Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 LGA1151 Review

Introduction Gigabyte has progressively been expanding the AORUS brand into different product areas and designed to be a seal of quality which customers can rely on. As you might expect, Gigabyte is hoping the AORUS series obtains a loyal following and provides a legitimate alternative to ASUS' ROG brand and MSI's Gaming Dragon line-up. Of course, motherboards are an integral part of Gigabyte's history and they've forged an impeccable reputation for manufacturing innovative designs which push the technical envelope to new heights. The highly-anticipated arrival of Kaby Lake seemed the opportune moment for Gigabyte to proudly display their first motherboard sporting the AORUS name. The Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 opts for a stylish black and white colour scheme which should appeal to a great number of people. Additionally, the product supports a wide range of connectivity options including Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1, U.2, M.2, SATA and SATA Express. Rather impressively, the motherboard incorporates 8 hybrid PWM/DC controlled fan headers and 9 temperature sensors which allow you to customise water cooling hardware more effectively. On another note, the motherboard houses two Ethernet solutions, a quad-core Creative Sound Core3D audio processor and spectacular lighting system. It's even possible to attach RGB strips directly to the motherboard and change their behaviour in Gigabyte's comprehensive software package. Evidently, the Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 is a feature rich motherboard and I'm expecting it to excel alongside the new Intel Core i7-7700K. Specifications Packaging and Accessories The motherboard arrives in a sleek box which contains the really striking AORUS logo. This combines with the stealth black background rather nicely and captures your attention. Additionally, the packaging outlines the motherboard's RGB functionality, VR credentials and other essential features. It's clear Gigabyte is trying to push the AORUS series quite aggressively because the company's name takes up so little space on the box design. Switching to the opposite side, the end-user is provided with an incredibly detailed rundown of the motherboard's audio circuitry, dual Gigabit LAN, Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, RGB effects and premium component selection. The information is presented in an easy-to-understand manner via a logical layout. In terms of accessories, the motherboard is bundled with a user's guide, AORUS stickers, I/O dust covers, 3-slot HB SLI bridge, cable labels, G-Connector, Velcro straps, two thermistor cables, an RGB LED strip extension cable, four SATA cables, I/O shield, drivers/utilities disk and installation guide. The only extra I would include is some kind of CPU installation tool which could help those without prior building experience. Saying that, it's not a huge omission and I'm presuming the majority of people know how to install a CPU in the traditional way. A Closer Look The Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 is based on an elegant design philosophy and employs a classic colour combination. In particular, the black PCB and oversized white I/O cover work together to create a really unusual aesthetic which stands out from the competition. The AORUS branding is fairly subtle and doesn't appear to detract from the motherboard's subtle styling. Gigabyte decided to focus on a simplistic, classy appearance and allow end-users to add an ostentatious touch through RGB illumination. This is a cogent tactic and greatly expands the motherboard's appeal. On another note, I'm fond of the diagonal lines which swoop over the PCB and form a more distinctive look. The chipset heatsink is shaped into a shield which ties in with the AORUS brand's immense durability. When it comes to cooling, the motherboard is superb and incorporates 8 hybrid fan headers which automatically detect whether the connected device uses PWM or voltage modes. The headers support up to 24W (2Ax12V) with built-in overcurrent protection which offers protection for extreme-grade fans operating at high RPM values. Also, the motherboard has 9 temperature sensors positioned at key areas such as the CPU socket, PCH and MOSFET cooling. These are useful to monitor different thermal readings in Gigabyte's redesigned Smart Fan 5 software and inspect the motherboard's health. To leverage the best possible performance, Gigabyte deployed a premium 12-phase digital VRM and 10K-rated black capacitors with an ultra-low ESR. Additionally, the MOSFETs are proficiently cooled with two hefty heatsinks which connect with a single heat-pipe. Despite using a large surface area, the heatsinks leave enough room to install a large air cooler without causing any major clearance issues. As you might expect, the 12-phase power delivery is more than enough to push a Kaby Lake processor to the absolute limit. Gigabyte's Turbo B-Clock technology is another welcome addition which allows for a wider BCLK between 90MHz and 500MHz. In a similar vein to Skylake, the BCLK isn't restricted to specific straps which should aid overclocking headroom somewhat. The motherboard's socket has a 15 microinch thick gold plated design which protects against corrosion over time. Traditionally, resistors can be shorted by sulphur compounds through a chemical change and result in the motherboard not working correctly. Gigabyte took this into consideration and included a resistive alloy layer which halts the sulphurization process from taking place. The motherboard supports up to 64GB DDR4 memory operating at speeds in excess of 4000MHz. Please note, Kaby Lake bumps the default SPD maximum to 2400MHz but this can easily be increased through XMP profiles or manual overclocking. The DIMM slots are reinforced by thick metal shielding which helps the modules to be installed with a solid contact point leading to a reduced likelihood of PCB flexing. Not only that, Gigabyte positioned LEDs between each slot which creates the impression of light emanating around the memory modules. On another note, the motherboard incorporates a power button, reset button and Clear CMOS button. These are really handy when performing system diagnostics and testing the stability of an aggressive overclock. The motherboard has voltage points for the VCCIO, VAXG, VDIMM, DDRVTT, PCHIO, VSA, VPP_25V and Vcore. This makes the product suitable for LN2 and world record attempts. The motherboard contains an OC button which automatically loads an appropriate overclock for your hardware without any effort while the ECO button prioritises power efficiency savings. There's a swappable LED overlay which allows users to select different patterns and customise the motherboard's appearance. The Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 utilises the world's first quad-core audio processor which offloads workloads from the CPU. More specifically, the Creative Sound Core3D chip is positioned in a dedicated section of the PCB and has an EMI shield which reduces interference. Additionally, high-end Japanese Nichicon audio capacitors have been deployed giving a high fidelity listening experience. On another note, the motherboard has a Ti Burr Brown OPA2134 operational amplifier but this can be replaced to modify the audio to your specific tastes. Another great feature is the USB DAC-Up 2 which employs a dedicated power design and voltage compensator resulting in a cleaner and quieter noise output. Interestingly, the motherboard contains a dedicated 12V pin header which allows you to attach any external RGB LED strip. The company's RGB Fusion software has the option to redefine the pin location for the R/G/B signal which greatly expands the compatibility with LED strips from various manufacturers. As you can see, the PCI-E slots are reinforced by stainless shielding with extra anchor points and a double locking bracket. This makes the retention force up to 3.2 times stronger and prevents slot damage from taking place. The motherboard's PCI-E arrangement involves pretty decent spacing between the primary PCI-E slots which should improve airflow. Technically, the product supports two-way SLI in an x8/x8 formation and three-way CrossfireX using x8/x4/x4. In terms of storage, the motherboard includes six SATA3 ports, three SATA Express, U.2 and two M.2 connectors which take advantage of triple NVMe PCI-E RAID0 configurations. Please note, the first M.2 connector accommodates type 2242/2260/2280/22110 while the second forgoes support for type 22110. As expected for a premium Gigabyte motherboard, there are two BIOS chips which provide an excellent failsafe just in case an update becomes corrupted or the motherboard fails to post with a specific overclock and doesn't reset to factory defaults. Connectivity-wise, the motherboard houses a PS/2 combo port, five USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.0b, Killer E2500/Intel i219V RJ45 ports, Intel Gigabit port, Thunderbolt 3 port, five audio jacks and S/PDIF. Here we can see the RGB lighting surrounds the PCI-E slots and illuminates the audio shielding cover. Interestingly, the lighting is much more impactful than ASUS' Aura system and can light up a case without the need for additional RGB strips. Gigabyte's RGB Fusion technology supports 16.8 million colours, has three light zones, four programmable sections and eight lighting effects. If that's not enough, you can attach a 5050LED strip to the appropriate header. The lighting is embedded into the I/O cover, power delivery, DIMM slots and swappable overlay. Unlike the Gigabyte AORUS Z270-Gaming 9, the package doesn't come with an additional overlay strip. Once powered on, the lighting overhauls the motherboard's visual style and creates a marvellous effect. Testing & Methodology Here is the test bench used for all Z270 motherboard reviews: Hardware Motherboard varies by review CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K GPU: Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 980Ti 6GB GDDR5 RAM: Crucial Elite 16GB (2x8GB) 2666MHz Cooling: Thermaltake Water 3.0 AIO with Gelid GC-Extreme Case: Lian Li T80 Test Bench Storage Drives: Main storage: Toshiba OCZ VX500 500GB SATA, Test Devices: Toshiba OCZ VX500 500GB SATA , Toshiba OCZ RD400 512GB NVMe M.2 and Patriot SuperSonic Magnum 256GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive PSU: Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 850W Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit Networking: ASUS RT-AC68U router Software SiSoft Sandra Engineer - available here WPrime - available here Cinebench - available here 3DMark - available here AIDA 64 Engineer - available here Latencymon - available here Rightmark Audio Analyser - available here Passmark - available here Memory For our memory tests, we use the built-in memory benchmarks in AIDA64 Engineer and SiSoft Sandra. For more details on each of the benchmarks please see here and here respectively. Storage To test the storage performance in our motherboard reviews we use AIDA's Disk Benchmark utility built into their AIDA64 Engineer Edition software package and run linear read and write tests. We run each of the benchmark tests on a SATA III, USB 3.0 and M.2 device. For SATA III testing we use a SanDisk Extreme Pro 240GB, for USB 3.0 testing we use the Supersonic Magnum 256 GB USB 3.0 flash drive and for M.2 testing we use Plextor's 256GB M.2 M6e SSD. The drives are always formatted before use. Networking For our networking tests we connect the test system up to our Intel Gigabit-enabled ASUS Rampage IV Extreme X79 motherboard test system through the ASUS RT-AC68U router and run our tests. We opted for this over a direct point-to-point connection because we wanted to simulate real-world performance. For our WiFi tests we do the same except we connect the test system to the ASUS RT-AC68U router via WiFi at a distance of 2 metres from the router. The testing is conducted using PassMark's Advanced Network Test detailed below. PassMark The PassMark Advanced Network Test (which is part of PerformanceTest) is designed to test the data transfer rate between two computers both of which must be running PerformanceTest. One of the computers must act as the server and will sit waiting for a connection. The other computer acts as a client. It connects to the server machine and sends data to it for the duration of the test. You can download a trial version of PerformanceTest from here. Power Usage To measure power consumption we, use a "killawatt" meter and measure the total system power draw at the wall. We run three different use-case scenarios for 5 minutes and take the average reading. RightMark Audio Analyser (RMAA) RMAA suite is designed for testing quality of analog and digital paths of any audio device. The results are obtained by playing and recording test signals passed through the tested audio path by means of frequency analysis algorithms. A more common mark is also provided for those unfamiliar with measured technical parameters. Available here. We run the RMAA test using a 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable connecting the line out to the line in to test the quality of the motherboard audio codec, not any external audio devices. We run the complete playback and recording test at default settings and then get RMAA to interpret the results giving the below outputs. We sync the playback and recording audio devices to the same setting as the test for accurate results. DPC DPC is a Windows tool that analyses the capabilities of a computer system to handle real-time data streams properly. It may help to find the cause for interruptions in real-time audio and video streams, also known as drop-outs. This software is available for download free here. wPrime wPrime is a leading multithreaded benchmark for x86 processors that tests your processor performance by calculating square roots with a recursive call of Newton's method for estimating functions. wPrime is a free utility that is available for download here. Cinebench R15 Cinebench is a widely respected benchmark for testing the performance of x86 CPUs. The program allows you to test single and multi-threaded performance as well as GPU performance by rendering with Open GL. Download here. 3D Mark The new 3DMark includes everything you need to benchmark your hardware. With three all new tests you can bench everything from smartphones and tablets to notebooks and home PCs, to the latest high-end, multi-GPU gaming desktops. Download here. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is an action role-playing stealth video game developed by Eidos Montreal and published by Square Enix. Set in a cyberpunk-themed dystopian world in 2029, two years after the events of Human Revolution, Mankind Divided features the return of Adam Jensen from the previous game, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, with new technology and body augmentations. Rise of the Tomb Raider Rise of the Tomb Raider is a third-person action-adventure game that features similar gameplay found in 2013's Tomb Raider. Players control Lara Croft through various environments, battling enemies, and completing puzzle-platforming sections while using improvised weapons and gadgets in order to progress through the story. The game is run on the Very High preset with FXAA enabled. Please note, the DirectX 12 API has been selected and an average from 3 benchmark runs is taken for the final result. BIOS and Overclocking Gigabyte’s revised BIOS layout is based on a simplistic design and clean aesthetic which makes navigation a simple task. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the BIOS, it’s a quick process to adjust to the logical arrangement. Additionally, the black background and white font combine rather well and the pin sharp text can be read from numerous angles. This is handy if you’re monitoring voltage changes while visually inspecting the motherboard. Overall, I’m really impressed with the BIOS’ functionality and modern style. It’s possible to cycle between the Easy Mode which lists essential readings on a single page and Advanced Mode for those who want to make more substantial changes. The Easy Mode is really useful for beginners who feel a little overwhelmed by the number of settings on offer and prevents them from making errors. As you can see, the Easy Mode provides details on the BIOS version, storage configuration, and CPU thermals. On the M.I.T page, you can access a large array of menus to adjust voltages, the CPU frequency and even allow the motherboard to automatically configure the fans based on thermal values. The BIOS automatically configures the CPU's base clock to 100MHz but this can be changed if you want to push the performance further. Of course, most users will simply want to leave this on the default setting and alter the multiplier. By default, this is set to 42, the i7-7700K's base frequency. Not only that, the BIOS has a number of pre-defined profiles for various processors and helps those without the overclocking expertise to run the CPU at a higher frequency. However, I’d recommend investing the time and finding out what the sample you have is capable of. Here we can see the memory tab which allows you to enable the DIMM’s XMP profile and manually enter the operational speed. Also, the memory timings options are useful if you want to tighten the standard timings to achieve better latency figures. The CPU voltage menu is packed with an assortment of variables including the Vcore, VCCIO and much more. This provides hardware enthusiasts with all the tools to finely tune the CPU and reach a stable voltage for the inputted multiplier. While the number of options may seem a little confusing, the average user can focus on Vcore and ignore other elements quite easily. Rather impressively, the memory voltage section contains a comprehensive range of settings to modify the individual channel voltages. The System Information tab outline key details about your PC such as the model name, BIOS version, and BIOS ID. The BIOS tab can be deployed to change the boot priority, configure an administrator password and choose between Legacy/UEFI modes. Here we can see the Peripherals menu which houses numerous options to select the primary display adapter, turn the RGB Fusion lighting on or off, enable/disable the onboard LAN controller and more. Honestly, you shouldn’t really need to mess with any of these settings as the default configuration is perfectly fine for the average user. Unless you have a high level of expertise, the Chipset section is to be avoided, but it’s still crammed packed full of useful features for those who enjoy tweaking every possible aspect of their system. Next up is the Power tab which can be deployed to enable or disable Platform Power Management, adjust the AC BACK mode and much more. Once again, you probably won’t be spending much time on this page. On the final page, you can save any changes, restore optimal defaults, adjust the default boot priority and load/save any overclocking profiles. Gigabyte’s Smart Fan 5 utility displays the current thermal readings and RPM values in a clear manner. Additionally, it’s possible to monitor the RPM curves and choose between normal, silent and full speed presets. Not only that, the manual setting is a wonderful addition which allows you to create your own curve based on temperatures. The graphic is really handy and makes custom fan graphs a simple task. Also, the astounding number of thermal readings helps to diagnose any problem areas. Updating the BIOS directly shouldn't take too long and the end-user is walked through the process via clear instructions and captivating images. All you have to do is make sure the flash drive is formatted to the correct FAT32 format and click update BIOS. Overclocking The Intel Core i7-7700K's overclocking headroom is certainly an improvement compared to the previous offering and it's possible to achieve 4.9-5.0GHz using modest voltages. However, keeping 5.1GHz stable is a herculean task and requires a huge increase in voltages from around 1.29v to 1.4755v. Despite my best efforts, the CPU wasn't stable with anything above this high figure and you'll need some exceptional cooling hardware. This is the kind of result I'm expecting from most motherboards as the CPU's maximum potential appears to be 5.1GHz. Software Overview Gigabyte has completely overhauled the App Center’s GUI which now uses a larger square window instead of being positioned on the system tray. While it takes up more desktop real estate, it’s a visually appealing design and a joy to use. The previous concoction featured huge icons and an overly bright colour scheme. This time, it’s a neutral main menu which evokes a sense of professionalism. The @BIOS utility displays the current BIOS details and allows you to update to the latest version via a server or downloaded file. Gigabyte’s EasyTune software offers similar functionality to the BIOS and allows you to overclock the CPU, memory and make other essential changes. The first page includes three profiles which configure the system based on your specific requirements or you can let the application analyse the thermals and cooling hardware to find a suitable frequency. Also, notice the useful information near the bottom which outlines your system’s key specification. On the Advanced tab, you can manually set the BCLK, multiplier per core, CPU voltage, VCCIO and a modify a whole host of complex settings. The Advanced DDR OC portion allows you to input the memory frequency, enable the XMP profile and make changes to the default timings. Next up is the Advanced Power section which can be used to adjust the Vcore loadline calibration and VAXG loadline. As its name suggests, Gigabyte’s Easy RAID utility makes setting up a RAID array ridiculously simple due to the user-friendly interface. Now, consumers don’t have to navigate through a command line or system outside of Windows to configure a RAID setup and enjoy huge sequential rates across multiple drives. The Fast Boot software has the option to quickly boot into Windows or directly enter the BIOS. Please note, the Ultra Fast setting will make it challenging to press the BIOS key in time due to the rapid boot times on NMVe storage devices. Here we can see the System Information Viewer which relays details on the CPU’s current parameters and its core specification. Furthermore, the menu contains information about the motherboard version and memory’s SPD. The System Information Viewer includes different fan profiles which prioritise raw performance, silent running or a combination of the two. In addition to the automatic fan configuration, it’s possible to create a custom curve by balancing thermal loads and the rate of CPU utilisation. This offers great flexibility for those users who prefer a more gentle or aggressive fan curve. If you’re concerned about your system exceeding a certain thermal threshold and potentially degrading the CPU’s lifespan, it’s quite easy to configure alerts when specific voltages are reached. The software’s record function is a great way of monitoring voltages, load temperatures and other essential values throughout idle and heavy usage scenarios. Gigabyte’s Smart Backup is fairly self-explanatory and has the ability to rescue a drive, backup essential files or recover your PC from a backup image created ever hour. In theory, this should protect your data without the need to perform laborious manual backups. The Smart TimeLock can restrict PC access for a particular interval or indefinitely to ensure other PC users aren’t spending too much time browsing the internet unsupervised. Here we can see the Smart Keyboard application which can be used to create macros, shortcuts and other commands. The V-Tuner is a graphics card overclocking tool which contains all the features you need in a compact user interface. Saying that, it’s very basic and you’re better off using something like MSI Afterburner to monitor overclocked performance. Gigabyte has developed a brand new RGB lighting tool which allows you to select from an array of transitional effects including pulse, colour cycle, double flash, wave and even sync the lighting to a piece of music. It's also possible to use the full RGB spectrum as a way of observing temperatures. On another note, the RGB Fusion software has an advanced mode to customise different sections of the motherboard and modify the colour, time interval and other attributes. The ability to have a different aesthetic for the I/O cover, PCH, memory slots and power circuitry is impressive and ensures the motherboard's appearance can be moulded to an individual's preferences. CPU & GPU Performance Cinebench The motherboard manages superb Cinebench R15 figures when using the CPU at its stock frequency. Once overclocked, the performance is remarkable and the multi-threaded score surpasses 1100. WPrime In WPrime, the Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 does quite well although it falls slightly behind rival offerings from MSI and ASUS. Saying that, the gap is tiny and shouldn't be a major concern. Once again, the overclocked result is exemplary and outperforms the company's higher-end Z270 solution. SiSoft Sandra Here we can see the motherboard attains another great set of scores and slots in behind the ASRock Z270 Extreme4. After the overclock was applied, the 100MHz frequency over many rivals was beneficial and helped to cement a strong second place. 3DMark During the 3DMark Fire Strike benchmark, the motherboard excelled and finished first while using the CPU's stock frequency. Once overclocked, the performance remained just as impressive and competed well with Gigabyte's Z270 premium creation. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided The motherboard selection doesn't really change the frame-rate in games and the data remains within an expected margin of error. Nevertheless, it's clear that the Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 is a great option for a gaming-orientated build. Rise of the Tomb Raider On a similar note, the motherboard had a strong showing during the Rise of the Tomb Raider benchmark. Memory Performance AIDA64 Engineer In terms of memory bandwidth, the motherboard is really good and outputs consistently high rates. SiSoft Sandra Here we can see the motherboard upholds superb memory bandwidth figures and outperforms a large portion of its rivals. Combined Latency Test Unfortunately, the memory latency isn't ideal compared to the competition. On the other hand, it's not a huge variation and won't impact on the performance in real world scenarios. Storage Performance Linear Read The Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 maintains an unbelievable M.2 rate and is the only Z270 product to surpass the 2670MB/s barrier. On another note, the SATA read speeds are great while the USB 3.0 rate deserves praise. Linear Write This time, the motherboard begins to struggle and the M.2 write has some sporadic drops, leading to a lower M.2 result. On a more positive note, the SATA write was excellent and the USB performance remained competitive. Networking Performance Passmark Performance Test 8 - Ethernet The motherboard gives you the option to choose between the Intel i219V and Killer E2500 networking hardware. Both of these provide a dependable throughput during TCP and UDP testing. According to my testing, the Intel option was better and included in the charts. Passmark Performance Test 8 - CPU Work Load As per usual for an Intel networking chip, the CPU utilisation is steady at one percent. Audio Performance The motherboard's audio performance is nothing short of astounding and easily eclipses many rival offerings. As you can see, the frequency response, IMD + Noise % and other vital areas are rated very highly. The only slight blip is the THD + Noise, dB(A) which improves a great deal at higher bit-rates. 16 Bit, 44KHz (DVD Quality) 16 Bit, 96KHz (Studio Quality) 24 Bit, 96KHz (Studio Quality) DPC Audio Latency Analyser Clearly, the motherboard has a really impressive audio latency. Power Consumption At stock settings, the motherboard's total system power consumption falls under a respectable 370-watts. Once overclocked, the power draw only increases by a small amount. Final Thoughts Pricing Unfortunately, there's been a complete lack of information regarding the Z270 motherboards and their retail prices. As a result, it's impossible to conduct a fair comparison between numerous products and assess the value proposition. Rest assured, once the full Z270 range is available to purchase, I'll be adding the appropriate links and revisiting the pricing analysis. According to my sources, it's likely vendors will add approximately £10-£30 compared to the previous generation. However, this doesn't help matters when a company unveils something completely new and the predecessor can't be researched to gauge a pricing estimate. Honestly, I'd expect more details to emerge during CES when PR contacts return from the holiday break. Overview The Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7's black and white colour combination evokes a strong response and looks rather stylish. More specifically, the bold, imposing I/O cover which connects to a hefty heatsink adds a more dramatic touch and contrasts beautifully with the stainless steel shielding around the DIMM slots and graphics segment. Also, the PCH mimics a shield with the AORUS emblem featuring prominently. This creates a gorgeous effect and the subtle metallic accents are tastefully done. Of course, you can opt for a more ostentatious approach using the company's RGB Fusion lighting system. Rather impressively, the lighting emanates from the PCI-E area, power delivery, audio isolation cover and other vital areas to offer superb customisation. You can individually program the lighting for different sections and even attach a 5050LED strip to the motherboard, then control it using Gigabyte's dedicated software. The illumination is absolutely stunning and can easily be viewed through a windowed side panel. On another note, Gigabyte deployed a high-end 12-phase digital power delivery, 10K black capacitors, hefty MOSFET cooling, anti-sulphur resistors and a 15 microinch thick gold plated socket. The company's Turbo B-Clock chip provides a wider range of BCLK adjustments to choose from between 90MHz and 500MHz which enhances the overclocking possibilities. The motherboard has eight hybrid fan headers supporting 2Ax12V which can all be controlled to use your hardware in the most proficient manner. Gigabyte catered to overclockers by embedding voltage readout points for the VCCIO, VAXG and more alongside a diagnostic post LED and onboard buttons. These come in really handy when assessing an overclock's stability and pushing the CPU to the absolute limit. The motherboard's audio solution is brilliant and revolves around a quad-core processor, EMI shield, separated isolation pathway and Nichicon capacitors. Additionally, the audio segment contains a Brown OPA2134 operational amplifier which can be replaced to suit your individual taste. Even though it's unlikely consumers will swap the Op-Amp, it's a feature which I'm pleased to see. Throughout the testing, the motherboard's audio excelled and it's certainly one of the best solutions I've ever tested with a lovely dynamic response. When it comes to connectivity options, the motherboard is superb and supports dual M.2, U.2, SATA, SATA Express, USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3. As a result, you can pair together three NVMe devices in an RAID0 configuration and achieve unbelievable read/write rates. Furthermore, Thunderbolt 3's 40Gb/s throughout is going to give the motherboard better longevity as the protocol becomes more popular. The storage performance was good, but the M.2 write has some for improvement. Gigabyte's latest BIOS is a joy to use and houses two interfaces for consumers with contrasting technical experience. The Easy Mode lists all the important system readings on a visually-pleasing page and allows you to make minor changes. This means, the end-user doesn't feel a sense of apprehension and worried they might change the wrong setting. The Advanced mode contains everything you need to modify the CPU multiplier, Vcore, PCH voltage and boot order. The revised fan tuning is much better and you can create a custom curve or allow the BIOS to automatically set the best configuration. In terms of performance, the motherboard is impressive and often features near the top. Interestingly, it's not overshadowed by the company's flagship Z270 offering and rivals products from other vendors. The CPU results in both stock and overclocked situations was great and defeated the majority of other options. Of course, the motherboard selection doesn't make a massive difference and it's mostly down to the CPU. Nevertheless, the Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 is a stellar product which cements the AORUS brand as a force to be reckoned with in the motherboard sector. Pros Dual BIOS Dual Gigabit networking Eight hybrid fan headers Excellent BIOS Ground-breaking audio performance Impressive range of onboard diagnostic tools Metal shielding Premium components Quad-Core audio processor Refined fan calibration Sophisticated aesthetic Spectacular RGB lighting Superb CPU results Supports dual M.2, U.2, Thunderbolt 3 and SATA Express Cons Disappointing M.2 write speeds Memory latency could be lower "The Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 comes with revolutionary audio hardware and supports high-speed protocols including U.2, M.2 and Thunderbolt 3. Not only that, the motherboard has a stylish, balanced design and incorporates a vivid form of RGB lighting." Gigabyte AORUS Z270X-Gaming 7 LGA1151 Motherboard Review Thank you Gigabyte for providing us with this sample.