Aorus Z790 Elite X WiFi 7 Motherboard Review

The LGA1700 socket has quite the story.  When it launched it was supporting the new Alder Lake 12th Generation Intel processors and brought with it a new heatsink mounting pattern, DDR5, and PCI Express 5.0.  When the 13th Generation Raptor Lake processors launched the socket remined identical along with the new technology and basic performance.  In October 2023 the new 14th Generation Intel processor launched as a Raptor Lake refresh.  The new processor uses the same LGA1700 socket and marks one of the few times that a single motherboard can support more than two CPU generations.

As we know, Intel has commonly released refresh versions of their products to support new technology, new connectivity and better performance.  The new 14th Generation processor is no exception and to get the most from this new processor you need a motherboard to match.

In this review we will be looking at the Aorus Z790 Elite X WiFi 7 From Gigabyte.  This motherboard was showcased in several of our launch related articles including the Fast Track to Gen X - Speed Simplified a Aorus Z790 X Refresh Media Event and Episode 151 of the Hardware Asylum Podcast - Aorus Z790 X Motherboard Refresh - Fast Track to Gen X.

Many enthusiasts are familiar with the capabilities of the Intel Z790 chipset and while the basic performance will remain unchanged there are some very specific differences with the Aorus Z790 Elite X WiFi 7 that make this version of the motherboard special and something to pay attention to.

• Supports Intel® Core™ 14th and 13th processors
• Digital twin 16+1+2 phases VRM solution
• Dual Channel DDR5:4*DIMMs with XMP 3.0 memory module support
• PCIe UD Slot X: PCIe 5.0 x16 slot with 10X strength for graphics card
• EZ-Latch Click:M.2 heatsinks with screwless design
• EZ-Latch Plus:M.2 slots with quick release design
• UC BIOS:User-Centred intuitive UX with Quick Access function
• Ultra-Fast Storage:4*PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots
• Efficient Overall Thermal:VRM Thermal Armor Advanced & M.2 Thermal Guard L
• Fast Networking:2.5GbE LAN
• Extended Connectivity:DP, HDMI, Front USB-C® 10Gb/s, Rear USB-C® 20Gb/s
• Precision Audio:ALC1220 & Audiophile Grade Capacitors

CPU

• LGA1700 socket: Support for the 14th, 13th, and 12th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold and Celeron Processors
• L3 cache varies with CPU
• Please refer to "CPU Support List" for more information.

Chipset

• Intel Z790 Express Chipset

Memory

• Support for DDR5 8266(O.C) / 8200(O.C) / 8000(O.C) / 7950(O.C) / 7900(O.C) / 7800(O.C) / 7600(O.C.) / 7400(O.C.) / 7200(O.C.) / 7000(O.C.) / 6800(O.C.) / 6600(O.C.) / 6400(O.C.) / 6200(O.C.) / 6000(O.C.) / 5800(O.C.) / 5600(O.C.) / 5400(O.C.) / 5200(O.C.) / 4800 / 4000 MT/s memory modules
• 4 x DDR5 DIMM sockets supporting up to 192 GB (48 GB single DIMM capacity) of system memory Dual channel memory architecture
• Support for ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8 memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode)
• Support for non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx16 memory modules
• Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules

Onboard Graphics

• 1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2160@60 Hz
• 1 x DisplayPort, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2304@60 Hz

Audio

• Realtek ALC1220-VB CODEC
• High Definition Audio
• 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
• Support for S/PDIF Out

LAN

• Intel 2.5GbE LAN chip (2.5 Gbps/1 Gbps/100 Mbps)

Expansion Slots

• 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 5.0 and running at x16 (PCIEX16)
• 2 x PCI Express x16 slots, supporting PCIe 4.0 and running at x4 (PCIEX4_1/PCIEX4_2)

Storage Interface

• 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2A_CPU)
• 2 x M.2 connectors (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2P_SB, M2Q_SB)
• 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 SATA and PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD support) (M2M_SB)
• 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors:
• RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 support for NVMe SSD storage devices
• RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 support for SATA storage devices

USB

• 1 x USB Type-C port on the back panel, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support
• 1 x USB Type-C port with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support, available through the internal USB header
• 2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red) on the back panel
• 5 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports (3 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header)
• 8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers)

Internal I/O Connectors

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

Back Panel Connectors

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

I/O Controller

• iTE I/O Controller Chip

H/W Monitoring

• Voltage detection
• Temperature detection
• Fan speed detection
• Water cooling flow rate detection
• Fan fail warning
• Fan speed control

Unique Features

• Support for GIGABYTE Control Center (GCC)
• Support for Q-Flash
• Support for Q-Flash Plus
• Support for Smart Backup
• Bundled Software
• Norton Internet Security (OEM version)
• LAN bandwidth management software
• Operating System
• Support for Windows 11 64-bit
• Support for Windows 10 64-bit

Form Factor

• ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm