where. Luckily, given the configurations of the cables, there was only one right answer. Once everything was plugged in and in place, I connected my monitor to the GPU and fired up my computer. I let out a sigh of relief when it turned on and I was taken to the BIOS screen. The BIOS screen was pretty intuitive, at least in terms of navigating around. There was a basic function and advanced. I didn’t know what a lot of the settings were, but going back to doing your research, I had an idea of what I wanted to do - namely overclocking the RAM to get the highest speeds. Once I knew what to look for, I easily found it in the BIOS menu. There were options to look at fan speed, temperatures, etc., which were easy to understand - so long as you knew what ranges of temps and speeds of fan were in the “normal” or acceptable range. For the most part, however, I accepted the settings as they were knowing that I could always come back and adjust them once I got my feet more wet and knew what I was doing. The next part of the installation was getting Windows on my machine. The motherboard instructions don’t really speak to that - and I’m not suggesting they should. But I put a loadable version of Windows on a thumb drive and plugged it in. Once it was plugged in, I was taken to the Windows installation screen and finished that. After I was all setup on Windows, I plugged in all my peripherals to the back of the computer. I love how many ports the motherboard has, ample USB ports most of which are version 3.2 and higher. There’s also a USB-C, and audio selections. Oh, and the antenna I mentioned previously for Wi-Fi. I love how the antenna was magnetized which stays firm on my case. I was easily able to update all of the pertinent drivers with Gigabyte’s control center. There, you can monitor and control your computer’s performance. Like the BIOS, I personally found it easy to navigate and understand - as a newbie. I’ve had zero issues thus far, I’ve been more than impressed with the upgrade from a 6 year old pre-built computer. Even if I ran into any issues, it would be hard for me to say whether it was the motherboard or some other component that I put in or connected inappropriately. And it boots up in an instant. All-in-all, you have to either have knowledge or be willing to do some research and learn on the go to build your own computer. But the process is entirely worth it. This motherboard is relatively easy to use and understand, it’s extremely well built and is made for speed and power. I do want to add that it says it’s built for 13th gen Intel processors, but I used a 14th gen i7 and it worked out of the box - I was thinking I might need to “install” something (driver, I’m not sure) but I was pleased to see it worked out of the box. That’s not to say other motherboards aren’t well built or impressive in and of themselves, I can say that the AORUS Z790 Elite AX is a great choice. There’s plenty of connections to put out power to coolers and fans, it looks great, and I love the Wi-Fi 6E, the Wi-Fi speeds paired with my fiber internet has given me blistering speeds.

The first thing that caught my eye was this is a clean, good-looking motherboard (MB) with a lot of features for the price. Construction of the board looks to be high quality. The PCB (the board that the components are put on) is on the thicker side and doesn't bend noticeably (like some other motherboards I’ve used recently in this price range). Some of the standout features include some heavy duty heat sinks for the MOSFET that help keep the VRM cool. The highest temp I saw while running benchmarks was 36 deg F using an Intel Core i7-12700KF processor. There is also a large heat sink over the primary M.2 SSD. The highest temp I saw on that was in the upper 30’s. There are 3 additional M.2 slots cleanly organized under a nice central cover. The SSD slots have a very convenient thumb latch for retaining the M.2 cards. This is much better than dealing with a tiny screw. The screws that hold SSD covers in place are captive so there is no chance of losing them. There are only 3 expansion slots. These days that’s enough for most people but if you think you might need more, look for something else. When I was assembling my PC, I noticed a few things. First, the back fan on my 2-fan tower cooler hit the rear heat sink. I had to install the fan so that it sits above the top face of the cooler fins. It looks a little odd at first. I prefer these fans to sit flush or even slightly below this face because it looks cleaner to me. This cooler isn’t huge, it’s mid-sized at best. If you are planning on using a tower cooler, make sure it isn’t too large or it might not fit. Second, the main power cable slot and CPU slots are well made. These cables went in easier and are easier to remove when compared any other motherboard I’ve used in the past few years. Other features I really like: (1) It has an integrated IO shield. This makes installing the motherboard so much easier (2) It has a BIOS update USB port so the BIOS/UEFI can be updated without a functional CPU or memory. I’ve used this feature several times in the past. (3) The top PCIe slot has a small extension on the release clip that makes it much easier to remove a graphics card. As a hobbyist who is constantly swapping parts, I wish all motherboards had this feature. After I assembled the PC, it booted right up. Well… after it rebooted 3 times for memory training. The PC went directly to the UEFI BIOS. Here I noticed the memory was not running at the proper speed and timings. This is where I started having problems. This MB, like most, has XMP disabled by default. My memory was detected as 5600mhz. I purchased 6000mhz. I tried changing XMP to one of the profiles in the BIOS. Unfortunately, these settings don’t tell you the settings you are changing to. You are running blind. After the next reboot, the PC locked up. I cleared the CMOS and it booted again. I was able to load the default settings. I tried a different profile and the same thing happened. This time however, I continuously had boot issues even after clearing the CMOS. Eventually, I updated the BIOS to the latest version and that seems to have fixed the boot issue. The BIOS update utility was easy enough to find and use. The update went well despite the PC locking up during the initial restart. Windows 11 installed very quickly. However, a big issue I had with this package is there is no driver disk or memory stick included in the box. You need to go to the Gigabyte Website and download the proper WiFi driver if you don’t have a wired network connection. There were two different drivers and I could not figure out which one was on my MB. I downloaded both. Turns out it’s the Intel WiFi/BT chipset on this MB. I’m lucky that I have other computers to do this but others might not be so lucky. I think all MB’s should have basic drivers included in the box on a thumb drive to help get users going quickly. The WiFi connection was solid and quick once set up. Once I got WiFi working, I did my updates and downloaded the Gigabyte Utilities. Gigabyte Control Center has a clean interface. There isn’t a lot you can do compared to what some other manufacturers provide. However, what it does provide, update information and RGB control, is very easy to use. Of course, they push Norton A/V in the update section but at least you can chose not to install it. I tried some mild overclocking using the included Intel XTU (extreme tuning utility). It seemed to work fine after it was applied. I did a little stress testing. The VRM temps didn’t get above 40 degrees C. CPU temps hit 90 degrees C max with my cheap tower cooler. That’s well below throttling temps. My biggest beef is how XMP is implemented. It’s not as intuitive as it is in other MBs I’ve used recently. In those MB’s, you basically select XMP and then select the proper profile from a list that shows you the speed of the ram and the timings. The exact timings are always displayed. This MB didn’t show the timings in the profiles. It just shows you several profile names and asks you to select one. There is another setting that lets you select timings from a list but none of them matched my memory. I’ve never had this issue before. I need to dig deeper into the manuals to see if I am missing something or to find the proper way to change these settings. There are a bunch more features that I haven’t discussed. There are way too many for a review like this. All-in-all, this is a good motherboard that gave me a few minor issues. Because of these issues, I’m deducting a star but I would recommend it to a friend.

I was excited to upgrade my motherboard. It was more than fine but the added storage, VRMs, and faster RAM was hard to pass on. I was familiar with the Gigabyte Aorus Z790 Elite family. It was the first time I had ever replaced a desktop motherboard. I was very pleased with the results. Unboxing the Aorus Elite AX, this thing feels like a tank. It felt solid and sturdy. Nothing cheap or flimsy. The first thing I noticed was the heat shields over all 4 SSD slots. This is an upgrade because there are thermal pads to help with heat management also. The motherboard was beautiful. It definitely felt premium to the touch. I was able to get everything hooked back up with no problems. I took my time which took almost 6 hours. I wanted to make sure I did it Right. I only have two SSDs at the moment. If you want to expand to more, I will have to remove the GPU. The Bios was interesting because you get more selection then on my previous prebuilt motherboard bios. All I did was turn on XMP for my RAM. Eventually, I had to adjust my Fan speeds because they were blasting loud. I mean loud which was almost unbearable. Now, I get the full advantage of my I7-14700KF! I mainly will use this for content creation. With the fast RAM speeds and the 4 SSD slots. It is a dream for anyone who wants to video edit. The reason for this I edit large files in 4k. The extra SSD storage slots allow for storage when I pre render files in Resolve Studio. I can now have one 4 TB SSD for cache only. The price isn't that bad either. You also get thunderbolt expansion if you want that. I did encounter one problem which is why I gave the review 4 stars. The main PCI slot latch broke when I removed my GPU for the first time. It still removes but this is supposed to be an extended latch. Yet, I question if it's durable. I didn't put that much pressure on it. Also, I wish there was another fan header by the RAM or CPU. They are all on the bottom. So, I had to run my fan cords in a weird funky way. Overall, this isn't a bad package. It's not budget but also so expensive you can't justify it. You also get RGB light and fan adjustment in the Gigabyte Control Center app. Plenty of USB ports, SSD capacity, and upgradability for RAM