GIGABYTE Z790 Aorus Elite X AX DDR5 Intel Motherboard

The Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite X AX is a full-sized ATX motherboard built on the Intel Z790 Express chipset and designed for the LGA1700 socket. It supports 12th, 13th, and 14th Generation Intel Core, Pentium Gold, and Celeron processors, making it a capable platform for both productivity workloads and gaming builds that demand headroom for future CPU upgrades. At the heart of its power delivery is a 16+1+2 phase digital VRM solution. Each VCORE phase uses a 70A Smart Power Stage, providing the sustained current delivery needed for high-core-count processors and DDR5 overclocking sessions. The VRM Thermal Armor Advanced heatsink, an 8mm heatpipe, 7 W/mK thermal pads, and an 8-layer copper PCB work together to keep temperatures controlled under extended loads. For memory, the board provides four DDR5 DIMM slots in a dual-channel configuration supporting up to 128 GB of system memory (32 GB per DIMM). DDR5 speeds up to 7600 MT/s are achievable via XMP overclocking, with native support at 4800 MT/s and 4000 MT/s. XMP memory profiles are supported, and ECC Un-buffered DIMMs can be installed in non-ECC mode. Storage options are extensive: four M.2 slots (all PCIe 4.0 x4, with one also supporting SATA) are protected by M.2 Thermal Guard L heatsinks featuring the screwless EZ-Latch Click and EZ-Latch Plus quick-release mechanisms. Six SATA 6 Gb/s ports provide additional drive capacity. The primary PCIe x16 slot runs at PCIe 5.0 x16 and is reinforced with the PCIe UD Slot X design. Networking is handled by a Realtek 2.5 GbE LAN controller alongside an Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 module supporting 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands with Bluetooth 5.3. The 11ax 160 MHz channel width enables data rates up to 2.4 Gbps over Wi-Fi. The rear I/O panel includes one USB Type-C port with USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gb/s), two USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports, three USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports, four USB 2.0 ports, HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2, an RJ-45 LAN port, optical S/PDIF out, and two audio jacks. A front-panel USB Type-C header offers 10 Gb/s throughput. Audio is provided by a Realtek ALC1220 codec with audiophile-grade capacitors supporting up to 7.1-channel output. BIOS management uses a licensed AMI UEFI implementation with Q-Flash Plus (BIOS update without CPU or RAM installed) and a configurable multi-function reset button. GIGABYTE Control Center software covers fan control (Smart Fan 6), RGB Fusion lighting, and system monitoring. Two addressable LED headers and two standard RGB headers are available for lighting customisation. Verified Specifications: – Socket: LGA1700 | Chipset: Intel Z790 Express – CPU Support: Intel 12th / 13th / 14th Gen Core, Pentium Gold, Celeron – Memory: 4 x DDR5 DIMM, dual-channel, up to 128 GB; DDR5-4000 native, up to DDR5-7600 (O.C.); XMP supported – VRM: 16+1+2 phase digital, 70A Smart Power Stages – PCIe: 1 x PCIe 5.0 x16 (CPU); 2 x PCIe 4.0 x4 (Chipset) – M.2: 4 x M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 (one also SATA); EZ-Latch Click / Plus – SATA: 6 x SATA 6 Gb/s – LAN: Realtek 2.5 GbE – Wi-Fi: Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211 (2.4/5/6 GHz, up to 2.4 Gbps); Bluetooth 5.3 – USB (rear): 1 x USB-C 20 Gb/s, 2 x USB-A 10 Gb/s, 3 x USB-A 5 Gb/s, 4 x USB 2.0 – Video Out: HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 – Audio: Realtek ALC1220, 7.1-channel, S/PDIF optical out – Form Factor: ATX, 305 mm x 244 mm – Warranty: 3 Years