Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master X Review
Conclusion
Video
Conclusion
The Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master X is very much at the high end of the Gigabyte range. We feel it’s important to mention that at the beginning. Aorus is their equivalent to the MSI MEG or ASUS ROG Maximus range.
Why are we bringing that up? Well, times are hard for everyone. If the modern trend for the CPU and chipset to control everything brings a benefit, it’s the consistency of performance. It’s very consumer friendly. You’re not limited in which motherboard you buy to simply extract the maximum performance. However, if there is a negative side to that, it’s for the manufacturers. It’s hard to justify high-end motherboards on performance terms. This is true of all the Z790s we’ve reviewed so far. What you have to do is, barring an aberration, almost count performance as read. A given. Instead focus upon aesthetics and features. Those are where the various motherboards differentiate themselves.
In the case of the Aorus Master X we love the aesthetics. When Gigabyte first added RGB they went a little overboard. The Master X, in comparison just has the Aorus logo on the VRM heatsink. Like we saw on their Pro X it glows wonderfully, with accurate colours and smooth gradients. The chipset and VRM heatsinks also have a harmonious look to them. We’d prefer the twisted lines to meet in the middle, but we’re nit-picking. As you can see at the top of these pages we adore the Aorus mark on the Gen 5 M.2 heatsink. It’s super subtle. Once a GPU is installed you’ll never see it. But you know it’s there. Speaking of heatsinks the VRM stack is massive. That U-shaped heatpipe has all the girth you need. Plus that Nanocarbon coating is muted, and yet texturally satisfying.
The bracing on all the slots is another tick in the quality box. It, alongside the thick PCB, speaks of the build quality of the Aorus Master X. It’s not a show pony though. There are fan headers everywhere you look. As you’ll know by now the 14th Gen Core i9 is a toasty boy, so cooling is a must. The Master X has it in spades. Similarly the 20 Gb/s USB ports front and rear give you massive transfer speeds. With 19 Type-A USB total, and four USB Type-C, as well as a Thunderbolt port, you’ll not be left scrambling for a spare hole. Networking is similarly beefy, with the new Intel WiFi 7 sitting alongside a 10 GbE LAN port. Whatever you want to do, and however much you need to do it with, the Master X has you covered. High bandwidth out the wazoo, so to speak.
Where the Master X falls down a little in our estimation is the aforementioned performance. As you can see, all of the Z790s are close, but there is a certain amount of consistency within that closeness. Thus results which are disappointing have a more pronounced effect. Whilst it was never shockingly bad, for a motherboard the price of this, the performance is merely fine. If the MSI Ace Max is consistently at the top, the Master X is consistently not. The Aorus Pro X is just consistently better, and more affordable. If you weren’t brand loyal, or colour loyal, for the price you’d have to demand such a feature set to justify the Master X. Because in any sane world you’d get one of the others we’ve reviewed. The Aorus Pro X proved Gigabyte can do good BIOS. The Master X shows there are still holes in their armoury.
The feature set is excellent, the looks are very nice, the performance is – particularly at this price point – lackluster.
Discuss the Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master X in our OC3D Forums.
