Since the release of the Ryzen 7000 processors, we wanted to test the current boards on the new X670E chipset. Today, we are writing this Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review to discuss the more economical offering from Gigabyte.
The X670E AORUS MASTER, as the name states, uses the X670E chipset. It offers numerous next-generation features like increased power phases for overclocking, PCIe 5.0, 5th Gen SSD support, etc.
This motherboard from Gigabyte looks more subtle and has an excellent feature set. The nice thing about it is you can get the best quality performance while spending less.
So is the X670E AORUS MASTER the best motherboard for your system? Read our Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review to get the details you need to know about the product.
Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Packaging
Our board arrived in time for this Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review, so we immediately got to work. The product came in an almost all-black box with a large image of the company branding in front. This part of the box also displays the name of this motherboard from Gigabyte.
The company also mentioned that the X670E is PCIe-ready for the graphics card. Plus, it prominently mentioned the X670E chipset and AM5 socket.
On its rear, the package displays four main features, and these are the following:
- The Fins-Array III and M2 thermal guard
- 16+2+2 power phases
- PCIe 5.0 x 16 and M2 slots
- PCIe EZ Latch Plus
When we opened the package, we saw other items included with the motherboard. These are the WiFi antenna, four SATA cables, a noise detector cable, and two AORUS-branded Velcro strips.
You will also find a front panel Q connector, two thermistor cables, an RGB extension cable, and an RGB cable. Lastly, Gigabyte included a case badge and sticker sheet in the box.
Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review – Design and Functionality
Let us get more into detail in our Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review by discussing its design and functions. Generally, these board types have this no-sacrifice approach that lets you maximise performance with top-notch components. You get all these while enjoying plenty of features and stability.
Checking the board, the company chose a more subtle design than its AORUS Xtreme motherboard. On its rear I/O, the X670E AORUS MASTER sports RGB lighting instead of the regular RGB LCD.
You can customise its lighting via the RGB Fusion software, which provides you with personalisation options while keeping prices down.
The design options for this motherboard are on the minimalist side. But despite that, it does not lack flair. This X670E AORUS MASTER will fit ideally in black-themed builds, giving off a simple yet premium vibe.
Its housing includes a few heatsinks, which cools down the motherboard while it is in use. The heatsinks also enhance your overclocking experience on the Ryzen 7000 processors.
Additionally, the 16+2+2 digital VRM design of the X670E AORUS MASTER helps push overclocking further. It even boosts overclocking naturally than other motherboards available.
Gigabyte utilises the Fins-Array III technology, which has irregular-shaped fins with lengthened surfaces. These also sport a louvred-stack style.
One fin surface is 1678m², providing new heatsinks with an additional surface area than earlier generation cooling solutions. Moreover, the heatsink comes with a nano-carbon coating to optimise thermal efficiency with ideal airflow and heat exchange.
The digital power phases on the X670E AORUS MASTER are massive. Its VCore contains 16 parallel points using Renesas RAA-2201054 SPS 105A, which makes it 1680A.
Then, for SOC, there are two MOSFETs with the Renesas ISL-99390 SPS 90A for 180A. It provides continuous power delivery to the iGPU.
Finally, you can acquire steady power distribution to the PCIe lanes. It is with the help of two MOSFETS for MISC using Renesas ISL-99390 SPS 90A for 180A.
The audio solution on this motherboard uses a Realtek ALC1220-VB codec. It is a good option, but other options can make it better.
The audio circuitry on the motherboard is well-shielded and has high-end WIMA plus Fine-Gold capacitors to drive the circuit power. It ensures that you have a studio-quality experience.
The product is a hi-res audio-certified solution, which can reproduce frequencies up to 40kHz or higher. This solution will let you enjoy excellent audio quality at all times.
Let us now discuss the Realtek ALC1220-VB controller. The onboard sound system can give the DTS:X Ultrasound experience, which needs a supported version of Windows 10 or 11. You can maximise the 3D audio experience with fine-tuning calibration and post-processing upgrades.
The X670E AORUS MASTER has four DDR5-based DIMM slots reinforced with SMD stainless steel. It has an anti-plate bending support that can handle up to 130%. And the slots can deal with unplugging and plug times for 5000 times.
This board is compatible with AMD EXPO and Intel XMP profiles. EXPO is an acronym that stands for Extended Profiles for Overclocking. You can achieve maximum compatibility since Gigabyte AM5 MB supports AMD EXPO and Intel XMP overclocking memory modules.
MB will detect both profile formats in SPD automatically. You can choose to enable one of the profiles from the BIOS menu and achieve overclocked memory performance.
Plastic lockers are on the DIMM slots that are locked and unlocked on both ends. Additionally, DDR5 Auto Booster up to 5000MHz has support from the board, allowing it to work efficiently with the product.
Generally, this is a simple one-click process in the UEFI/BIOS. You can specify and develop your SPD profiles in memory modules such as Native, EXPO, and XMP 3.0.
You can save a user-defined profile and load it locally or from/to external storage. It will allow you to load the saved profile on the other system and have that configured immediately.
Moreover, the X670E AORUS MASTER supports quick memory performance simulation based on your timing parameters and input clock.
M.2 Ports and Thermal Guard III
One feature of the new AMD platform is the support for 5th Generation-based M.2 NVMe SSDs. The X670E AORUS MASTER offers the same support but on a more enhanced level. It provides two M.2 ports on the 5th Generation bus with a fully-slotted x16 PCIe slot.
This motherboard has four M.2 ports, and you will see two of these directly wired to the CPU socket. The other two sockets connect to the second PROM21 chipset. Gigabyte gave these ports some stylish M.2 covers, which will boost the aesthetic of your build.
The uppermost slot of the product features a layered heatsink and a thermal pad that you can find underneath. The latter is for effective heat transfer, which is essential for any build.
M.2 Thermal Guard III
M.2 Thermal Guard III has a 9X enhanced heat dissipation surface. It helps reduce throttling and bottlenecking caused by high-speed/large-capacity PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSDs under intense usage. The unique design of heatsink grooves directed towards the CPU improves in-chassis airflow while maximising heat convection efficiency.
GIGABYTE raised the bar by including dual-sided thermal pads for dual-sided populated M.2 SSDs. There are thermal pads on the inner portion of the cover, which are set in place by four Philips screws.
The X670E AORUS MASTER comes with four M.2 ports. It has two top slots reinforced with stainless steel and wired to the CPU socket.
These are labelled M2A_CPU and M2B_CPU. Additionally, its two lower ports are M2D_SB and M2C_SB.
The motherboard has another element which is the M.2 EZ-Latch Plus mechanism. With it, you do not need to have small-sized screws to fix the SSDs on each port. Instead, you can rotate the latches to lock/unlock the SSD.
USB Connectivity
The X670E AORUS MASTER takes advantage and utilises the chipset design of the X670E. So, it makes use of the USB-rich features of the CPU socket. That means you have a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C port along the rear and front of the motherboard.
Here is the USB connection from the CPU socket. First is a USB-C port on the rear panel with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support. Then, there are two USB 3.2 Gen 2 A ports along the back panel. Then lastly, the CPU+USB 2.0 hub has two USB 2.0/1.1 ports on the rear panel.
RTS-5411 is the advanced USB 3.0 4-port HUB controller integrating USB 3.0 and ISN 2.0 Transceivers. It also integrates SIE, MCU, charger, and regulator circuits into one chip.
Furthermore, the RTS-5411 is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1 specifications. It can operate Super-Speed, Full-Speed, High-Speed, and Low-Speed modes.
USB Connection – Chipsets
Here, we will look at the USB connection from the chipsets. There are two USB-C ports with USB 3.2 Gen 2×22 support. One is on the rear panel, while the other is through the internal USB header.
Aside from what we mentioned, you will find two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports on the back panel. There are also four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports plus four USB 2.0/1.1 ports. These are present through the internal USB headers.
Finally, four USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports on the back panel are available. These ports are for the chipset USB 3.2 Gen 1 hub.
The motherboard features a USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 on top of a Type-C interface, offering a 20Gbps theoretical bandwidth. Its rear Gen 2 USB 3.2 Type-C offers the DisplayPort Alternate mode.
Over USB-C, the DisplayPort enables delivery of the DisplayPort A/V performance, SuperSpeed USB, 10Gbps data transition, and power delivery. All of these are possible with the convenience of reversible cable direction and plug orientation.
Internal And External Connectors
The top portion features the 4-pin PWM CPU OPT & FAN headers and the 4-pin PUMP header. You will also find a standard 12V RGB connector and a nuvoton 3947S controller.
On the top right of the motherboard, there are two RGB ports. One is a 3-pin A-RGB 5V header, while the other is a 4-pin RGB 12V. You will also find the power button with the Debug LED.
This motherboard has a stainless-steel reinforced 24-pin ATX connector, two 2-pin external temp sensors, and two 4-pin PWM fan headers. In the same line are LED indicators for VGA, CPU, BOOT, and DRAM, which provide troubleshooting aid.
The X670E AORUS MASTER also uses the Gigabyte proprietary 5-pin Thunderbolt header for the add-in Thunderbolt card of the company.
There is also a 2-pin noise header with the latest Noise Detection function. It allows you to monitor the noise level of each peripheral and device, including CPU coolers, fans, etc. Plus, it will help you determine the ideal fan speed for your system.
There are also six SATA 6Gbps ports, followed by two 4-pin PWM fan headers at 180 degrees. Then, you will also find an RST_SW button which you can program in three configurations.
A Q-Flash Plus is available, which lets you update the motherboard BIOS without installing the CPU/RAM. Then there is also one Q-Flash LED indicator above the previous button.
Lastly, the USB 3.2 2nd Generation Type-A port is above the second USB-C port along the rear IO. It is specific for the Q-Flash Plus BIOS update.
Key Features of the Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard
Unrivalled Performance
With fast-changing technology, Gigabyte follows the latest trends to provide customers with advanced features. The company produces motherboards with the newest storage standards, upgraded power solutions, and excellent connectivity for optimised gaming performance.
Continue reading our Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review to learn more about the advanced features of this new product.
TWIN Digital VRM Design
For guaranteed maximum Turbo Boost and overclocking performance of the new generation AMD CPU, Gigabyte used the best VRM design.
Ready for PCIe 5.0
The X670E AORUS MASTER is ready for PCIe 5.0, which supports twice the bandwidth of PCIe 4.0. It also ensures compatibility with the newest SSDs and GPUs.
DDR5 EXPO & XMP Overclocking Over 6666
With DDR5 memory modules that are AMD EXPO / Intel XMP-capable, the motherboard can offer overclocking capabilities up to 6666 and above.
Active OC Tuner
The X670E AORUS MASTER features the exclusive Active OC Tuner from Gigabyte. It allows the CPU to function with AMD PBO for gaming and other light-workload tasks. This feature uses the highest CPU boost clock.
It automatically switches to Manual OC mode when the applications require all horsepower of CPU cores. The manual mode allows the use of high frequency for all CPU cores.
Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard with the Latest 802.11ax WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.0
With 802.11ax WiFi 6E, you can enjoy smooth video streaming, reduced connection drops, higher network speed, and improved gaming. This wireless solution features the new dedicated 6GHz band.
Aside from WiFi 6E, the X670E AORUS MASTER also uses Bluetooth 5.0. It provides four times the range of Bluetooth 4.2 and offers faster transmission speed.
Onboard 2.5GbE LAN – Two Times Faster
The X670E AORUS MASTER adopts the 2.5G LAN for gamers to enjoy an ultimate gaming experience. It offers up to 2.5GbE network connectivity, twice the speed of 1GbE. It supports
USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 Type-C Ports
The USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 offers doubled the performance of the previous USB 3.2 Gen 2. It provides transfer speeds as high as 20Gbps while connected to USB 3.2-compliant devices. This port also uses a USB-C connector which has a reversible design.
True High-Fidelity Music (Realtek ALC1220)
Surround sound + DSD-enabled audio playback becomes more convenient with the latest ALC1220 Codec from Realtek.
Audiophile Grade Capacitors
The X670E AORUS MASTER guarantees a studio-quality audio experience with its Premium Grade Audio and WIMA capacitors. These provide power to the overall sound system.
Excellent Audio Quality – DTS:X Ultra
DTS:X Ultra recreates spatially accurate and authentic 3D audio for gaming. You can enjoy this sound on any pair of headphones or speakers.
This technology supports channel-based, object-based, and scene-based audio, plus it provides calibration for various speakers and headphones. Also, this technology has post-processing elements and device-level tuning for DTS codecs.
The DTS Sound Unbound utilises Microsoft Spatial to create a realistic gaming audio experience. DTS Headphone:X makes audio more immersive, allowing you to hear stationary and moving sounds in the sonic landscape. Accurate localisation and excellent externalisation allow sound to pass around the listener.
Redesigned RGB Fusion – Multi-Zone Light Show
You can tweak your PC to reflect your style with more LED customisations. Its full RGB support and redesigned RGB Fusion 2.0 application provide complete control over the LEDs supporting the motherboard.
Multi-key
The X670E AORUS MASTER features a multi-key reset button that you can configure for other functions in BIOS.
It can work as an RGB Switch for enabling or disabling lighting effects on the motherboard. Direct-To-BIOS boots into the BIOS menu without the need to press other keys.
Lastly, Safe Mode boots into the safe mode in the BIOS when changing particular settings.
Ultra Durable Design
The X670E AORUS MASTER has Ultra Durable Design, which means it underwent a high-quality manufacturing process. Gigabyte uses the best components and reinforces each slot to make these sturdy.
Specifications
Listed in this part of our Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review are the product specifications for the motherboard. Knowing these is essential to determine if the board can work with your current system.
The X670E AORUS MASTER sports an E-ATX form factor which measures 30.5 x 26.9cm. It has AMD Socket AM5 to support the AMD Ryzen 7000 Series processors.
The X670E AORUS MASTER uses the AMD X670 chipset, the DDR5 memory and the Realtek ALC-1220-VB codec. It also supports DTS:X Ultra and uses the Intel 2.5GbE LAN Chip.
For wireless communication, the motherboard uses the Intel WiFi 6E AX210, Bluetooth 5.3, and supports 11ax 160MHz wireless standard.
Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard – Wireless Communication Module + Operating System
The motherboard includes Intel WiFi 6E AX210, Bluetooth 5.3, and supports 11ax 160MHz wireless standard. It can support up to 2.4Gbps of data rate.
Lastly, it works with both Windows 11 and 10 64-bit.
Hands-on with the Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard
Before we discuss our hands-on experience with this Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review, let us talk about its BIOS.
Speaking of the BIOS, we have not utilised an AORUS motherboard BIOS for some time. Because of that reason, accessing it after a long time offered a refreshing feeling.
By default, we got redirected to the basic BIOS information and hit the F2 key to access all settings. The first option was Favourites, which gave us quick access to the most used settings, which is always beneficial.
The Tweaker section features options for configuring the CPU & memory and managing various voltages.
The tab provided us with a variety of parameters for the memory kits and processor. Additionally, most parameters for adjusting voltages are in this area too.
The Load-Line calibration is vital for overclocking tests, and it is possible to de-synchronise PCIe and CPU frequencies. It means pushing processor frequencies via BCLK is now possible and is excellent news.
Performance of the Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard
To complete our review, we tested the product to see how well it would perform. We left the boost clocks on default to see the raw performance without overclocking and tweaking settings.
After an hour of testing, we obtained the advertised boost clock, and its temperature was 91 degrees Celsius.
Our single-core tests successfully hit the enabled boost clock out of the box.
To wrap it up, the X670E AORUS MASTER is a motherboard for the Ryzen 7 processors. So, combining the motherboard and processor results in excellent overclocking performance, making it ideal for gaming and content creation. This motherboard was stable and delivered optimal performance throughout our tests, making it easy to recommend.
Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review Summary
The current Gigabyte motherboard you can purchase is the X670E AORUS MASTER, which features a subtle yet premium design. It is a gateway for consumers to the X670E range without paying a hefty price.
We were impressed by its top-notch performance when we tested it for our Gigabyte X670E AORUS MASTER Motherboard Review. It is an exceptional product with excellent features that will meet high-end computing demands.
The X670E AORUS MASTER has covered all users’ major concerns and needs today, thus, becoming the best option available.
This product is ideal for building a high-end computer with Ryzen 7 series CPUs. And with its attractive design, unique features, and superior performance, we highly recommend this product.
Visit the official product page of Gigabyte for more details about the X670E AORUS MASTER.
