The Intel Z590 Motherboard Overview: 50+ Motherboards Detailed
by Gavin Bonshor on January 19, 2021 10:15 AM ESTGIGABYTE Z590 Aorus Elite & Elite AX
Representing the mid-range of Intel's Z590 chipset is the GIGABYTE Z590 Aorus Elite, and the Wi-Fi 6 enabled Z590 Aorus Elite AX. Aside from the Intel Wi-Fi 6 CNVi, both models are identical in design and aesthetics, with an advertised 12+1 phase power delivery, with support for 128 GB of DDR4-5000 on an ATX PCB. The design follows a simple black and silver color scheme, with RGB LEDs built into the Aorus logo at the bottom of the chipset heatsink.
The GIGABYTE Z590 Aorus Elite and Elite AX include two full-length PCIe slots, the top one supporting up to PCIe 4.0 x16, while the bottom slot is locked to PCIe 3.0 x4, with one PCIe 3.0 x1 slot also present. For storage, the Elite pairing includes two M.2 slots, one PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slot with a heatsink, and a second slot supporting both PCIe 3.0 x4, and SATA drives. GIGABYTE also includes six SATA ports with support for RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 arrays for more conventional storage devices. A total of four memory slots located in the top right-hand corner allow for up to DDR4-5000, with a combined total capacity of up to 128 GB.
The GIGABYTE Z590 Aorus Elite (top) and Z590 Aorus Elite AX (bottom) rear panels
Both the GIGABYTE Z590 Aorus Elite and Elite AX models include one USB 3.2 G2x2 Type-C, five USB 3.2 G2 Type-A, and four USB 2.0 ports, with a single DisplayPort 1.2 video output. A Realtek ALC1220-VB HD audio codec powers five 3.5 mm audio jacks and S/PDIF optical output, while GIGABYTE includes a Realtek RTL8125 2.5 GbE controller. On the Z590 Aorus Elite AX, GIGABYTE uses an Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 CNVi with support for BT 5.1 devices. The middle red bottom USB port, with what says BIOS next to it, would be the BIOS flashing port.
At the time of writing, GIGABYTE hasn't shared any details on its Z590 models' pricing.
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rahvin - Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - link
You do know all the telemetry and spyware in windows was backported to Windows 7 a long time ago right?If you don't want the windows telemetry you're only choice is to no use windows. Either accept it and use Win10 or Skip it and use Linux like any sensible person. In fact I'd argue Linux runs the old games better than windows does.
Sticking with an EOL windows 7 doesn't protect you from the telemetry and it only makes you vulnerable to the EOL product security.
bigvlada - Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - link
I have been using W10 Privacy for a few years. It can disable telemetry and uninstall almost all non core components of Windows 10 like weather, store, xbox or edge. Install classic start menu and you'll have most of the windows 7 feel, without tiles.Silver5urfer - Thursday, January 21, 2021 - link
There are so many tools that can slipstream latest updates and you can do it with tools or packs that have no telemtry too, like simplix and you can avoid any sort of telemetry crap. I have been using Win7SP1 only on a machine since a long time why didn't I get bit by ransomware by that.Nope Linux doesn't run games that well, Proton is good but it cannot run everything and there are so many mods that are not possible for Linux, tell me does GTA 4 run on Linux with Script hook ? Or GTA V ?
Win7 can get fully security updates from Extended support from MS and they can be installed without any Telemetry it makes the OS far more stable than a Win10 which is a constant bugged trash.
Beaver M. - Thursday, January 21, 2021 - link
Not nearly close to all.Thats why Windows 10 was pushed that hard, even was (still is in some cases) free. Because they wanted more data from you than they were able to get with the other OSs.
In any case, you can block that telemetry and other spying very well with external tools or guides.
You can pretty much block all MS and affiliated servers from ever contacting Windows.
DanNeely - Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - link
Expect the number of SATA ports to keep going down, they compete with USB3 and PCIe lanes for chipset capacity and as flash becomes ever more affordable the number of people needing them is going down. I suspect larger numbers will linger for longer on the more budget friendly chipset boards more commonly used for DIY NASes; but suspect within a few years if you want a 8/6 (and maybe even 4) DIY nas you'll need to install a SATA card to connect the drives.lmcd - Tuesday, January 19, 2021 - link
You're worried about performance but need to enable Aero on Windows 10? Yikes. And you're complaining about improved out-of-the-box security? Windows Defender is a good thing. I'm glad that Windows has an out-of-the-box AV, it's much needed. The release cycle can be deferred easily, just stick to the Fall updates. Don't be a baby. Don't remove things protecting you from the pointy end of your tinfoil hat like Defender either.AMD never enabled Ryzen on Windows 7 and there have always been problems. The biggest red flag is that Ryzen SMT requires a new Windows scheduler that was incompatible with backporting to Windows 7. So you're asking for an entire kernel overhaul for an OS over a decade old that released back when the top-of-the-line was a Bloomfield quad core and AMD hadn't even started its Bulldozer debacle!
If you want a lightweight OS, you should try DOS. I heard there's no spyware in that at all. Also if you want proof that Ryzen 3000 doesn't actually work with Windows 7, there's a specific crash in Paint.NET that only happens on Ryzen on Windows 7. And there's no solution. The code causing the crash is a simple thread allocation that works on every combination of Windows 7 and supported hardware, as well as Windows 10 and its supported hardware.
So honestly, shut up. Use old hardware with your old OS, or use new hardware with a new OS.
Spunjji - Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - link
Savage, 100% accurate though.Silver5urfer - Thursday, January 21, 2021 - link
Z490 Z390 Z270 all were not supported on Win7 as per Intel and MS. But they all run Win7 with all latest updates too (Yeah Win7 has security updates that you can install selectively and avoid telemetry). And X470 supports Win7 as well, needs modding but they all support Win7. X570 can run Win7 too.DX12 games run on Win7, COD games, CB2077 are DX12 only yet they run & Nvidia RTX3000 series has Win7 driver support so your 2008 and 12 years old OS is running latest HW how about that reality check ?. And SMT Is not there in Win7 for Ryzen ? If you do not know about things properly you should never comment, esp that information about Defender. Did I even ask man about your opinion on this ? It's useless software that blocks all the files and a big processor cycle hog on the background. If I want an AV I would get Malware Bytes and run it for free. Or ESET. Defender is very bad Software for the same reason it is having so many tutorials on the Internet for blocking it.
Here's X570 with SMT on Win7 for your disinformation.
watch?v=A6_MdxMUpRE (use YT domain, AT has spam checker for links probably so it got removed)
Everything is not a tinfoil hat that you do not understand. Why should I defer all the updates ? You say like you block all updates and update at the end of the year, it's not like that at all. Win10 20H2 is super unstable POS OS. Yet you are naive of that information. Esp Patch Tuesdays at Woody have so much of info on how unstable this is.
Just shut up and do not spread disinformation if you have anything to say that helps with achieving Win7 on the Z590 share it else keep it shut. Oh and also do you realize it's from 2015 when Threshold 1 was released and full of bugs and it took more than 3 years to beat Win7 desktop marketshare, basically until 2018 Win10 was under Win7 netmarketshare at less than 42% of world wide desktop os share. These are called facts. Not unsubstantiated stupid posts.
WaltC - Wednesday, January 20, 2021 - link
I run nothing but advance beta versions of Win10 not released publicly--speaking of stability, can't recall the last time the system crashed it was so long ago. Anyone who cannot get Win10 running stable simply doesn't know what he's doing, imo, as it requires very little effort to do so, if any. I have no irrational paranoia about being "spied on", either....;) People who think other people want to see their pizza, grocery, and other eCommerce orders are nuts, imo. It's amusing how people think to guard their systems as if they held more gold than Fort Knox, when the reality is nobody is interested in what's in their systems--it's totally boring.Oxford Guy - Thursday, January 21, 2021 - link
MS has put all the resources that would go into things like good UI into making sure the stability is there so the spyware won't be interrupted.: )