Gigabyte Z490 AORUS Master Motherboard Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The Gigabyte Z490 AORUS Master Motherboard is a premium motherboard, so it does come in at a higher price to reflect that. In the UK you’ll be looking at £379.99, and in the US about $389.99. So why is it about £90 more than the fantastic AORUS Pro AX? It’s also a £100 more than the Z390 version was at launch? Because it’s better in just about every way!

Overview

Gigabyte has really gone to town on this motherboards design. It still has the same general theme, but it’s completely refitted. If they can cram in more heatsink, more premium materials or improve something, it looks like they have. Within reason of course, this isn’t the XTREME edition after all. It screams “PREMIUM” from the moment you set eyes on it, but it’s more than just a makeover, as all the hardware is of a high standard too.

Build Quality & Design

This motherboard is very well made, and it’s also incredibly heavy. There are huge heatsinks all over the board, and all that raw material certainly doesn’t come cheap. Furthermore, there’s a huge backplate/heatsink on the motherboard keeping everything rigid, but also adding more weight. The black and grey design looks stunning, and all the polished armour really stands out between all that.

Performance

As with most motherboard launches, the performance was broadly the same throughout all the new Z490 motherboards. What changes is how each motherboard delivers that performance and how it can maintain it. The Master comes VERY well equipped with an impressive 14 Phase Digital PWM design and fantastic 90A Power Stages, a big step up over previous models. The Fins Array II heatsinks will help keep all that in check, ensuring you’re getting the big boost clocks more often than not.

Added Value

There’s no shortage of features here, with triple full-size PCIe lanes, all armoured. Triple M.2 mounts, all armoured and cooled. USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, 3.2 Gen 1 and 2 USB headers, Thunderbolt connector, temperatures sensor headers, noise detection, and so much more. Plus, you get amazing networking with the 2.5GbE LAN and Intel WiFi 6.

Audio comes from the SabreHiFi with the ESS ES9118EQ DAC, offering support for 7.1 channel HD audio and DTS:X Ultra.

Should I Buy One?

The Master is still one of the best motherboards out there. A little bit more expensive than most mid-range boards, but has a foot firmly in the enthusiast market as well as the gaming market. If you want great connectivity and you plan to overclock the heck out of your CPU, the Master is a great weapon of choice.