GIGABYTE X570 AORUS Master (AMD Ryzen 3000/X570/ATX/PCIe4.0/DDR4/USB3.1/ESS 9118 Sabre HiFi DAC/Fins-Array Heatsink/RGB Fusion 2.0/3xM.2 Thermal Guard/Gaming Motherboard)

At first release in 2019 many of the X570's including the early revisions of this model were problematic for what amounts to early adopters/testers who posted negative reviews. My experience is nothing but positive for revision 1.2 which is what is being sold as I write this.If you want a fully loaded X570 Motherboard with top VRM's for overclocking or just full stability and cool temperatures, 3 onboard PCIE 4 NVMe's, 2 Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, plenty of 2 Amp fan headers, RGB headers, multiple types of external USB case headers, a Top motherboard DAC & sound options this is a board for you. Yes, it also has the 4 lead Thunderbolt header for the optional Thunderbolt accessory next to the SATA connectors. I have no current plans for the Thunderbolt, but it is a nice option to have when reselling this board in the future.Revision 1.2 is with the current Bios is solid and stable. This is my second purchase of this motherboard and I admit the first one that was version 1.0 had some problems, but that was the 2019 version from 2 years ago. My review is based on what's being sold today. BTW - I did save $100 buying the Warehouse Deals version that claimed to have minor cosmetic flaws that turned out to be nothing but scratches on a 2nd hidden film layer which stubbornly removed to reveal a perfect board underneath that included all accessories. I recommend used from Amazon Warehouse deals only - not other vendors nor I'm I crazy about repaired or refurbished with missing accessories sold by 3rd party vendors.This board booted the first time powered on and has not had a hiccup since. I did update to the latest BIOS the first time I powered it on. Yes, it will update the Bios with or without a CPU and memory - so ignore reviews that say otherwise. In other words, you do not have to buy or borrow an older CPU or take it to a shop for a Bios update if you purchase with a 5000 series CPU and the BIOS is an older version.I upgraded to this X570 AORUS MASTER board from the X470 WiFi Gaming 7 which I was happy with, but I had been running short on space on my old NVMe boot drive thus a larger NVMe was required and since PCIE 4 drives were available and faster I decided to upgrade to a PCIE 4 capable motherboard (X570 AORUS MASTER) at the same time with other potential new Ryzen advantages, but I'm still using the 3900x due to 5900x unavailability.Turns out the PCIE 4 NVMe drive not only runs faster, but it's cooler on this board because the top NVMe drive port is not covered by your GPU like it was on the Wifi Gaming 7 X470, leading to a much cooler operating temperature drive.However note the 2nd NVMe port is now under the GPU instead, but that's not my primary boot drive running hotter anymore while the 3rd port at the bottom of the board remains unobstructed, but you will give up 2 of your SATA ports if you use that 3rd NVMe port option.Getting around Bios is a great improvement over the X470, just more user friendly and intuitive.The Sound has also improved over the X470 version and I can hear much more subtle details and it is all crystal clear without any static. I don't there there's better integrated sound options out there short of buying extra professional sound CARDS and DAC's.I'm using this X570 AORUS MASTER as my daily driver for work, Internet and light gaming which thus far hasn't had a hiccup and just looks and feels solid.ASUS used to be my primary goto boards because I liked the Bios and the EXTRA troubleshooting codes and onboard reset buttons, but since they stripped away those options from all but top tier boards (no Strix or PRIME) I've been using Gigabyte at a lower price point with dual Bios's, the troubleshooting codes and reset buttons since Ryzen came out and with this X570 MASTER version with the latest bios is as good or better than any of the ASUS models in the price range or their top tier boards.If I notice anything particularly good or bad about this motherboard I will add to this review, but I just wanted to write a good review to counter some of the older obsolete negatives that it doesn't currently deserve as I wouldn't hesitate to use it in another build today.

I’m by no means knowledgeable when it comes to motherboards. I can only compare this to my past builds, the most recent of which was an ASUS z-170a. This is the first MoBo of this pricing tier I’ve ever purchased. Put into a Define 7, teamed with a 5800x and PNY 3080. Predictably, it is much better in every respect and I have no complaints.BIOS/Processor compatibilitySaw some reviews stating a CPU-boot is required to update the bios. This is completely untrue, and anyone stating such just isn’t paying attention to a prominently displayed feature. To get this ready for the 5000 series I used the Q-Flash functionality and it was totally painless. Just power the MoBo and CPU slot, plug in the USB, turn on the PSU and hit the button.I’m coming from the Z-170 era ASUS bios, and while things are laid out a bit differently I feel that this organization is at least as good. XMP options are easy to set, and manual overclocking is pretty easy to find. I will say that it took me a second to realize some options could be set manually, because clicking them did not allow me to: I had to press enter. It could be made more obvious visually, but this obviously stops being an issue after you figure it out the first time.TempsI’m seeing a lot of 5800x-specific temp issues reported by others (irrespective of MoBo) but haven’t had any myself. Not sure whether that’s down to this MoBo, the EK-AIO, or the binning of my specific chip. While some report spikes to 90c and immediate throttling, mine only hits that figure in specific scenarios while Auto-OC is enabled (The SSE portion of Passmark, specifically). Seems related to the amount of voltage being applied to the cores. After setting an OC of 4.75Ghz and peak voltage of 1.35 I haven’t seen it above 80, even in Passmark.I haven’t seen anything untoward in the temps of the other components.AudioSound quality appears to be fantastic, though there’s some ambiguity as to whether the front and back panel audio offer the same quality, and this may vary based on your case. I’ve plugged my ATH-M50x headphones into the back and am very happy with the result. I feel that it’s noticeably better than my last MoBo.Mic input works and seems to be good. Definitely don’t have a discerning taste here. I have an Antlion attached to my headphones I use for Discord chat, Roll20 sessions, stuff like that. No issues.Fans/RGBPlenty of fan headers, especially if you’ve got a hub (the Define 7 does). I have a fan in just about every position and there’s room for all of them. Seems easy enough to tune fan curves in the BIOS, I just haven’t looked into this myself yet. The defaults, while a little loud, have been fine for me so far given the temps.I have a solid case, so RGB isn’t important to me, but some of my peripherals (EK-AIO) have this feature, and there seem to be plenty of headers to accommodate a flashy setupThe chipset fan doesn’t seem to ever run if this is an issue for you. I see some complaints about temps in other reviews but haven’t encountered the issue myself.WiFi/LANSo far, I've just been using the Wifi with a home router. No Wifi 6, but much better connectivity than the USB-based solution I had for my prior MoBo. No surprises there. If I get a Wifi 6 router or very long LAN cable I'll update this.MiscMy ASUS z-170a had several quirks I was too lazy to investigate fixes for that don’t appear here. Specifically, I would have to go to the sound control panel for my audio sources to show up for selection. No issues here.More connectivity than I foresee myself using in the near future. Many high-speed USB slots, plenty of room for storage expansion.