GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review

The most in-depth review of the newly released GIGABYTE X670E AORUS Master featuring unboxing, specs, features, design, and more.

Should You Get GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER?

The GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER has more than what meets the eye. In its brilliance, this motherboard packs the features that one would need to drive their high-end needs in computing. We are impressed with every bit of it. It not only has top-notch performance but quite some style as well. GIGABYTE has covered all the major corners and left no stone unturned. If you are aiming for a high-end PC setup using the new Ryzen 7 series CPUs then this motherboard or its bigger brethren AORUS XTREME has got you covered.

Pros

Cons

Finally, the time has come when AMD releases the next generation (Zen 4) platform for PC gamers, enthusiasts, and content creators alike. The new platform is using a new socket named AM5. AMD has switched to LGA design meaning the contact pins are now in the socket so expect the high price tag. AMD has announced 4x new chipsets to work in tandem with the new socket. These are:

The X670E is the highest-end offering from the manufacturer. The main difference between the X670E (E as in Extended) and the X670 is that the AMD will provide support of PCIe 5.0 for the graphics card and NVMe SSD in the X670E motherboards whereas this support will be limited to either PCIe x16 slot or M.2 slot on the X670 motherboards.

This is as per the statement mentioned on the AMD website. The B650E and B650 are budget-friendly offers that would still cater to the majority of the user requirements anyway, you can also check our take on GIGABYTE B650 AORUS ELITE AX motherboard Review.

AMD has implemented a multi-chip style for the X670E and X670 chipsets more like their chiplet design on the CPUs. This design has helped AMD to reduce the overall cost of making a single die for both chipsets (X670E and X670) and this would also provide I/O expansion at a higher speed.

The PROM21 is the name of the main or base chipset on the X670E and X670 which is connected to the second PROM chipset in daisy-chain style which has multiple positive effects including doubling the bandwidth, more USB ports, and doubling the PCIe 3.0 ports and SATA 6Gbps ports, etc.

Another great outcome is the passive cooling as compared to the active cooling on the X570. Since each chipset roughly draws 7W, so two chipsets spread at some physical distance would consume up to 15W. The spacing allows passive cooling in an efficient manner.

Cutting it short, we are seeing some drastic design changes in the new generation from AMD. The AIB partners of the AMD will release a plethora of motherboards in various configurations shortly. GIGABYTE has sent us the X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard for review.

This is the second-highest offer at present from GIGABYTE following the AORUS Extreme motherboard.

Let's start with the salient features of the motherboard:

The above picture shows the block diagram of the X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard. We can see that the CPU is providing native support for 1x PCIe x16 slot and 2x NVMe x4 ports on a single Gen 5 bus. This would mean, there is no Gen 5 support for the remaining two NVMe ports that are connected to the chipsets.

The DDR5 support of up to 5200MHz is mentioned. This is with the help of a BIOS update. Since the new 7000 series CPUs will have iGPU, there is an HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort 1.4 connectivity options from the CPU.

5x USB connectivity options are coming directly from the CPU with 1 USB Type-C 3.2 Gen port providing DisplayPort 1.4 in Alt mode.

The base chipset is connected to the CPU socket using PCIe x4 bridging. It is downward connected to the second PROM21 chipset using another PCIe x4 bus. The base chipset provides 11x USB port connectivity as well as NVMe x4 on the Gen 4 bus and 4x SATA 6Gbps ports.

The second PROM21 is providing two PCIe slots; one on the Gen 4 bus which is rated at x4 speed only and the second on the Gen 3 bus which is rated for x2 speed only. Clearly, the user should consider installing the graphics card on the first PCIe slot which is slotted to the CPU. This chipset also provides 5x USB ports. The Wi-Fi module and 2.5GbE Lan port are on the Gen 3 bus along with 2x SATA ports.

The motherboard is shipped inside a colorful box. The motherboard is PCIe 5.0 ready for the graphics card and NVMe only. The prominent mention is the AM5 socket and X670E chipset.

The backside of the box has the following 4 features highlighted:

Take a glimpse of the motherboard with the box wide open.

These include:

There is no user manual provided in the box.

The X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard is the second most high-end offer from GIGABYTE. The motherboard has E-ATX size and is feature rich. GIGABYTE has retained the stenciling and design elements from the previous generation however, at the same time, they have gone to another level in the design department of the motherboard to deliver a solid product for the enthusiasts. Let's start exploring the motherboard.

Taking a glance at the motherboard, we have a black color PCB with gray stenciling. The heatsinks have a gray color tone though the picture is showing them to be silverish. The I/O cover has A-RGB elements and the chipset cover also feature the A-RGB element. So, the RGB Fusion 2.0 is in play for the user on this motherboard. One key note from a quick look is the beefy cooling solution on the VRMs and the Gen5 M.2 port. The rest of the three M.2 ports are covered. The complete chipset area is also covered. This gives the motherboard a clean and elegant look.

We have a new AM5 socket, 4x DIMM slots for DDR5 RAM, 3x PCIe slots at X16/X4/X2, 6x SATA ports, Thunderbolt ports, a plethora of USB ports, an on-board audio solution driven by Realtek ALC1220-VB, Intel 2.5 GbE NIC, on-board WiFi 6E and nice handy I/O connectivity options. The 8-layered and 2x Copper PCB has an E-ATX form factor measuring 30.5cmX26.9cm and has support for Microsoft Windows 10 and 11.

The above picture shows the overview of the motherboard.

Let's dive in.

The X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard features a new socket from AMD named AM5. It is named as LGA 1718 as AMD has resorted to Land Grid Array (LGA). The previous generation of Ryzen series CPUs is not compatible with this socket. This is a flip-chip design supporting new 7000 series CPUs and DDR5 memory modules. There is a protective cover over the socket area.

The above picture shows the socket after removing the protective cover. The socket looks segmented into two. Take note of the brackets on the top and at the bottom of the socket. They are the same design as we have seen on the previous generation AM4 sockets.

Since the socket size is the same, any cooler compatible with the socket AM4 can be installed on the AM5 as well. AMD in this way has provided a good solution for the customer as they would not need to upgrade or change the cooling solution for the new socket.

The above picture shows the layout of the pins on the socket.

The above picture shows the stock backplate. It is similar to the one we have seen on the previous generation AM4 series motherboards.

The motherboard has support for Integrated Graphics Processor as follow:

Support is for DisplayPort 1.4 with HDR and HDMI 2.0 version and HDCP 2.3.

The PS8209A is a low-power HDMI shifter and redriver which is compliant with HDMI 2.0 specifications up to 6.0Gbps.

From a cooling perspective, GIGABYTE has implemented an effective solution. The I/O cover has A-RGB backlit top with AROUS branding. There is a massive heatsink underneath the I/O cover. Both heatsinks are connected using an 8mm thick copper heat pipe. 8mm Mega-Heatpipe has a 30% wider diameter than the traditional 6mm heatpipe and is able to transfer more heat in the same time period. These heatsinks have a Nano-carbon coating which according to GIGABYTE, enhances the heat transfer.

The nanocarbon particles are coated onto the heatsink through electrostatic adhesion. The coating material covers the entire finned heatsink with 200μm in thickness. In that way, heat is dissipated more quickly.

The above picture shows the beefy heatsink over the VRM and MOSFET. GIGABYTE has given due consideration to this department.

The above picture shows the I/O cover from a different angle. The elegant design speaks for itself.

GIGABYTE is using what they call Fins-Array III technology. We have irregular fins with extended surfaces in a louvered-stack design. A single fin surface has an area of 1678m² giving the new heatsinks more surface area compared to the previous generation of the cooling solution. The heatsink has a nano-carbon coating. This improves thermal efficiency with better airflow and heat exchange. The thermal pads are rated for up to 12W/mK.

Since we are at it, let's take a look at the power delivery of the motherboard.

The X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard has beefy digital power phases. There are 16 phases in parallel (not direct) for the VCore using Renesas RAA2201054 SPS 105A making it 1680A. Then there are 2x MOSFETs for SOC using Renesas ISL99390 SPS 90A with a total of 180A for SOC for stable power delivery to the iGPU. Lastly, we have 2x MOSFETS for MISC using Renesas ISL99390 SPS 90A making it a total of 180A for stable power delivery to the PCIe lanes.

In terms of power delivery, this motherboard seems quite beefy though twin digital 16 phases sound like a doubler design to me. In comparison, the X670E AORUS Extreme has 20 direct phases with a better VRM PWM controller.

The above picture shows the VCore MOSFETs Renesas RAA2201054.

GIGABYTE has employed Renesas VRM controller RAA229620 for integrated control of all three types of MOSFETs.

The last piece of the puzzle for the CPU socket is the EPS connector. GIGABYTE has provided 2x 8-pin EPS connectors to ensure the buttery smooth power supply. These would help in the extreme overclocking and for a better power supply for the high-end CPUs.

The X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard has 4x DDR5-based DIMM slots which are SMD stainless-steel reinforced. There is anti-plate bending support of up to 130% and these slots support plug/unplug time 5000 times. The DDR5 up to 5200MHz is supported (with BIOS update). By default, the board supports 4400 and 4800MHz. A total of up to 128GB RAM capacity is supported with a single stick density of 32GB. This is Dual Channel architecture and supports un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx16 memory modules.

This board supports AMD EXPO and Intel XMP profiles. EXPO stands for the Extended Profiles for Overclocking. GIGABYTE AM5 MB supports both AMD EXPO and Intel XMP overclocking memory modules for maximal compatibility. MB will automatically detect both profiles format in SPD, users can choose to enable one of the profiles from the BIOS menu and easily reach overclocked memory performance.

The lockers on the DIMM slots are made of plastic material. Both ends of the slots are locked/unlocked. This board supports DDR5 Auto Booster to 5000MHz. This is a one-click operation that can be done in the UEFI/BIOS. The users can define and create their own SPD profile into Native, EXPO, and XMP 3.0 memory modules.

One user-defined profile can be saved and loaded either locally or from/to an external storage device. This way the saved profile can be loaded on the other system and have that system configured in no time.

The board also supports quick memory performance simulation based on user input clock and timing parameters.

By now, we know that some DDR5 modules come with locked PMIC (1.1V) whereas some high-end and high-performance kits come with unlocked PMIC. This is not necessarily a bad thing. The locked PMIC would hurt the overclocking of the kit only. One solution is to bypass the locking mechanism from the UEFI/BIOS and this is exactly what the X670E AORUS MASTER provides.

The user can take the advantage of the function and unlock the natively locked PMIC into a programmable one and push the kits beyond boundaries with a wide range of overclocking possibilities.

Another key feature is the PCB layering and how GIGABYTE has separated the DDR5 circuitry. All memory running is on the inner side or layer of the PCB or in other words, sandwiched between the layers of the PCB. This level of shielding coupled with daisy-chaining routing help in reducing the noise or external interference and ensure stable memory operations even under high overclocking.

One of the salient features of AMD's new platform is the support for upcoming Gen 5 base M.2 NVMe SSDs and we are seeing some jaw-dropping read/write speeds on those drives. The X670E chipset provides support of Gen 5 for the PCIe slot and M.2 port, unlike the X670 chipset. The X670E AOURS MASTER is providing the same support but taking the game to the next level by giving two M.2 ports on the Gen 5 bus along with a fully slotted x16 PCIe slot.

This motherboard has a total of 4x M.2 ports. Two of these ports are wired directly to the CPU socket whereas the two are wired to the second PROM21 chipset. We have got some stylish M.2 covers for these ports.

The topmost slot has a layered heatsink with a thermal pad underneath for efficient heat transfer. GEN5 M.2 SSD is written on the cover. This cover is separated from the other covers. It can be taken off by unscrewing the 2x Philips screws.

The above picture shows the cover removed from the motherboard. Look at the layered design of the aluminum-made heatsink. M.2 Thermal Guard III is constructed with a 9X optimized heat dissipation surface to prevent throttling and bottleneck that high-speed/ large capacity of PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSDs may cause, especially under a heavy workload. The special design of heatsink grooves in the direction of the CPU further enhances the in-chassis air flow and optimizes the heat convection efficiency.

GIGABYTE has taken the game to the next level by incorporating dual-sided thermal pads for dual-sided populated M.2 SSDs.

The above picture shows the large NVMe cover removed from the motherboard. Take note of 3x thermal pads on the inner side of the cover. This cover is secured using 4x Philips screws.

The above picture shows the 4x M.2 ports. The top two slots are stainless-steel reinforced and they are wired to the CPU socket. They are labeled as M2A_CPU and M2B_CPU. The top port supports the new 25110/2280 form factor whereas the other 3 ports support the 22110/2280 form factors. The lower two ports are labeled as M2C_SB and M2D_SB. These all are Socket 3 M-Type ports. The chipset-connected ports are PCIe 4.0 with x4/x2 speed.

Another key feature is the M.2 EZ-Latch Plus mechanism. We no longer need small-size screws to secure the SSDs on the ports. One can simply rotate the latches to lock or unlock the SSD.

Now, let's turn our attention to the PCIe slots on this motherboard. This motherboard has 3x PCIe slots.

The topmost PCIe slot is wired to the CPU socket and is a fully functional PCIe Gen 5 slot with a theoretical bandwidth of 128GB/s. This slot is SMD stainless-steel reinforced. This Ultra-Durable SMD PCIe 5.0 Armor Stainless-steel PCI-e Shielding becomes 20% wider providing reinforced tensile strength. As we have seen on the previous GIGABYTE motherboards, this motherboard is using double locking bracket for the topmost slot.

The second PCIe slot PCIe 4.0 rated at x4 speed and the last slot is PCIe 3.0 rated at x2 speed which could be a let-down for the users. This motherboard supports AMD Cross-fire on PCIe x16 and PCIe x4 slots. The very reason that the last PCIe slot is rated for X2 speed is that the single PCIe 3.0 bus is shared with this port, 2x SATA ports, and Intel LAN and Wi-Fi connectivity. Also, it is pertinent to mention that there is a switch managing the last PCIe slot with the two SATA ports (4 and 5). At one time either of them will be active or enabled. This is kinda too restricted on this high-end motherboard.

GIGABYTE has implemented what they called PCIe EZ-Latch Plus. There is a button above the chipset cover. Pressing it will release the graphics card from the first PCIe (Gen 5) slot. This is a convenient mechanism to release the graphics card. There is a tight space to access the locker on the slot itself. Plus this would also help in preventing the accidental breaking of the slot locker.

Now, it is time to take a look at the X670 chipset area.

There is a large size solid aluminum cover over the Chipsets area with stylish AORUS branding and gray and black colors combination. This cover syncs with the NVMe covers in the overall layout for some elegant outlook on the motherboard. There are 4x screws on the backside of the PCB. Removing them will release the cover.

The above picture shows the underside of the chipset cover. In case you are wondering, what are those 3 mounting holes? These are there for the backplate screws. We will come to that later.

We have mentioned in the introduction that AMD has opted for two chipsets in daisy-chain connection. We can see the two chipsets here. The CMOS battery is also located in this area which would mean the CMOS battery is covered as well. This is not a convenient design at all. In order to access this battery, we will need to remove the graphics card first as it sits over the chipset main cover and then access the backside 4 screws for which the backplate would need to be removed as well. And to all this, you would need to remove the motherboard from the PC Case.

Anyhow, the use of two chipsets with each taking 7W power enabled the GIGABYTE and AMD to go for the passive cooling over the chipset. If you remember, we have active cooling on the X570 chipset. So, this is a good comeback from team red.

The above picture shows the Asmedia ASM1480 controller chip. ASM1480 is a 16 to 8-channel multiplexer / de-multiplexer Switch with Hi-Z outputs. This device is a bi-directional multiplexes differential signal to one of two corresponding outputs. This design is suitable for current high-speed applications up to PCI-Express Rev.3.0.

The power delivery to the chipset is being managed by 4C10N, single, N-channel MOSFET, and PDC3908X N-channel MOSFET. These are 30V MOSFETs which I think are rated for 46 A.

The above picture shows the lower section of the motherboard with all covers removed.

This motherboard is using RealTek ALC1220-VB codec to drive the audio solution. This is an ok solution that could have been better but you may eye the X670E AORUS EXTREME motherboard.

The above picture shows the well-shielded Audio circuitry. We have high-end WIMA and Fine-Gold capacitors to drive the power of the circuit. This ensures a studio-quality experience. This is a Hi-Res Audio certified solution, meaning that the product is capable of reproducing frequencies up to 40kHz or above which ensures users with the best audio quality at all times.

The above picture shows the ALC1220-VB controller from Realtek. The onboard sound solution is capable of delivering the DTS:X Ultrasound experience for which a supported version of Windows 10 or Windows 11 would be needed. The user can leverage the 3D audio experience with some fine-tune calibration and post-processing enhancements.

Please note that the back panel line out port supports DSD audio. Though we have two ports on the back panel, the user can use the audio software to configure the 7.1-channel output. There is also support for 2/4 and 5.1 channel output.

We have two main areas here:

GIGABYTE has provided a single 2.5GbE LAN chip using Intel S1373L. I was expecting 10GbE connectivity but that is provided in the X670E AORUS EXTREME. There is a single RJ-45 port on the back panel for the wired network connectivity. Still, 2.5GbE provide roughly double the speed of that 1GbE connectivity. good online gaming experience. The Ethernet port supports 10/100/1000/2500Mbps.

The Intel Wi-Fi module is implemented on the mSATA NGGF port on the rear I/O panel. The main driving force is the Intel AX210 chip capable of Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. The latest Wireless solution 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E with a new dedicated 6GHz band enables gigabit wireless performance provides smooth video streaming, a better gaming experience, lesser dropped connections, and speeds up to 2.4Gbps. The motherboard features Bluetooth 5.3 protocol.

Some of the key benefits of Wi-Fi 6E compared to Wi-Fi 5 are:

Spectrum congestion is a huge problem in the current Wi-Fi environment nowadays because too many devices all use the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz spectrum, and it causes unreliable connection and slower speed. Wi-Fi 6E is an extended standard to Wi-Fi 6, and it uses a dedicated 6GHz band that provides not only a brand new frequency to transfer data but also a spacious spectrum for future devices. With Wi-Fi 6E, users can enjoy a faster connection and stronger signals than before.

GIGABYTE has provided a Wi-Fi antenna in the box with a magnetic base for convenient mounting.

The X670E AORUS MASTER is taking full advantage of the dual chipset design of the X670E and the USB-rich CPU socket features. Resultantly, we have USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C ports on the front and the rear.

First, we take a look at USB connectivity from the CPU socket:

RTS5411 is an advanced USB3.0 4-port HUB controller, which integrates USB3.0 and USB2.0 Transceivers, MCU, SIE, regulator, and charger circuits into a single chip. RTS5411 is fully backward compatible with USB2.0 and USB1.1 specifications which can be operated in Super-Speed, High-Speed, Full-Speed, and Low-Speed.

Now, we take a look at the USB connectivity from the chipsets:

We can see the plethora of USB connectivity options on this motherboard.

This board has USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 over a Type-C interface providing a theoretical bandwidth of 20Gbps. The rear USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C® provides DisplayPort™ Alternate Mode as well. DisplayPort™ over USB Type-C® enables the delivery of full DisplayPort A/V performance (driving monitor resolutions of 4K and beyond), SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.2 Gen 2) 10Gbps data transition, and power delivery with the convenience of reversible plug orientation and cable direction.

Now that we have covered the main features, functions, and design of the motherboard, let's take a look at the internal connectors.

On the top of the motherboard we have:

GIGABYTE is using nuvoton 3947S controller for the PWM fan headers.

There are two RGB ports on the top right. These are:

There is a Debug LED along with the power button up top on the right side.

We have a solid pin 24-pin ATX connector here which is stainless-steel reinforced.

We have two 2-pin external temp sensors and 2x 4-pin PWM Fan headers. There are LED indicators as well in the same line. These are for the VGA, CPU, BOOT, and DRAM. They provide additional troubleshooting aid to the user above the debug LED. In case of an issue, the corresponding LED will remain lit until the issue is resolved.

Next, we have a Front Panel USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C header.

We have a GIGABYTE Proprietary 5-pin Thunderbolt header for the GIGABYTE add-in Thunderbolt card. Next, we have a two-pin Noise header. With the new Noise Detection function, you can monitor the noise level of all devices, including fans, CPU coolers, graphics cards, etc., and determine how fast your fan speed needs to be. Our bundled Noise Detection cable doesn't include any sound recording function.

Next, we have 6x S-ATA 6Gbps ports followed by 2x 4-pin PWM fan headers at 180°. Next, we have what is called the RST_SW button which is programmable in three configurations:

The button can be programmed in the UEFI/BIOS. We can also spot a 2-pin clear CMOS jumper right on the top of the front panel connector.

Starting from the right side, we have:

The following options are provided:

The Q-Flash Plus allows the user to update the BIOS of the motherboard without installing the CPU/RAM etc. There is a Q-Flash LED Indicator on the top of the button. The USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port located above the second USB Type-C port on the rear IO is dedicated to the Q-Flash Plus BIOS update.

The user would need to download the BIOS file from the GIGABYTE website. Rename it to GIGABYTE.BIN and copy it to the FAT 32 formatted USB flash drive. Connect the USB to the above-mentioned port. Connect the 12V and 24V connectors from the PSU to the motherboard.

Turn the PSU on and press the Q-Flash Plus button. The LED will start blinking fast indicating that it is searching for the BIOS file. Once the BIOS flashback is completed the LED will turn off and the PSU will shut down and restart. The BIOS is updated.

DisplayPort delivers high-quality digital imaging and audio, supporting bi-directional audio transmission. You can use this port to connect your DisplayPort-supported monitor with a maximum resolution of 3840×[email protected] Hz but the actual resolutions supported depend on the monitor being used.

The HDMI port is HDCP 2.3 compliant and supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio formats. It also supports up to 192KHz/24bit 7.1-channel LPCM audio output. The maximum supported resolution is 4096×[email protected] Hz, which is dependent on the monitor being used.

There is a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port below the USB 2.0/1.1 ports. This port supports standard USB Type-C® and DisplayPort display output. You can connect a USB Type-C® monitor to this port or can also use this port for USB devices.

There is a second USB Type-C port that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface.

The above picture shows the backside view of the motherboard. There is a nanocarbon-based backplate on the motherboard. The backplate is in black color and it also helps in heat transfer. There is AORUS branding on it as well.

The above picture shows the backside view of the motherboard after removing the backplate. We can see three black color thermal pads which look to be 2mm thick. Two are right on the back of the CPU VRM and one is on the back of the chipset VRM.

The above picture shows the motherboard's backplate. It is quite an elegant and aggressive-looking outlook. This backplate contributes to the overall weight of the motherboard but also adds rigidity and strength to the PCB. This back-plate may give installation restrictions on certain PC Cases like Evolv ATX. This reminds me of the Asus Rampage V Edition 10. That motherboard also has a stylish backplate plus Asus implemented RGB LEDs between the backplate and the motherboard. The thickness of the motherboard made it difficult to install in the mid-tower cases.

The above picture shows the PCB with all heatsink covers removed.

We have an iTE8689E chip for I/O control.

We have more or less the same interface and layout as we have seen in the past from GIGABYTE.

The BIOS is loaded in the Easy mode where the summary and current statistics are shown of the components. The Tweaker is the key area where the enthusiasts will be spending time tuning the system and overclocking. We have CPU and DRAM-related settings on one page. It is better to leave Infinity Fabric Frequency and Dividers on Auto as with AM5 the game is different. Infinity Fabric will adjust automatically according to the Memory Clock (MCLK). But you need to focus on the Main Memory to Memory Controller clock as it still needs to be in a 1:1 ratio. AMD's PBO options can be found under the CPU Advance Settings menu. The user can define custom profiles in the BIOS and save them for later use on even use on another motherboard.

The Above 4G Decoding and Re-Size Bar are enabled by default. If you want to utilize the GIGABYTE Control Center, then better leave the Gigabyte Utilities Downloader Configuration enabled. The PCIe link speeds are on Auto. You can set them to the correct generation manually. The AMD CPU fTPM is enabled by default. This is TPM (Trusted Platform Module) required for Windows 11 compatibility.

The System information has the Q Flash located at the very bottom. The plugged-in devices can also be checked under this menu. We have disabled the CSM under the Boot Menu so that the enabled Re-Size BAR feature can be put in use. Surprisingly, we did not find the mouse speed setting under the Boot menu.

The Smart Fan 6 has some quite good changes. Now, we have Slope and Step modes available. We can set the fan to run at full speed with one click and we can set it to manual and define a custom fan curve which can be applied to the other fan headers as well. Pressing F3 will load a menu asking to save the fan settings in the BISO or on the external media. This can be retrieved regardless of the BIOS changes later on. The last page is the Save and Exit options. The user can define the profiles and load them later on. The optimized Defaults can also be loaded from here.

GIGABYTE has followed the industry trend and has now merged all the related utilities under one roof called GCC. As soon as the Windows is loaded, you will be presented with an option to download the GCC. Please note that it is not yet available on the website so your only chance is to download it when given the option.

When launched, it will present you with the available updates and utilities. You can select which ones you need and start downloading them. They will be installed automatically. The main interface shows the motherboard and presents two options:

The RGB Fusion has almost the same layout as it was in the standalone version before. Remember, the onboard lighting solution is RGB (not digital). So, if you decide to sync all, the digital elements will also come in RGB mode. The user can define and control the fans’ behavior under the FAN Control option. The user can tune the system from the Performance option (but at their own risk).

Now that we have covered the UEFI/BIOS and GIGABYTE Control Center, let us turn to the testing of the motherboard.

The following test bench setup is used to test the performance of the motherboard:

Microsoft Windows 11 x64 Pro was used for all the testing. Nvidia 517.48 drivers were used for graphics card testing.

Following is the test suite: –

Storage Drive Tests:

CPU Tests:

Memory Tests:

Overall System Tests:

Gaming Tests:

This section will show the results of the various test suites and gaming benchmarks that we have run on this motherboard.

The above picture shows the CPU-Z values of the platform.

Geekbench 5

Next, we installed the XPG Lancer RGB 32GB kit running at 6000MHz using 40-40-40-76 timing. We ran the AIDA64 memory benchmark with Low Latency Support and XMP/EXPO High Bandwidth Support disabled and then rerun the test with both settings enabled. We saw good improvement in the transfer rate as well as the latencies. Here is the result:

We have tested the USB Type-C Gen 2 and USB Type-C Gen2x2 drives using the following:

AMD has provided a 5-pin header on the X670E AORUS MASTER motherboard. We have the GIGABYTE GC-Maple Ridge Thunderbolt 4 Add-In Card. We decided to check the Thunderbolt drive storage performance on this motherboard. We have used Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q 2TB Thunderbolt drive. This drive is rated for up to 2700MB/s on a Thunderbolt connection.

The add-in card was installed on the PCIe Gen4 x4 slot. The 5-pin connector cable is used only since this motherboard does not have a 3-pin header. The USB 2.0 connector cable is also used which is a must.

The motherboard recognized the Thunderbolt card and enabled the Thunderbolt options in the UEFI/BIOS. Surprisingly, we are seeing Titan Ridge settings there whereas the add-in card is Maple Ridge. This is probably due to the onboard controller of the motherboard. We set the maximum available memory size available for both options and leave the Lock type to Auto.

As soon as the Windows was loaded, the GIGABYTE CONTROL CENTER provided the Thunderbolt DCH drivers in the download. Download and install it. After its installation is completed, better restart the system though not required.

When the Sabrent Rocket XTRM-Q was connected, it was instantly recognized and loaded. However, there is no Thunderbolt Control Panel or Control Center as we have seen on the Intel platform. The drive was available so, we put it to a test.

The drive was operating to the stated specifications. The Thunderbolt works!

The following games have been tested using their maximum graphics quality presets/settings.

We have left all the settings in the UEFI/BIOS on auto and stock. We only set the Fans and pump speed to run at 100% all the time. The motherboard picked the Memory timing and frequency correctly since the Sabrent Rocket DDR5 kits are running at JEDEC default. The power mode was in Balanced in the Windows. The system was left idle for 30 minutes with HWInfo64 running in the background recording the values. The ambient temperature was 28°C.

The frequencies on the cores were in the range of 3000MHz+

Next, the Cinebench R23 System Stability test was run for 30 minutes to record the thermals, power, and frequency behavior.

The SilverStone Air Penetrator 120SK A-RGB was blowing focused air toward the graphics card and NVMe ports at its full speed.

We have used the Hti HT18 Thermal camera to record the thermals of the VRM area of the motherboard under load using the Cinebench R23 30-minutes stability test on the stock settings.

The MOSFETs were operating at around 45°C at an ambient of 29°C. The SilverStone Air Penetrator 120SK A-RGB was blowing a focused air at its full speed towards the CPU socket area.

GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER is the second-highest motherboard after the X670E AORUS EXTREME. This is a feature-rich solution in the E-ATX size form factor. GIGABYTE has focused on durability, high performance, and almost a balanced feature set in this motherboard. The motherboard features an AM5 socket compatible with AMD 7000 series CPUs and DDR5 slots. The DIMM slots are SMD reinforced and they are implemented on another PCB layer with multiple shielding to ensure maximum and stable performance.

We have a total of 3x PCIe slots. The motherboard offers a single PCIe Gen 5 x16 slot which is wired to the CPU socket. The other two slots are wired to the PROM21 (chipset) one is rated at Gen x4 and the third is rated for Gen 3 x2. The last slot is shared with the 2x SATA ports (4 and 5) and either of them can be used at a time. Similarly, this motherboard offers 2x M.2 Gen 5 x4 ports which are also wired to the CPU socket. There are 2x M.2 Gen 4 x4 ports wired to the chipset.

There are tons of USB ports and hubs on this motherboard including the 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C ports (one on the rear and one on the mid-board for the front panel). GIGABYTE has provided Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 wireless connectivity in addition to the Intel 2.5GbE LAN port. We have a debug LED and LED indicators for troubleshooting along with a power and reset button. The reset button is programmable. There is no USB 4.0 port either on the mid-board or on the back panel. This motherboard has a Thunderbolt 5-pin header as well.

GIGABYTE has employed Fins-Array III cooling on the CPU VRM/MOSFETS. These heatsinks have nanocarbon coating as well. The two heatsinks are connected using an 8mm wide copper heat pipe and there are thermal pads rated at 12 W/mK. The Thermal Guard-III helps to keep the temperature of Gen 5 M.2 SSD in check. GIGABYTE has provided dual-sided thermal pads for the SSDs. There is an EZ-Latch Plus button to release the graphics card from Gen 5 PCIe slot. The M.2 EZ-Latch is a screw-less mounting mechanism for SSDs.

The Audio solution is driven by RealTek ALC1220-VB and the SuperIO chip is from iTE 8689E. There are 10 fans/pump headers each rated for 24W using 2A. These are powered and controlled by nuvoton 3947S. There are 7 onboard thermal sensors and 2 external sensors. There is a Noise port and a 5-pin Thunderbolt port as well.

The CPU power delivery includes twin digital 16 phases governed by Renesas RAA229620 PWM controller with Renesas RAA2201054 SPS 105A MOSFET. These are for the VCore. There are 2x Renesas ISL99390 SPS 90A MOSFET for SOC (iGPU) and the same 2x MOSFETS for MISC (PCIe Lanes).

The motherboard has a nanocarbon-made backplate as well. One caveat in the design is the placement of the CMOS battery. The battery is covered under the chipset cover. In order to access the battery, one needs to remove the backplate of the motherboard and then remove the cover of the chipset. Now imagine doing this in a fully assembled build!

Our testing section is a testament to how beefy and powerful this motherboard is. It has chewed whatever we have thrown at it and it has done this in style. We have tested the USB Type-C Gen 2 and Gen 2×2 drives as well as a Thunderbolt 4 drive and the result is impeccable. The cooling solution is highly effective and the brilliant RGB lighting on the I/O cover speaks for itself. The user should take full advantage of the Low Latency Support and XMP/EXPO High Bandwidth Support settings in the BIOS. Enable both settings and you will see some fine improvements in the overall bandwidth and the better latency.

Pros:

Cons:

The GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER has more than what meets the eye. In its brilliance, this motherboard packs the features that one would need to drive their high-end needs in computing. We are impressed with every bit of it. It not only has top-notch performance but quite some style as well. GIGABYTE has covered all the major corners and left no stone unturned. If you are aiming for a high-end PC setup using the new Ryzen 7 series CPUs then this motherboard or its bigger brethren AORUS XTREME has got you covered.

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