Benchmark Results and Final Analysis
All standard benchmarks and power tests are performed using the CPU’s stock frequencies (including stock AMD Turbo), with all of its power-saving features enabled. Optimized defaults are set in the BIOS and the memory set. The memory is manually set up to run at DDR4 3200 MHz ( the base spec for Zen 2), at 16-18-18-38 primary timings.
Synthetic Benchmarks
Synthetics are a great tool to figure out if a board is running out of spec, as identical settings should produce extremely similar performance results. Advanced memory timings are the one place where motherboard makers can still optimize for either stability or performance though, and those settings can impact some testing.
In our synthetic set of tests, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite performed admirably, trading blows with the other X570 models we’ve tested. All results were within general run variance difference, with no anomalous data points. In general, Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO) showed some improvement across most tests, but not much overall.
3D Games
Checking in on the games, here we also see parity among the other boards tested and do not find any appreciable differences. PBO didn’t do much for gaming, especially at the higher resolution.
Timed Applications
The timed applications also show little difference overall. A tenth of a second separates the LAME results, while the Corona result shows just a couple of percent difference between worst to first. The same goes for Handbrake testing. PBO resulted in an improvement here of a couple percent, which is one of the better results using that feature.
Overall Performance
Overall performance differences between the boards we tested were negligible. The Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite’s worst showing was .4% slower than the average and best was 2% faster. We could rerun these tests and get a slightly different story. So for all intents and purposes, the boards performed the same overall.
Power and Relative Energy Efficiency
When talking power consumption, the Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite idled at 60W, the lowest result by several watts, and used 145W in Prime 95 Small FFTs. The average was 103W, the least amount of power overall. When enabling PBO on this board, the load use jumped to 215W in the same test.
Overclocking
I was excited to finally get overclocking and see what this inexpensive motherboard was able to accomplish. After a bit of tweaking, the X570 Aorus Elite was able to push our Ryzen 7 3700X to 4.16 GHz at 1.32V. Anything beyond this point yielded a near-instant stoppage of AIDA64’s stress test. Our EVGA CLC 240 cooler was able to keep the 3700X below 90 degrees celsius, which was adequate. But for those who would like to push larger chips, chances are a 240mm AIO of any type won’t be sufficient.
On the memory side of things, we were able to load up our G.Skill Trident Z Neo 4x8GB DDR4 3600 16-16-16-36 sticks without issue. Much beyond that value, the memory divider hits 1:2 situation and overall performance tends to drop without much in the way of increased speeds. AMD said DDR4 3600 is the sweet spot, and we're able to reach that without issue.
Overall, the Gigabyte board clocked well and brought the chip to its limit. We’ll test overclocking on the Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus Wi-Fi and other boards as time goes on and see if they can do a better job, but from what we’ve seen in our own testing and elsewhere, the CPU itself is putting a lid on things.
Final Thoughts
The Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite has proven itself to be a solid board with a sub-$200 price point, and it’s currently one of just a few boards under that threshold for X570. The Elite showed good performance overall, and was able to handle everything our suite threw at it when running stock, using PBO as well as manual overclocking. So don’t let the entry-level price fool you.
The board includes a total of six SATA ports, dual PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots (one with a heatsink) and a good number of USB ports, including USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports out back and the front panel. However, it does not have a USB Type-C port on the rear IO. If that is a requirement, it will have to come from your chassis’ front panel.
If we compare this board to the Asus TUF Gaming X570-Plus Wi-Fi (also priced at $199) it comes with eight SATA ports, 8-channel audio (using a modified ALC1200 codec), and included Wi-Fi. That’s a more generous collection of features at the same price point. If you need the extra SATA ports and Wi-Fi, the Asus will be the better choice on that front.
But if you’re going to be using Ethernet, and don’t need a full cadre of SATA connectors, your choice may come down to aesthetics. On that front, the Aorus Elite’s theme agnostic approach won’t offend anyone and likely not wow them either. And if you like this board’s looks and would like wireless connectivity, the X570 Aorus Elite Wi-Fi costs about $10 extra, or $209.
Image Credits: Tom's Hardware
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