Gigabyte's Next Generation Motherboards

Gigabyte recently invited us to sunny San Diego to showcase their upcoming line of next generation motherboards. With the theme of "Fast Track to Gen X - SPEED SIMPLIFIED," Gigabyte aims to provide users with a seamless and high-speed computing experience. During the event, we also had the opportunity to visit the USS Midway Museum, a major landmark in the city.

The new motherboards, set to be officially announced soon, will take advantage of future processor capabilities on the LGA 1700 socket. The X series, which includes eight boards ranging from the B760M Aorus Elite X AX M-ATX to the Z790 Aorus Tachyon X, offers a wide range of options for users. While pricing details for all the boards are not yet available, we did receive information on five of them. The prices range from $279.99 for the Z790 Aorus Elite X AX to $999.99 for the Z790 Aorus Xtreme X.

These new motherboards are compatible with current generation Intel processors and provide a solid foundation for next generation processors. They also offer overclocking abilities specifically catered to future CPUs. Gigabyte has focused on speed and simplicity with these boards, allowing for easy overclocking of DDR5 up to 8266 MHz and beyond with preset XMP profiles in the improved BIOS. Additionally, Gigabyte has partnered with HWiNFO to provide additional access to memory and BIOS tuning capabilities.

Several of the new boards will include WiFi 7 with high-gain antennas, further emphasizing the theme of speed. Gigabyte has also made improvements to the design, replacing plastic M.2 latches with metal and spring-loaded ones for tool-less installation of SSDs or heatsinks. The main PCIe slots on these boards are reinforced for added durability and secured with a mounting plate and screws.

Gigabyte has also improved the manufacturing process to enable higher memory speeds with "Back Drilling Technology." This eliminates unused ends of vertical traces between the layers of the PCB, reducing signal reflections and timing issues. The manufacturing step is visible on the backside of the PCB. During the event, Gigabyte showcased four boards, including an all-white Z790 Aorus Pro X, which offers a mix of unique features such as Ultra Durable PCI-E Armor, EZ-Latch release, Back Drilling, and M.2 Thermal Guard XL.

Other notable boards in the lineup include the Z790 Aorus Elite X WIFI 7, which comes with the latest generation wireless standard and a black PCB. The Z790 Aorus Master X offers an XL heatsink and EZ-Latch Plus for easier ejection of the GPU. The Z790 Aorus Extreme X is the top-of-the-line board with an embedded LCD screen and M.2 Thermal Guard Extreme heatsink.

In addition to the boards, Gigabyte has introduced features such as improved WiFi antennas, vented IO backplates for better airflow, and a Sensor Panel link connector for data display. Detailed specifications for each board can be found in the provided slides.