Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA review: A stunning motherboard for 10th and 11th Gen Intel CPUs

Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central

When it comes to choosing the best motherboards for your PC, yous truly are spoilt for option. Like other motherboard vendors, Gigabyte has a itemize of motherboards for Intel and AMD systems, spanning all toll segments. The AORUS ULTRA is ane of the company's more premium Intel-based boards.

Rocking a price tag of $300 — though yous tin frequently find motherboards like this one on sale through promotions like Black Friday — and plenty of features similar PCIe iv.0 and Wi-Fi 6, the AORUS ULTRA is built for high-end organization applications. Nevertheless, is information technology worth the additional price compared to less expensive motherboards? On paper, it certainly looks that way with some high-quality components. We took one for a spin to find out.

Giga-Performance

Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA

Bottom line: The Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA is ideal for 10th and 11th Gen Intel builds. This lath comes rocking PCIe 4.0 support, has an amazing 12-phase ability delivery design, besides as three passively cooled K.2 slots, and provides solid performance in games and other applications.

The Good

• PCIe 4.0 support
• Gorgeous board design
• High-quality 12-stage ability delivery
• Multiple K.2 slots with heatsinks
• Great performance

The Bad

• Obstructed M.ii slot access
• No Thunderbolt

Leap to:

• Specifications
• Features and design
• Performance
• Should you buy?

Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA Specs

Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Fundamental

Gigabyte didn't cut whatever corners with the AORUS ULTRA, rocking support for both 10th and 11th Gen Intel processors, cheers to the LGA 1200 socket and Z490 chipset. This motherboard has plenty going for it. Four DDR4 DIMM slots tin can concord up to 128GB of RAM, and there are three PCIe expansion slots, as well equally half-dozen SATA and 3 M.2 for storage drives.

The built-in Wi-Fi 6 is a welcome addition to anyone looking to hook up to their home network without using cables, and all the USB ports in the world are located on the rear of the board for connecting your favorite devices. It's a little weird that there are four USB ii.0 ports, merely Gigabyte did include 2.5Gb LAN in instance you did want to utilise a long cable to your router.

Category	Gigabyte Z490 Aorus Ultra
Size	ATX
CPU	10th and 11th Gen Intel
Socket	LGA1200
RAM	4x DDR4 DIMM (up to DDR4 5000)
Chipset	Intel Z490
Expansion	1x PCIe x16 slot 1x PCIe x16 slot (PCIe x8) 1x PCIe x16 slot (PCIe x4)
Storage	6x SATA (6Gbps) 3x M.2 (x4/x2 SSD support)
Audio	Realtek ALC1220-VB
Rear ports	1x HDMI 2x SMA antenna connectors (2T2R) 1x USB-C iii.2 Gen 2 3x USB-A three.2 Gen ii 2x USB-A iii.two Gen one 4x USB 2.0/1.one 1x ii.5Gb 1x S/PDIF 5x audio jacks
NVIDIA SLI	✓
AMD CrossFire	✓
Launch price	$300

In the box, you'll find the motherboard, some AORUS branded stickers, manual and quick-get-go guides, plenty of SATA cables, and even some RGB extension leads for lighting up your life. Where things get truly interesting is the inclusion of two temperature probes. Pretty dandy if you lot plan on monitoring various parameters.

Gigabyte is generous with what it includes with its AORUS motherboards, and this Z490 ULTRA version is no different.

Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA Features and design

The Z490 chipset is Intel's premium platform for 10th and 11th Gen processors. The AORUS ULTRA is similar to previous-gen versions of the motherboard, merely Gigabyte used the newer platform to go all out with the design to create a much more than appealing lath. If you're a fan of more subtle blueprint elements, this motherboard will be correct down your street.

This Gigabyte motherboard looks as well every bit information technology performs.

The all-blackness PCB is a joy to look at, so too are the gray and black accents plant throughout the design. There'due south a massive I/O shroud that covers all the rear port circuitry up to the VRM fin array. Yes, Gigabyte's cooling solution for its voltage regulator modules (VRM) is doing something, unlike other motherboards.

This trend of functional design continues with the rest of the AORUS ULTRA. We've got six fan headers, with ii of them able to double upward as pump ability supplies. Iii shielded PCIe x16 slots are available for SLI and CrossFire configurations. Then you have the massive metal bracket that acts as cooling for the chipset and the three K.2 slots.

Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Central

Six SATA ports are available, should you prefer to use a 2.v-inch SSD or 3-inch HDD, and iv DDR4 DIMMs permit for up to 128GB of RAM to be installed. Interestingly, Gigabyte opted to include RGB extension cables, also every bit two temperature probes that assistance provide additional data to see how your PC is performing (and whether you need to bump upward your active cooling).

This motherboard supports tenth and 11th Gen Intel processors and utilizes the LGA1200 socket. The socket is protected by a plastic embrace that must be removed before installing the CPU. Exercise not lose this plastic cover. Should you lot need to return the motherboard to any vendor, they require you to have it installed to process the request.

If you're into overclocking, Gigabyte has you covered with its passive cooling and BIOS support. While the software could do with a lilliputian updating, you won't spend much time here afterwards you've got all your settings configured accordingly. Using an Intel Cadre i7-10700K CPU, we were able to get a picayune more from the 8-core processor.

Gigabyte took the fourth dimension to ensure the ability delivery for 10th and 11th Gen Intel processors is clean and stable. There are 12 phases continued to the CPU, with each rated at 55 amps for a maximum throughput of 660 amps. All that means you should be able to push the CPU beyond its factory settings without encountering stability issues.

Y'all'll also non discover any problem with the VRMs either, thanks to the cooling solution. Some motherboards can get abroad with simply plastic (or sometimes metallic) shrouds that embrace the VRMs without really contacting them. It'south all for bear witness. Not with the AORUS ULTRA, however, since Gigabyte uses what it calls Fins-Assortment Ii.

In that location'southward a direct-touch estrus pipe that will assistance proceed the critical power delivery system cooled under load. Once more, this all aids with organisation stability, even if you lot don't plan on overclocking any component.

Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA Performance

Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Fundamental

Gigabyte did a solid task with the feature list of the AORUS ULTRA motherboard, just how does information technology perform in synthetic and real-world testing scenarios? I've never been much of a fan for synthetic tests since while it provides some comparing values, almost potential owners won't actually get much from them. This is why we'll exist firing up a few games to see how the organization handles the load.

Overclocking was a breeze. The motherboard was able to push button the RAM and processor a little harder without breaking a sweat. I cannot commend Gigabyte plenty for the ability setup and high-quality components used throughout.

I used an Intel Core i7-10700K processor with 16GB of RAM and an RTX 2060 GPU, which represents a moderately powerful gaming rig. Unfortunately, we've just reviewed 1 motherboard thus far with a Z490 chipset (and yous're looking at it). We'll be getting more motherboards in for review soon and shall update this section with comparisons against other models and vendors.

Until I collect further data and compare information technology against other motherboards, the results are a picayune pointless. All you lot demand to know is the numbers provided in the results for PCMark 10 (vii,520), CPU-Z (v,725 and 579), 3DMark, and other software were about as expected with the CPU used. I'll publish numbers to show just how the AORUS ULTRA compares against other Z490 motherboards as soon as numbers are crunched for the others.

In real-world tests, namely gaming, the Z490 AORUS ULTRA, Intel Core i7-10700K, and RTX 2060 SUPER all perform admirably together. Path of Exile, Tomb Raider, GTA Five, and Ashes of a Singularity all played well enough given available organisation performance. Likewise, with synthetic testing, I'll publish some comparing figures once farther motherboards accept been tested.

Source: Rich Edmonds / Windows Cardinal

Network speeds were also very good with the choice of 2.5Gb LAN or Wi-Fi 6. Whether yous plan on using a cable or not, you'll experience rapid download (and upload) transfer speeds with very trivial in terms of latency. The on-board Wi-Fi circuitry is brilliant for maintaining reliable connections, and I wouldn't listen relying on information technology should cabling non exist an pick.

If you desire to take advantage of PCIe 4.0 on Intel motherboards such as this, you'll need to concur off until Rocket Lake launches. The electric current 10th Gen processor line-upwards doesn't come up with support. Go effigy. For most applications, however, PCIe 3.0 is more than good enough, and I didn't meet any bug with the current generation of Intel CPUs.

Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA Should you buy?

Who it'southward for

• If yous demand a peachy value Intel motherboard
• If y'all plan on using a 10th or 11th Gen Intel CPU
• If you want a motherboard that can handle overclocking

Who information technology isn't for

• If you don't desire to wait for 11th Gen Inte for PCIe iv.0
• If y'all want a platform with the lowest power consumption
• If you lot desire to continue using an older Intel CPU

The Gigabyte AORUS ULTRA is a bright motherboard for 10th and 11th Gen Intel-based systems. If you're planning to wait for the 11th Gen CPUs for PCIe 4.0 support, this motherboard volition be ready to brand the jump too. There are plenty of features for the cost that brand this a compelling pick for arrangement builders.

If you want a stable, powerful motherboard, the Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA is worth considering.

Even if y'all programme on pushing your Intel Cadre i5, i7, or i9 processor a little farther, this Gigabyte platform volition handle the additional power requirements without issue. The 12 stage commitment design is amazing, supplying aplenty make clean and reliable power to the CPU. The BIOS is helpful in that it allows you to toy with settings to get more from your PC, but it could use a small refresh.

The ii.5Gb LAN and Wi-Fi 6 are squeamish touches that assist you get online chop-chop with super speeds, so long equally your network infrastructure tin can handle the bandwidth. Three PCIe and passively cooled M.2 slots let you upward your game with NVIDIA SLI or AMD CrossFire, all while installing all your games on speedy NVMe SSDs.

This is a feature-rich motherboard at a solid price, and Gigabyte got fashion more right than wrong. It's difficult to pick faults without being picky, and that's a good thing. Still, you lot should wait such quality at this price point in the motherboard market.

If y'all tin can find this motherboard on sale during Amazon Prime Day, it speedily becomes a must-have platform for any modern PC build with a 10th Gen Intel processor. Anything less than $300 would be a discount you should consider taking reward of.

Z490 Speeds

Gigabyte Z490 AORUS ULTRA

Non-nonsense premium motherboard

Gigabyte got mostly everything right with the Z490 AORUS ULTRA motherboard. It has PCIe 4.0 back up, enough of headers and ports for accessories, and the like, likewise every bit brilliant stability and functioning.

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