GIGABYTE X570 AORUS PRO WiFi Review

Today we’re looking at the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS PRO WiFi which is a 6-phase, doubled to 12 power section. Is it enough to run a 12-core 24-thread CPU like the RYZEN 9 3900X? With the ever-increasing core count on AMD CPUs this question is popping up continually and with the 16-core 3950X just around the corner, it becomes increasingly more relevant.  We’ll run it through our usual battery of testing and see how it holds up to the biggest mainstream CPU currently available.

Specifications and Features

The X570 AORUS PRO WiFi sits in the middle of that stack retailing for $269.99 from both Newegg and Amazon. GIGABYTE’s X570 prices range from $169.99 for the X570 GAMING X up to a whopping $699.99 for the X570 AORUS EXTREME. GIGABYTE made an effort to have something available across all of its models ranging from ITX to EATX for the launch of ZEN2 to accommodate all users.

The GIGABYTE X570 AORUS PRO WiFi supports AMD’s second and third-generation RYZEN CPUs and APUs using the AM4 socket and the AMD X570 chipset. The PRO WiFi is equipped with a 12+2 phase (six phases doubled) power section using 40 A PowIRstage MOSFETs for a total 480 A available to the CPU. Feeding power to the VRM is the required 8-pin EPS connector along with the optional 4-Pin ensuring ample power for these hungry multi-core CPUs.

The four memory slots on the PRO WiFi support up to 128 GB of DDR4 memory in dual-channel and are dressed with GIGABYTE’s “Ultra Durable Memory Armor” which provides some strength to aid against PCB flexing and also help prevent ESD interference. There’s support for ECC and non-ECC unbuffered memory with speeds up to 4400 MHz(OC). Memory speed is dependant on RAM size and the Ryzen CPU with only the 3000 series supporting such high speeds.

For PCIe expansion slots, there are three full-length PCIe 4.0 x16 slots of which only the top one is x16 electrically and shares bandwidth with the second slot for an x8/x8 configuration. Both of these slots have the Ultra Durable PCIe Armor for added strength. The third full-length slot is PCIe 4.0 x4 with its bandwidth supplied by the chipset. Just a reminder, PCIe 4.0 support is dependant on using the third generation RYZEN CPU. In addition to the full-length slots are two PCIe 4.0 x1 slots for add-ins, also fed from the chipset.

When it comes to storage the PRO WiFi has six SATA3 6 Gb/s ports which support RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10. We also have two M.2 ports with both supporting SATA drives and PCIe 4.0 NVMe drives up to 110 mm in length. Both M.2 slots have passive heatsinks with pre-applied thermal tape for added cooling.

The X570 Aorus PRO WiFi has a total of 19 USB possibilities ranging from USB 2.0 to USB 3.2 Gen2. Starting from the low-end we have eight USB 2.0 ports in total, four on the back panel and four available from two headers on the motherboard. There are three USB 3.2 Gen1 (5 Gbps) ports on the rear panel and four additional connections available through two internal headers. That brings us to USB 3.2 Gen2 where we find two on the back panel, one type-A and one type-C, plus one type-C available from an onboard header.

The PRO WiFi also features Intel’s GbE LAN with cFosSpeed internet accelerator networking which detects and prioritizes gaming traffic for smooth, stutter-free game performance. The PRO also includes Intel’s WiFi 6 802.11ax for speeds up to 2.4 Gbps and Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity.

GIGABYTE has also paid close attention to the audio, starting with the Realtek 7.1 channel, High Definition ALC1220-VB processor which is at the high-end of integrated audio solutions. PCB optimizations such as a fully separate audio section with dedicated left and right layers for EMI shielding and equal sound quality of both left and right channels. As well as other hardware such as a combination of Hi-Fi grade WIMA FKP2 capacitors and high-end Chemicon audio capacitors as well as a separate impedance sensing headphone amplifier.

Last but not least the PRO WiFi has a couple of areas lit by RGB LEDs, one strip on the plastic I/O shrouding and another along the audio separation strip. The board itself has five headers for LEDs, two of which are pinned out for addressable RGB LEDs. Combine this with GIGABYTE’s RGB Fusion 2.0 software to sync your main component lighting with the strips and compatible peripherals and you could have a literal Disco in a PC case.

We have also included a list of features sourced from the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS PRO WiFi website:

Supermicro C9Z390-PGW Features
	GET READY FOR AMD RYZEN 3000-SERIES GIGABYTE X570 motherboards based on the AMD X570 Chipset provide full support for 3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors. The all-new design is a testament to GIGABYTE’s dedication to design quality.
	Ultimate Power Design To unleash the full potential of the 3rd Generation of AMD Ryzen™ CPU, the motherboard requires the best CPU power design. With the best quality components and GIGABYTE R&D design capability, the X570 AORUS is a true beast among motherboards.
	Advanced Thermal Design X570 AORUS PRO WIFI reaches a perfect balance between style and performance by combining the media acclaimed Fins-Array heatsink and Direct Touch Heatpipe to provide 30% lower MOSFET temperatures for enthusiasts, overclockers and professional gamers
	Smart Chipset Fan Heatsink Smart Fan: Provides 3 different operating modes to minimize noise and extend the fan’s longevity. Silent, Balanced and Performance modes, choose the mode that suits you the best in any situation. High Durability: X570 motherboards adopt a high-quality ball-bearing fan which guarantees 60,000* working hours.
	With GIGABYTE Q-Flash Plus, you don’t need to install the CPU, memory and graphics card nor enter the BIOS menu to flash the BIOS. Just download and save a new BIOS file (rename to gigabyte.bin) on the USB flash drive, then press the dedicated Q-Flash Plus button and you’re good to go!
	Full PCIe 4.0 Design X570 AORUS pushes the envelope once again by featuring Full PCIe 4.0 Design, including PCIe 4.0 slots, PCIe 4.0 M.2 connectors and delivering highly optimized performance and flexibility demanded by power users and extreme gaming enthusiasts.
	Industry Leading Ultra Durable PCIe Armor The innovative one-piece stainless steel shielding design from GIGABYTE reinforces the PCIe connectors to provide the extra strength required to support heavy graphics cards. Ultra Durable™ Memory Armor: AORUS’ exclusive one-piece stainless steel shielding design prevents against PCB distortion/twisting and plate bending, in addition to preventing any possible ESD interference.
	High-End WIMA & Audio Capacitors The AORUS motherboards boast a combination of Hi-Fi grade WIMA FKP2 capacitors and high-end Chemicon audio capacitors. While the high-end audio capacitors are suited for high-grade audio equipment, using state of the art technology to provide rich sound in the bass and clearer high frequencies, the WIMA FKP2 capacitors are being used widely in premium grade Hi-Fi systems. The addition of this to the exclusive AOURS AMP-UP Audio technology makes for the ideal onboard sound solution for the most demanding audiophiles.
	Smart Fan 5 With Smart Fan 5 users can ensure that their gaming PC can maintain its performance while staying cool. Smart Fan 5 allows users to interchange their fan headers to reflect different thermal sensors at different locations on the motherboard. Not only that, with Smart Fan 5 more hybrid fan headers that support both PWM and Voltage mode fans have been introduced to make the motherboard more liquid cooling friendly.
	RGB Fusion 2.0 With AORUS Motherboards, RGB Fusion 2.0 is even better with Addressable LEDs.* RGB Fusion 2.0 offers users the option to control onboard RGB and external RGB / Addressable LED light strips for their PC. Already feature filled with colors and patterns, RGB Fusion 2.0 on X570 Series AORUS Motherboards are now upgraded with Addressable LED support. With external Addressable LED strips*, where each LED is digitally addressable, users can experience even more patterns, styles, and illuminations.

Retail Packaging and Accessories

The packaging for the X570 AORUS PRO WiFi is fairly standard fare using the typical flip-up box. The exterior is dominated by the GIGABYTE eagle but they left enough room for the name of the board and a few key features identifying the family of processors it accommodates and the chipset it’s using. Turning the box over GIGABYTE goes into more detail on the PRO WiFi’s specifications. Once open we see the PRO WiFi wrapped in an anti-static bag and beneath that are the accessories.

Accessories included with the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS PRO WiFi:

• SATA 6Gb/s Cables 4
• LED Cable 1
• Antenna Set
• M.2 Screw 2
• Case Badge 1
• G-Connector 1
• DVD Driver DVD 1
• User Manual 1
• Quick Installation Guide

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Meet the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS PRO WiFi

The PRO WiFi is mainly black with some grey stripes running diagonally from bottom left to top right and a large AORUS Eagle on the chipset fan heatsink. The only RGB on the PRO is located in the IO shroud and a thin line running vertically down the left side of the board showing through the audio separation strip. GIGABYTE has also printed their “TEAM UP. FIGHT ON” slogan on the IO shroud and the board name on the upper M.2 heat sink.

Turning the board over reveals the pin-out for the three full-length PCIe 4.0 slots with only the top one being x16 electrically. Around the AM4 mounting bracket, we can spot the IR doublers and near the bottom right, in this picture, are a couple of PCIe 4.0 redrivers that are needed to maintain a strong, clean signal.

Overall the board has a nice clean look to it and if the onboard RGB isn’t enough there’s are multiple LED extension headers, two of which are addressable.

A Closer Look

Moving in at the top left side of the PRO Wifi is a plastic IO shroud covering all the rear panel connectors.  You can faintly see the AORUS moniker and just below that is where the onboard RGB LED shine through. Just in front of the shroud, we can make out GIGABYTE’s “Fins-Array” heat sink which they claim can disperse up to 300% more heat than traditional heat sinks of the same size. It’s joined to the multi-cut heatsink above it with a direct touch heat-pipe which is separated from the VRM with LAIRD 1.5mm thick, 5W/mK high thermal conductivity pads. Nestled between the heatsinks we find the 8-pin and 4-pin EPS 12 V (4-pin is optional) to feed power to the processor.

Moving over to the right side we have a couple of 4-pin PWM fan headers for CPU cooling plus two RGB LED headers one of which is addressable. It’s hard to make out in this picture but there is an additional LED header to the left of the lower cooler mounting bracket. Below the fan and LED headers we have the four DIMM slots equipped with GIGABYTE’s Ultra Durable Memory Armor for added rigidity and ESD shielding. Along the right edge between the mounting hole and the 24-pin ATX connector is a small white button. This is for activating the Q-Flash Plus which allows you to update the BIOS without having a CPU in the socket. Moving down the side we have three more 4-pin PWM fan headers and a USB 3.2 Gen2 header.

Moving down to the lower half of the X570 AORUS PRO WiFi we have all the PCIe 4.0 slots, dual M.2 and SATA3 headers, as well as the AMD X570 chipset. Starting on the left we see the audio section, this is comprised of the Realtek ALC 1220-VB HD Audio with Smart Headphone Amp which automatically detects the impedance of your head-worn audio device located under AMP-UP cover. GIGABYTE also uses a combination of Hi-Fi grade WIMA FKP2 capacitors and high-end Chemicon audio capacitors.

In the center of the board, we have three full-length PCIe 4.0 slots which are configured as x16/x8/x4 or x8/x8/x4 if the second slot is populated. Bear in mind that PCIe 4.0 can carry twice the bandwidth of PCIe 3.0 so the nearly negligible losses of x16 to x8 won’t be found here. The upper two full-length slots are also equipped with GIGABYTE’s one-piece stainless steel Ultra Durable PCIe Armor for added strength and rigidity. The PRO WiFi also has support for AMD Crossfire and Nvidia SLI technologies. Between the PCIe 4.0 slots, we have two M.2 headers with heatsinks for added cooling. Both slots support SATA and PCIe 4.0 (and 3.0) drives up to 110 mm in length.

Moving to the right we have a large chipset heatsink and fan with the AORUS eagle pictured on it. Because of the introduction of PCIe 4.0, the X570 chipset tends to run a bit warm hence the inclusion of the fan. This fan has three user-set operating modes to balance between silence and performance and a high-quality ball-bearing fan which guarantees 60,000 working hours. To the right, we have six SATA3 6 Gb/s ports for storage.

Across the very bottom edge from left to right, we find the front panel audio, ARGB and RGB LED headers, the TPM plus two each USB 2.0 and USB 3.2 Gen1 headers. Above these headers, we also find a dual-pin EC sensor header and the CLR CMOS pins located above the G Connect front panel header.

The X570 AORUS PRO WiFi comes with a preinstalled IO shield adorned with the AORUS eagle. From the left, we have four USB 2.0/1.1 ports and the WiFi antenna connections. Next in line is the HDMI is HDCP 2.2 compliant and supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio formats with resolutions up to 4096×2160@60 Hz. There are two blue and one white USB 3.2 Gen1 headers, the white one is to be used for the Q-flash plus, two USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A (red) and one Type-C. There’s one RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet LAN port which provides up to 1 Gbps and the 7.1 channel speaker connectors with an S/PDIF output.

The right picture is of the SATA ports, there’s a total of six 6 Gb/s ports here with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10.

Below is an image of the X570 AORUS PRO WiFi without its heatsinks note the strip of LAIRD thermal tape on the VRM and the heatsink. You can see there is very good contact for thermal dissipation.

The power delivery on the PRO WiFi starts with the 24-pin ATX, 8-pin, and 4-pin 12 V EPS connectors. GIGABYTE uses solid pins for these connectors which offer more contact area giving higher power and heat tolerance for added durability and lifespan. The CPU is powered by a 12+2 configuration regulated through an IR 35201 8-phase PWM, two phases continue for the SOC and the remaining six pass-through IR3599 doublers on their way to the IR3555M 40 A power stages.

The slideshow below covers many of the IC’s used on the board:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

UEFI BIOS and Overclocking Software

The GIGABYTE X570 BIOS has an easy mode as well as an advanced mode like most of the other board partners. The PRO WiFi starts in easy mode by default which displays the system’s stats like CPU and memory speed as well as voltages and temperatures. Along the left side of the window is a list of shortcuts allowing quick access to Q-flash, Optimized defaults, and Smart Fan settings. You can also access the Advanced Menu by pressing F2.

Switching to the Advanced Mode brings up your Favorites list of commonly used entries such as CPU multiplier, V_Core, XMP, and CPU LLC settings. Across the top are all the menus contained in the advanced section which can be easily accessed via a mouse click or using the directional arrows on your keyboard. Each page also lists CPU and memory speed and voltage along with temperature along the right-hand side of the screen.

New to GIGABYTE’s BIOS is a more centralized overclocking section named “Tweaker”. I’m sure I can speak for others here as well but previously their BIOS was a bit of a chore to navigate when just trying to overclock. It seemed like everything was located in different sections. After tons of feedback, GIGABYTE has centralized most if not all of the necessary settings needed for overclocking onto one page. Of course, there are some sub-menus for advanced CPU and memory settings but 95% of users will find everything they need here.

Also, new this time around is an AMD Overclocking section. This section is common across all vendors and was implemented by AMD. They wanted a standard across all BIOS for overclocking their CPUs so this was injected via the AGESA code and is locked out. This means that vendors do not have access to this portion so it is identical across all AMD boards.

Below is a slide show displaying the majority of the BIOS screens you will find on the X570 AORUS PRO WiFi:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Overclocking/Monitoring Software – EASY TUNE

Like many other board partners GIGABYTE has went to a centralized “APP Center” for all the motherboard’s software. You can still choose which software is installed but the access interface is through the APP Center. This is where we find their Easy Tune proprietary software for overclocking within Windows. Easy Tune offers a lot of system information and access to modify CPU/Memory settings as well as voltages.

The APP Center also contains the System Information Viewer (SIV) which is how you access the Smart Fan5 software for customizing your cooling/acoustics in Windows, this is also accessible in BIOS. We also find the RGB Fusion 2.0 software here for control over the onboard and extended RGB LEDs as well as compatible peripherals.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Test Setup and Performance

Here we take a slightly different approach to CPU testing with ours based on a lot of Hwbot.org benchmarks since that is what we are known for, overclocking and benchmarking. We use real-world testing as well with Cinebench, x265, POV-Ray, and 7Zip in order to give readers a good idea of the general performance of the product tested.

Thanks go out to EVGA for providing the CLC 240 CPU Cooler and 750 W G3 Power Supply to cool and power the system. With our partners helping out, we are able to build matching test systems to mitigate many differences found between using different hardware. This allows for multiple reviewers in different locations to use the same test system and compare results without additional variables.

We’ll perform our usual set of benchmarks which test rendering, memory performance, and single/multi-threaded CPU performance. For 2D benchmarks, we’ll use SuperPi 1M and 32M, wPrime, and Y-Cruncher. For rendering it’s Cinebench R20 and R15. Memory performance is checked against the AIDA64 test suite. For encoding, we use x265 (HWBOT Version) and PoV Ray. A more real-world test is included in 7zip. Testing is performed with the CPU at stock speeds (set BIOS optimized defaults, XMP only no MCE). Memory speed is 3600 MHz using the XMP profile unless otherwise specified.

Performance

AIDA64 – Memory Bandwidth and Throughput

AIDA64 – CPU Tests

AIDA64 – FPU Tests

As is expected when comparing motherboards the results were quite consistent throughout the AIDA64 testing suite. The one standout is the Photo benchmark where the other two boards scored about 15% higher. The biggest difference between motherboards is where Precision Boost would top out on any given benchmark which seems to vary by board and BIOS version.

Real-World Tests

Pi and Prime Based Tests

Here again, we have one standout which is the SuperPi benchmarks. The 3900X never did reach its maximum boost clock of 4.6 GHz on the PRO WiFi topping out at 4450 MHz which really shows when comparing the single-threaded results. As was mentioned this can easily be fixed with an updated BIOS.

Gaming Results

The gaming results I found particularly interesting. Across the 1080p and 1440p tests, the X570 AORUS PRO WiFi had a slight lead in every game except Ashes of the Singularity; Escalation. This is impressive despite the precision boost inconsistencies.

Power Consumption

The power consumption results are also a bit misleading. I never could pinpoint why the idle consumption seemed to be so high. 28 W higher than the MSI board when sitting idle we can only assume there’s something in the BIOS causing this. Also, notice the consistent power usage across the stress tests, this I know is BIOS-related since it’s the same behavior as seen from the MSI GODLIKE during the initial Ryzen 9 3900X review. Great care was taken to ensure all motherboards were using BIOS based on the same AGESA. They were all using AGESA Combo 1.0.0.3 but it was impossible to tell if it was ver. A, AB, or ABB since the board partners didn’t label these files or describe them with that much detail in their respective download sections. This is the only way to explain the differences in boost clocks. Take the Prime95 small FFT results as an example. Both the ASUS and MSI boards boosted up to 3950 MHz during the stress test but the GIGABYTE, on the other hand, topped out a 3800 MHz. This reduced its voltage requirements, which in turn lowered the power draw quite significantly.

Overclocking

Overclocking went quite well using a 360 mm EK Predator CLC. An all-core overclock of 4.25 GHz was achieved using 1.38 V. The V-Droop (voltage drop under load) was quite severe on this board – when left on auto the board would drop from 1.4 V to 1.25 V under load. Moving the LLC (load line calibration) to the Tubo setting improved this somewhat, but it was not able to hold a static voltage. At 1.38 V it would still drop to 1.32 V under load. We were still able to max out the board thermally but at a nice stable overclock. As you can see below an all-core OC of 4.25 GHz made some decent improvements across all the benchmarks.

Conclusion

Despite being a mid-range motherboard (price-wise) the GIGABYTE X570 PRO WiFi handled itself remarkably well and even excelled during the gaming tests.  Overclocking a 12-core 24-thread CPU went well despite the V-droop. The PRO WiFi has a slightly less robust power section than the competitors but that didn’t stop it from pulling 375 W from the wall during the prime95 small FFT test while overclocked. GIGABYTE’s Fins-Array and direct touch cooling method kept the VRM under control and no throttling was noticed during use.

The $200-$300 price range of X570 motherboards is very competitive and the GIGABYTE X570 AORUS PRO WiFi sit just above the halfway point at $269.99. The onboard storage layout is fairly standard having dual M.2 with heat sinks and six SATA 6 Gb/s ports but they also include a ton of USB connectivity. GIGABYTE has added its premium audio with an impedance sensing headphone amp and three RGB LED extensions as well as two ARGB LED extensions which opens up a multitude of lighting possibilities. We also have the Ultra Durable PCIe and Memory Armor for added strength and longevity and their Fins Array/direct touch cooling keeping the power section temperatures down even while overclocking the Ryzen 9 3900X.

Overall the X570 AORUS PRO WiFi is a very capable motherboard, even compared to some that are more than double the cost. GIGABYTE has also reorganized the BIOS, making it much more user-friendly when trying to tune for performance. It also overclocked AMD’s biggest AM4 CPU that’s currently available to 4.25 GHz on all cores performing just as well or even better (in gaming benchmarks) than our comparison samples proving that it can still keep up with the “big boys”.

Shawn Jennings – Johan45

Related Articles:

• AMD Ryzen 9 3900X and Ryzen 7 3700X CPU Review

• AMD Ryzen 5 3600X CPU Review

• Radeon RX 5700 XT and RX 5700 Graphics Card Review