The AMD X570 Motherboard Overview: Over 35+ Motherboards Analyzed
by Gavin Bonshor on July 9, 2019 8:00 AM ESTGIGABYTE X570 I Aorus Pro WIFI
The GIGABYTE X570 I Aorus Pro WIFI is the vendors only small form factor model in its X570 product stack. GIGABYTE introduces its X570 I Aorus Pro WIFI model into the mid-range segment with a nice variety of features including a mini-ITX frame with a 6+2 power delivery, an Intel Wi-Fi 6 wireless interface, and a Realtek ALC1220-VB audio codec.
Firstly, there are two DDR4 memory slots which support up to 64 GB. Storage is provided by four SATA straight-angled ports, with two PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, one of which includes a thermal guard which works in collaboration with the actively cooled X570 heatsink; the other is located on the rear of the PCB. The X570 I Aorus Pro WIFI has a single full-length PCIe 4.0 slot which has a coating of metal armor reinforcement. In the top-right corner are two memory slots which support DDR4-440 with a maximum capacity of up to 128 GB. For enthusiasts and performance junkies, the GIGABYTE X570 I Aorus Pro WIFI has an 8-phase power delivery using International Rectifier MOSFETs in a 6+2 configuration. The rear panel cover is also quite elegant with a metal finish further adding an element of premium to the board.
It's the controller set which makes this board a more mid-range offering with a single Intel I211-AT Gigabit port, a Wi-Fi 6 capable Intel AX200 802.11ax interface, as well as a Realtek ALC1220-VB HD audio codec which drives the three 3.5 mm audio jacks. Also on the rear panel is dual HDMI outputs with a DisplayPort too, making this board suitable for multi-display capable for use with Ryzen based APUs. Aside from a single USB 3.1 G2 Type-A, and Type-C, the rest of the boards USB capabilities come from USB 3.1 G1 Type-A ports.
With a solid blend of aesthetics, a neatly packed in active cooled M.2 and X570 chipset heatsink, the GIGABYTE X570 I Aorus Pro WIFI has a decent feature set. The GIGABYTE X570 I Aorus Pro WIFI is also a bit of a mouthful, so I'm not too keen on such a longly named product SKU, but for users looking for a competitively priced mini-ITX model, this board has an MSRP of $219 at launch.
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abufrejoval - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
It's amazing how quickly you run out of PCIe lanes, when you don't have switches to multiplex and translate between PCIe revisions and lanes (e.g. PCIe v4 x2 <-> PCIe v2 x8).I find myself using USB 3.x NBase-T NICs and NVMe adapters, simply because they *do* switch.
Bensam123 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Maybe a bit more depth on the power delivery page. I have absolutely no idea how to go about parsing what's there. More chokes is better? What denotes a power phase?A5 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
+1. Some analysis of that information would be helpful.MrSpadge - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
+1bunkle - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
The controller column includes the total number of phases supported split between CPU cores and SoC e.g. (6+1) = 6 CPU phase and 1 SoC phase. More is *usually* better but has diminishing returns regarding tighter and tighter voltage regulation. Some controllers are better than others (can operate at high frequency e.g. 500KHz v 1000KHz, include other features to improve performance) mitigating the need for more phases.Each phase is a buck converter comprised of a low/high side MOSFET (can be integrated in a single package) and choke. Some controllers can support doubling up the PWM signal to driver more MOSFETs. Doublers can also be added as discrete components if not built into the controller.
Current rating of the MOSFET (e.g. Sic639=40A IR3555=60A) indicates the total power deliverable. MOSFETs are not 100% efficient and vary in efficiency. The more current they provide the hotter they get and the less efficient they become, with better MOSFETs producing less heat for a given current. Thus using doubles can improve temperatures and efficiency without the benefits of the tighter voltage tolerance that *real* phases provide.
Hope that’s helpful!
bunkle - Wednesday, July 10, 2019 - link
A lot more detailed explanation: https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/voltage_regulator_mod...bug77 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
The description for AsRock X570(M) Pro4 says "5 jack + 1 SPDIF". Unfortunately, those boards lack SPDIF and only come with 3 jacks ;)Smell This - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
I'm thinking the *ASRock Thunderbolt AIC* ...https://thunderbolttechnology.net/product/asrock-t...
would cover all your TBT peripheral needs, including optical.
DanNeely - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Do X570 boards still need an extra chip per USB port to support USB-C reversibility?The additional expense and needed PCB space were cited as among the reasons why earlier generation boards (IIRC both Intel and AMD) almost never had more than 1 C port; but it was never clear to me if that was an inherent implementation penalty for the C port or an artifact of Intel's tech stack being stalled out and AMD outsourcing to ASMedia which built the chipsets on an ancient (55nm) platform.
DigitalFreak - Tuesday, July 9, 2019 - link
Gavin - X370 and X470 only supported PCIe 2.0. The connection between the CPU and chipset was 3.0, but all the ports on the chipset were 2.0.