There was a time when Gigabyte flooded the market with numerous boards all based on the same chipset and feature set, with only minor, nearly indiscernible differences. They would tweak a network controller here or remove a SATA controller there. Needless to say, few of us welcomed this approach, as it complicated the decision-making process when choosing their motherboards.
I had thought those days were behind us, but Gigabyte is once again following a similar pattern with the Gaming X AX, which, for all practical purposes to the end user, is indistinguishable from the Z790 Aorus Elite AX.
As the name suggests, the 790 Gaming X AX is built around the Z790 chipset, offering support for PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 memory. It’s designed around the LGA 1700 socket and is compatible with Intel 12th, Intel 13th, and next-gen CPUs. Worth noting is that the board doesn’t have a Gen5 M.2 socket; instead, Gigabyte has opted to support up to four Gen4 M.2 sockets. This decision aligns with the board’s price point and intended user base. Gen 5 SSDs are still relatively scarce, costly, and not typically what a buyer of such a motherboard owns.
Setting aside PCIe storage support, the Gaming X AX offers a standard set of features, all relying on native chipset capabilities. This isn’t a major issue because the Z790 platform comes equipped with ample connectivity options, making the need for additional third-party controller chips unnecessary, if not redundant.
However, there is one area where Gigabyte could have invested more, and that’s in the audio department.
Gigabyte doesn’t specify the audio controller on the motherboard, but it is a low-end Realtek codec, the ALC897, to be precise. While the choice of audio codec is a poor way of assessing audio capabilities, it does raise questions about the surrounding components that are likely chosen to match this controller. To that end, Gigabyte supports this Codec with high-end audio capacitors and PCB shielding to minimise electrical noise. All things we’ve seen before are in line with the price-sensitive buyer the board is hoping to entice. Since the intended audience is likely to use a USB headset, the audio component may not be of significant concern. As for audiophiles, they would probably opt for the SPDIF output and process audio through a more capable device.
Visually, recent Gigabyte boards have adopted a more appealing design. The days of using Aorus orange on heatsinks and other board elements are gone, replaced with a pleasing combination of metallic greys and white accents against a dark PCB. This graphic design, along with the hefty heatsinks, contributes to the board’s overall attractive appearance.
For those looking for RGB lighting, you may be disappointed as there is none. Instead, the Gaming AX provides four RGB/ARGB headers to accommodate your lighting needs. The only lighting on the motherboard is a four-light POST cluster, each LED corresponding to CPU, DRAM, VGA, and BOOT success.
Moving on to the rear IO, the Gigabyte Z790 Gaming X AX takes a relatively conservative approach. It boasts ten USB ports, with two being 10Gbps, three at 5Gbps, four USB 2.0 ports, and just one Type-C 20Gbps port. This is a missed opportunity, considering that the chipset natively supports ten USB 3.2 10Gbps ports, in addition to ten 5Gbps ports from the PCH. The rest of the rear IO follows Gigabyte’s typical layout, featuring two stereo mini-jack outputs and two SMA connectors for the WIFI and Bluetooth dongle.
Speaking further to WIFI, the Gaming X AX comes in three revisions, 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2, with the primary difference being the WIFI controller used. Version 1.0 employs the Intel AX210 controller, 1.1 uses the Intel AX211, and 1.2 opts for the Realtek 8852 option. It’s uncertain which version you’ll receive at retail, which isn’t ideal as some users may have issues with a particular network controller and thus need to know exactly what controller they’ll get when they purchase the board.
Setting all that aside, let’s delve into performance. The Gigabyte board utilises a 6-layer PCB. Typical of entry-level boards from all manufacturers. This matters because 6-layer boards typically reduce high-speed DRAM support, especially when compared to 8- and 10-layer PCB options. Surprisingly though, the Gaming X AX still manages to support DRAM kits rated up to DDR5 7600. Noteworthy since Gigabyte’s competitors often support kits up to DDR5 7200 only.
As much as enthusiasts appreciate this, the truth is most users tend to opt for memory in the DDR5 5600 to DDR5 6400 range, meaning this high-speed DRAM support will remain untapped.
As if in recognition of this, Gigabyte has included custom DRAM profiles in the BIOS ranging from DDR5 5200 all the way to DDR5 6400. In the advanced menu, users can identify the DRAM IC used on their memory and select the corresponding DRAM profile. It is a simple addition to the BIOS, but one that’s appreciated as it makes it easy to extract more performance from the memory without the need for DRAM tuning knowledge. That said, it’s important to note that using these BIOS profiles will override the applied DRAM XMP settings.
The last thing to mention relating to performance has to do with CPU voltage settings. Nothing particularly unusual for Gigabyte, but the load line options, even after all these years, are still perplexing. Gigabyte insists on making users choose between synonymous options such as “standard,” “normal,” and “medium”. It is unclear why they don’t use levels from 1 to 8 like other motherboard vendors. As a general recommendation, however, it’s advisable to leave this setting on “Auto” or “Turbo.” Other settings either supply excessive CPU voltage or insufficient voltage under load. This quirk typically doesn’t impact performance, but in more advanced overclocking scenarios, it can complicate matters.
The greater challenge for the Gaming X AX is that it lacks voltage offsets for the E-core clusters. While this might not concern most users, it’s noteworthy in that, like the P-cores, the standard voltage supplied under load is higher than necessary. This leads to increased heat output and power consumption, which in turn prevents the CPU from maintaining its highest clock frequency, or, if it does, it’s for brief periods.
On the Core i9-13900K used for testing, for example, each E-core cluster’s voltage can normally be reduced by up to 65mV. Considering there are four such clusters within the CPU, the reduction in thermal output by the E-cores (An increase in overall CPU thermal headroom) allows the P-cores to sustain their 5.5GHz operation. Unfortunately, Gigabyte’s board lacks this ability to reduce E-core cluster voltage, meaning the CPU may not reach its peak performance levels as it would on motherboards with this option. However, for most applications, particularly gaming and everyday use, this performance discrepancy is minimal as it mainly manifests in synthetic benchmarks.
In summary, the Gigabyte Z790 Gaming X AX is a capable motherboard. Its most significant advantage lies in its ability to deliver a well-rounded set of features at a highly competitive price point. It even manages to offer a few extras to sweeten the deal. At the current price of R5,400, it’s difficult not to recommend this board to buyers seeking a budget-friendly option.
