Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master Review: USB Party in a Box

14 USB ports, but no USB 4

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Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Master
(Image credit: © Gigabyte)

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Firmware

Gigabyte’s Z790 BIOS doesn’t stray far from Z690. The only significant difference is that it’s updated for Raptor Lake processors and their additional functionality. The black-on-white/orange/yellow is a good contrast and easy to read in both BIOS modes. The Easy Mode presents high-level information about the system, switch the boot sequence, and enable XMP memory profiles. Advanced mode gives you access to all of the options you need to tweak the processor and memory. Most major overclocking/tweaking options are on the same page, with some power options in a different section. Otherwise, everything is laid out in a logical order and readily accessible.

Joe Shields
Joe Shields
Staff Writer, Components

Joe Shields is a staff writer at Tom’s Hardware. He reviews motherboards and PC components.

4 Comments Comment from the forums
  • jonathan1683
    worth it just for the 10Gbe
    Reply
  • dstarr3
    I'll be picking up a 13900k and a Z790 Aorus Master this holiday season. Can't wait
    Reply
  • Co BIY
    For me the DDR4 board numbers stand out. Not much loss from DDR5.

    I would love this board but $500 ? - too rich.


    Also:

    Real link for Gigabyte Z790 UD at $199 - https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813145420?quicklink=true
    Article link hits the Z690 - which might be the better deal.
    Reply
  • johanpmeert
    jonathan1683 said:
    worth it just for the 10Gbe
    Exactly.
    And add a GC-MAPLE RIDGE card and you get 2x TB4 ports. Since it has to be slotted in the chipset slot, it's far enough from the graphics card to not impede the cooling.

    Note to editor: there's a mistake in the specs of the mobo on top: it lists a 2.5Gbe NIC
    Reply