The AMD X570 Motherboard Overview: Over 35+ Motherboards Analyzed
by Gavin Bonshor on July 9, 2019 8:00 AM ESTGIGABYTE X570 Aorus Ultra
The GIGABYTE X570 Aorus Ultra sits in between the X570 Aorus Master ($359) and the X570 Aorus Pro WIFI ($269) in its current product stack. The X570 Aorus Ultra is however more similar to the X570 Aorus Pro WIFI in terms of feature set with a Realtek ALC1220-VB audio codec, an Intel I211-AT Gigabit NIC, while it shares the same three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots as its more expensive brother in the X570 Aorus Ultra. This model essentially takes some features from both the board above and below in the product stack.
There are three full-length PCIe 4.0 slots which run at x16, x8/x8, and x8/x8/x4. This means the X570 Aorus Ultra has support for two-way NVIDIA SLI and up to three-way AMD CrossFire multi-graphics card configurations. Also present is two PCIe 4.0 x1 slots, while the board also benefits from three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots which each comes with its own individual heatsink. For users not adopting M.2, there are six SATA ports which have support for RAID 0, 1 and 10 arrays. The four memory slots include support for DDR4-4400 and with a maximum capacity of up to 128 GB. The aesthetics aren't as overbearing as the X570 Aorus Xtreme, but the rear panel cover which extends down to cover the audio PCB does feature integrated RGB LEDs.
On the rear panel is two USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, one USB 3.1 G2 Type-C, three USB 3.1 G1 Type-A and four USB 2.0 ports. A set of antenna ports for the Intel AX200 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface are present, and the single Ethernet port is controlled by an Intel I211-AT Gigabit NIC. The five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output are controlled by a Realtek ALC1220-VB HD audio codec, while a single HDMI output is featured for users to use Ryzen APUs with integrated graphics.
The GIGABYTE X570 Aorus Ultra as previously mentioned takes shades from both the model below and above with the three PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots of the X570 Aorus Master while keeping the same 12+2 phase power delivery of the X570 Aorus Pro WIFI model. With an MSRP of $299, the GIGABYTE X570 Aorus Ultra doesn't include a premium NIC and for the extra $30, the X570 Aorus Master does seem to offer its worth. Users do however have the choice to run with two PCIe 4.0 x4 slots, and the GIGABYTE X570 Aorus Pro WIFI at $269 for $30 less is also an option.
225 Comments
View All Comments
Zibi - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
Check over ASRock Rack X470D4U. Serverthehome have short review of it and it sibling.Eastrider - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
A quick mention, the Gigabyte Aorus Elite doesn't have an ALC1220, but ALC1200. Lovely write up otherwise!gavbon - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
Thanks for that, updated!BloodyBunnySlippers - Friday, July 12, 2019 - link
I've had trouble finding the difference. I see references to the 1200 from 2008. Is it that old a chip?Zibi - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Thank you very much for the article. The feature comparison on the last page was especially valuable. I'm concerned with the longevity of the active cooling solution all these boards seems to require. Would it be possible for you to to write a sentence or 2 about the possibilities of the DIY replacing in case of the fault ?It would be bit of shame to have to throw away such expensive MoBo due to the faulty cheapo fan.
OTOH looking on those prices I start to lean about picking X470 Taichi Ultimate. I'm looking for the better network connection to my NAS and it looks like 270$ X470 Taichi Ultimate featuring 10 Gbe is the cheapest and the quietest option.
gavbon - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
If in doubt, get a 10G NIC add-on cardZibi - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
True this is an option as well.It's bit more expensive though, as there is limited amount of options in my country :-/
patrikor - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Question about the MSI x570 Godlike's m.2 slots:The manual says M2_3 is the slot provisioned by the CPU's pcie lanes. However, this is the farthest slot from the CPU. Moreover, on all the other MSI boards I've looked at, M2_1 (the closest to the CPU) is the one provisioned by CPU lanes.
Do I trust the manual here or trust my gut?
The_Assimilator - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Nothing about the fact that almost none of these boards, except the highest-end and most expensive ones, have no more than 8 USB ports on the back panel?TheUnhandledException - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
How many usb ports do you need on the back panel? Are you just spec shopping for the sake of spec shopping?