GIGABYTE Z590

Overclocking-focused Z590 boards from ASRock, Asus and Aourus contend for clock speed supremacy.

The GIGABYTE Z590 Aorus Tachyon offers both elements for gamers and content creators, but it should be noted that to benefit most from the features and functionality, it would require sub-zero cooling. There's plenty for typical users including Intel 2.5 GbE, Wi-Fi 6E, and USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C connectivity, but the overall design offers much more for extreme overclockers including the design layout, the premium power delivery, and as such, displayed some fantastic results in our overclocking testing. There's not much in the way of competition with the two main rivals, the ASRock Z590 OC Formula and ASUS ROG Maximus XIII Apex, both offering similar feature sets and containing a similar extreme pedigree. For enthusiasts and extreme overclockers, the Tachyon is a shining example of an extreme motherboard done correctly, but for the average joe, there's much more value in other Z590 options due to the large $530 price tag.

Our first batch of reviews of the Z590 on launch day showed us that the 11th Gen Intel CPUs were, if anything, split between models that were fabulous and everything you'd expect from a new Intel product - the i5-11600K - and a disappointing hot mess that was the Core i9. Naturally though the big Core i9-11900K is going to be the processor that tests the motherboards to their limit, and once we'd committed to testing with that we have to see it through. We want to always put the product under the "worst case scenario" of usage and the biggest CPU will always do that, even if we now know that the newest Core i9 doesn't get the job done with the panache of the earlier ones.

The Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra is a well-rounded board with high-end features and meaningful improvements over its Z490 counterpart. If you are in the market for a high-end ITX Z590 motherboard, the Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra is worth checking out.

The Gigabyte Z590I AORUS ULTRA packs a lot of features into a very small board. Those looking for an ITX Z590 board will be happy to see it still have two M.2 slots, PCIe 4.0 (when using 11th Gen CPUs) and much more to offer. The board also still remains to look pleasing with everything it has going on. The extra shielding, heatsink and heat pipe will also help to dissipate heat and keep temps as low as possible.

After almost a decade of total market dominance, Intel has spent the past few years on the defensive. AMD's Ryzen processors continue to show improvement year over year, with the most recent Ryzen 5000 series taking the crown of best gaming processor: Intel's last bastion of superiority. Now, with a booming hardware market, Intel is preparing to retake some of that lost ground with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors. Intel is claiming these new 11th Gen CPUs offer double-digit IPC improvements despite remaining on a 14 nm process. The top-end 8-core Intel Core i9-11900K may not be able to compete against its AMD rival Ryzen 9 5900X in heavily multi-threaded scenarios, but the higher clock speeds and alleged IPC improvements could be enough to take back the gaming crown. Along with the new CPUs, there is a new chipset to match, the Intel Z590. Last year's Z490 chipset motherboards are also compatible with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors, but Z590 introduces some key advantages. First, Z590 offers native PCIe 4.0 support from the CPU, which means the PCIe and M.2 slots powered off the CPU will offer PCIe 4.0 connectivity when an 11th Gen CPU is installed. The PCIe and M.2 slots controlled by the Z590 chipset are still PCI 3.0. While many high-end Z490 motherboards advertised this capability, it was not a standard feature for the platform. In addition to PCIe 4.0 support, Z590 offers USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 from the chipset. The USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard offers speeds of up to 20 Gb/s. Finally, Z590 boasts native support for 3200 MHz DDR4 memory. With these upgrades, Intel's Z series platform has feature parity with AMD's B550. On paper, Intel is catching up to AMD, but only testing will tell if these new Z590 motherboards are up to the challenge.

The GIGABYTE Z590 Aorus Master is available at Amazon for $410. Despite not including Thunderbolt 4 like the ASRock Z590 Taichi ($430), it shines above in other areas such as power delivery, networking support, and other rear-panel USB connectivity. At its current price tag, the Z590 Aorus Master is a solid option for users looking to avoid paying flagship prices. It has a 19-phase power delivery with high-quality components, 10 gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, triple M.2, and support for fast DDR4-5400 memory. This puts it as a very premium offering, but more than worth the cost if that's what you're willing to spend.

It's been a few weeks since the launch of the 11th Generation of Intel processors and their attendant Z590 motherboards. We've been waiting a while to bring you our full reviews of the Gigabyte trio, whilst the engineers at Gigabyte set about sorting out their BIOS. Eventually even our patience wears out, partly because we can't wait forever, but mainly because we know that it's important to give you, the potential customers, enough information with which to make your purchasing decisions.

The Gigabyte Z590 AORUS Master is a great-looking motherboard. The AORUS theme of black and gray is not as flashy as some designs, but there is excellent attention to detail. Additionally, the neutral color tones will make the Master a great platform for a wide variety of builds. Premium features like double-sided M.2 heatsinks and dual BIOS are rare inclusions and welcome additions. The RGB LEDs are the best I have seen on a Gigabyte board, with great brightness and diffusion. To top it off, Gigabyte even included 10 Gb/s LAN, which is uncommon at this price point.

While the price may put some off, this board is designed to offer Gamer’s everything they need from the new Z590 chipset, especially when paired with Intel’s 11th Gen CPUs. Coming with an abundance of features, connections and headers all in a very aesthetically pleasing design, the Z590 AORUS MASTER has something for everyone.

techpowerup.com (Higly Recommended) • Pros: + Powerful VRM design + Good overclocking + Attractive aesthetics + 10 Gigabit LAN + Dual BIOS Cons: - No Dual LAN - No PCIe x1 slots - Price

hexus.net (Recommended) The Good + Excellent power supply + 10G Ethernet + Dual BIOS + USB 3.2 2x2 + Good temps all round The Bad: - Top M.2 inoperable with 10th Gen CPU - A touch expensive

After almost a decade of total market dominance, Intel has spent the past few years on the defensive. AMD's Ryzen processors continue to show improvement year over year, with the most recent Ryzen 5000 series taking the crown of best gaming processor: Intel's last bastion of superiority. Now, with a booming hardware market, Intel is preparing to retake some of that lost ground with the new 11th Gen Core Processors. Intel is claiming these new 11th Gen CPUs offer double-digit IPC improvements despite remaining on a 14 nm process. The top-end 8-core Intel Core i9-11900K may not be able to compete against its AMD rival Ryzen 9 5900X in heavily multi-threaded scenarios, but the higher clock speeds and alleged IPC improvements could be enough to take back the gaming crown. Along with the new CPUs, there is a new chipset to match, the Intel Z590. Last year's Z490 chipset motherboards are also compatible with the new 11th Gen Core Processors, but Z590 brings some key advantages. First, Z590 offers native PCIe 4.0 support from the CPU, which means the PCIe and M.2 slots powered off the CPU will offer PCIe 4.0 connectivity when an 11th Gen CPU is installed. The PCIe and M.2 slots controlled by the Z590 chipset are still PCI 3.0. While many high-end Z490 motherboards advertised this capability, it was not a standard feature for the platform. In addition to PCIe 4.0 support, Z590 offers USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 from the chipset. The USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard offers speeds of up to 20 Gb/s. Finally, Z590 boasts native support for 3200 MHz DDR4 memory. With these upgrades, Intel's Z series platform has feature parity with AMD's B550. On paper, Intel is catching up to AMD, but only testing will tell if these new Z590 motherboards are up to the challenge. The Vision line from Gigabyte is targeted at content creators with a focus on connectivity, performance, and durability. The Gigabyte Z590 Vision G features a direct 13-phase VRM for clean power delivery. An ample helping of USB ports as well as 2.5 Gb/s Ethernet and four M.2 slots promote superior connectivity while the white aesthetic lends visual flare. Let's see how the Gigabyte Z590 Vision G stacks up against the competition.

If you are a serious creator or even a part time gamer, this board is perfect for you. You get amazing storage capabilities, with amazing transfer speeds. The Z590 VISION G is even capable of producing decent gaming benchmarks. This board is highly recommended if you are looking for something to handle massive amounts of data.

The Gigabyte Z590 AORUS Pro AX is a great-looking motherboard. The AORUS theme of black and gray is not as flashy as some designs, but there is excellent attention to detail. Additionally, the neutral color tones will make the AORUS Pro AX a great platform for a wide variety of builds. Premium features, like double-sided M.2 heatsinks and four M.2 slots along with a healthy complement of USB, allow the Pro AX to compete with much more expensive boards. Where the Gigabyte Z590 AORUS Pro AX falls short is the RGB LED implementation. The single RGB zone features great diffusion, but the brightness and effects feel dated.

What a Jekyll and Hyde motherboard the Gigabyte Z590 Aorus Pro AX is. We're aware that not everyone reads all of our reviews, and if you count yourself amongst those who merely look at the highlights then we definitely recommend you go back through and pay close attention. If all you did was look at the previous page with the temperatures, or the clock speed page with its 1.5V VCore, then you'd bin the Aorus Pro AX off without a second thought. Equally though, if you just looked at the benchmark graphs you'd have barely got half way through the review before heading to your local hardware emporium with credit card in hand.

Gigabyte has done a great job with the Z590 PRO AX motherboard. It has almost everything one could want including three PCIe 4.0 capable M.2 slots for super-fast NVMe storage, a great design and plenty of thermal options to help dissipate and reduce heat levels. On the performance side, again, nothing to worry about there as it goes toe to toe with all the other boards we have tested.