Gigabyte Z790 Elite AX motherboard feature review and tests

This is my feature review of the Gigabyte Z790 Elite AX motherboard. A surprisingly affordable motherboard that packs in some really decent specs with four NVMe ports, PCIe gen 5 GPU support, WiFi 6E and much more besides, all for a very affordable price frankly.

In this video I'm unboxing it and showing the setup process for the motherboard as I went about building it in the Lian Li Lancool 216    • Lian Li LanCool 216 RGB build guide w...  

I was surprised to see just how well this motherboard performed considering it's price.

Highlights include:
- The potential to RAID multiple PCIe gen 4 drives at x4 speeds
- Support for DDR5 RAM upto 76000 MT/s
- Multiple 5V and 12V RGB headers (perfect for my RGB build)
- understated design aesthetic but not understated features
- Decent bios settings options

Lowlights:
- Some problems with XMP causing boot loops
- RGB complaints



Please note links listed here include affiliate links which may earn me a commission. Find out more below.*
Amazon US - https://amzn.to/3H1p1Ge
NewEgg - https://newegg.io/nc6fe9ee99
Amazon UK - https://amzn.to/3Lh6ict
Amazon FR - https://amzn.to/3LifkGg
Amazon IT - https://amzn.to/41MDmOO
Amazon DE - https://amzn.to/41rd2Kw
Amazon CA - https://amzn.to/3LgVrz5


In this video I'm using the following specs:

Motherboard - Gigabyte Aorus Z790 Elite AX https://amzn.to/3MJ82MN
CPU - Intel Core i5-13600K
RAM - 32GB Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 6000Mhz RAM
PSU - NZXT C1200 Gold    • NZXT C1200 Gold ATX 3.0 PSU install g...  
NVMe SSD - Corsair MP600 GS (https://go.corsair.com/gbmMY2)
NVMe SSD - WD_Black SN850 (   • How to install WD_Black SN850 and che...  )
GPU - Gigabyte RTX 4070 TI 12G OC https://amzn.to/3KKJfW9
Fans - Lian Li AL120 V2 -    • Lian Li AL120 V2 fan wiring guide - s...  
AIO - Corsair H150i Elite LCD    • Corsair H150i Elite LCD install and b...  
RGB - Lian Li Strimer V2 Plus 600 watt 12VHPWR RGB cables    • Lian Li Strimer V2 Plus 600 watt 12VH...  
Lian Li Strimer Plus V2    • Lian Li Strimer Plus V2 installation ...  
SSD - Kingston A400 SSD

Related videos worth watching:
Lian Li AL120 V2 fan wiring guide    • Lian Li AL120 V2 fan wiring guide - s...  
Lian Li Strimer V2 Plus guide    • Lian Li Strimer V2 Plus 600 watt 12VH...  
Essential things to do with your RAM    • Essential things to do with your RAM ...  
Common RAM Mistakes    • Common RAM Mistakes You Didn't Know Y...  
PC Fan Setup logic    • Common Mistakes You Might be Making w...  
Don't make these mistakes with your NVMe SSD installation    • Don't make these mistakes with your N...  
Essential things to do when you first build your PC    • Essential things to do when you first...  

Specs of the Gigabyte Z790 Elite AX motherboard

CPU LGA1700 socket: Support for the 13th and 12th Generation Intel Processors
Memory Support for upto DDR5 7600(O.C.)
up to 192 GB (48 GB single DIMM capacity) of system memory
1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2160@60 Hz
1 x DisplayPort, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096x2304@60
Realtek® Audio CODEC High Definition Audio
Support for S/PDIF Out LAN
Realtek® 2.5GbE LAN chip (2.5 Gbps/1 Gbps/100 Mbps)
Intel® Wi-Fi 6E AX211
BLUETOOTH 5.3
Support for 11ax 160MHz wireless standard and up to 2.4 Gbps data rate
Expansion Slots
CPU:
1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 5.0 and running at x16 (PCIEX16)
Chipset:
1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 4.0 and running at x4 (PCIEX4_1)
1 x PCI Express x16 slot, supporting PCIe 3.0 and running at x4 (PCIEX4_2)
1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2A_CPU)
2 x M.2 connectors (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD support) (M2P_SB, M2Q_SB)
1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 SATA and PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD support) (M2M_SB)
6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10 support for NVMe SSD storage devices
Chipset:
1 x USB Type-C® port on the back panel, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support
1 x USB Type-C® port with USB 3.2 Gen 2 support, available through the internal USB header
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red) on the back panel
5 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
Chipset+2 USB 2.0 Hubs:
8 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers)
Internal I/O Connectors
1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
2 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connectors
1 x CPU fan header
1 x water cooling CPU fan header
3 x system fan headers
1 x system fan/water cooling pump header
2 x addressable LED strip headers
2 x RGB LED strip headers
4 x M.2 Socket 3 connectors
6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors...

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/...


PLEASE NOTE

Affiliate links*:

Disclosure: Shopping links within the description of this video generate a commission at no extra cost to you. These are added for your convenience but other retailers are available. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Products:
Products featured may also have been sent for free for review/testing purposes. Often these have to be returned by me, but not always. I endeavour to avoid bias in my videos wherever possible and try to give honest, subjective opinions.