Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 3 Test

Anyone planning to build a system effectually Intel's smoking-new eighth-generation CPUs would do well to allocate a decent chunk of the budget to a new motherboard. Intel's "Coffee Lake-Due south" processors don't support older chipsets, which ways picking up a Z370 lath is a must.

Although the Z370 represents a small-scale update to Intel's desktop chipsets, we dubiety that will deter the passionate DIY builders from springing for an Intel 8th Gen processor and a new board. Nosotros recently looked at both the Intel Cadre i7-8700K and the inexpensive-just-spicy Cadre i5-8400 and found both to be solid chips for gamers.

As usual, Gigabyte offers multiple motherboards sporting the new chipset, including some from its Aorus high-end gaming line. Today, we're taking a look at the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7, which boasts both a flashy design and an array of gamer-friendly features.

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The Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 typically retails for $249.99, or $50 above the Aorus Gaming 5, which runs a little lighter on features. While $250 may be a large chunk of your PC build budget, it'due south middle-of-the-route pricing for a gaming board from a major motherboard maker.

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Pattern and Features

For all its features (including three G.two slots and onboard Intel Hard disk drive Graphics), the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 looks remarkably clean and organized. The slick black, grayness, and white color scheme goes well with the steel bands that surround nearly all of the motherboard'south PCI Express and retentiveness slots. But in that location is more to the lath's layout than the styling. As nosotros'll hash out later, we constitute the Z370 Aorus Gaming seven very like shooting fish in a barrel to work with while building a system around it.

The top half of the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 is decorated, but it doesn't await cluttered. Gigabyte opted for a massive shield over the I/O components. In fact, the shield is so large, part of it extends over ane of the two heatsinks protecting the power phases. The tiered effect makes for an interesting look and creates enough of room for the Aorus branding.

Speaking of the power phases, Gigabyte makes much of the Gaming 7's all-digital pulse-width modulation (PWM) controllers and high-cease chokes. Sturdy power design is worthwhile for whatever motherboard, just particularly for gaming boards, which are likely to see overclocking.

The large ability phase heatsinks work with a nearby M.2 slot and the system retention slots to cordon off the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7's LGA 1151 CPU socket. The socket supports Intel eighth Gen Core i7, Core i5, or Core i3 CPUs, but it isn't backwards compatible with pre-"Coffee Lake" processors.

You have plenty of room to install a sizable CPU cooler hither, even if your retention DIMMs have large heatsinks. The only component that comes anywhere near crowding the CPU socket is the superlative 1000.2 slot's heatsink, but fifty-fifty that likely won't affect the CPU installation. If you don't plan to put a storage module in that M.2 slot, you can easily remove the heatsink altogether. (You might even move it to an identical M.2 slot just below the board'due south top PCIe x16 slot, merely the design of your graphics card could rule out that choice.)

Gigabyte kept the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7's four memory slots well away from other components, and so it was free to put pollex tabs at both ends of the slots. It wrapped all four slots in steel and filled the gaps with LED lighting.

Unlike the motherboards that support Intel'due south Core X-Series processors, Z370 motherboards have just four memory slots, by and large supporting 64GB of memory—one-half of the memory supported by a board similar the Asus ROG Strix X299-E Gaming. The Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming vii's dual-channel slots support 64GB of memory at speeds up to DDR4-4133.

Much of the lower half of the lath is dedicated to the Z370 chipset and its massive heatsink. Gigabyte took the opportunity to create a multi-layered heatsink encompass that boasts an LED-lit cutout of the Aorus logo, forth with two other lights.

Gigabyte loaded the left side of the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 with half dozen PCI Express slots, three of which are PCIe x16 slots. The design allows for three-way AMD CrossFire or two-way Nvidia SLI configurations, should you lot want to go the multi-card route. Each of the slots features steel wrapping, which makes for a stronger connection to the motherboard. If you attend LAN events or carry your PC to friends' houses, yous're putting extra pressure on the hardware as you lot shuffle the PC from one identify to the next. Steel wrapping like this is meant to protect the slot for your heavy graphics card.

Iii PCI Express x1 slots sit between the x16 slots. Gigabyte besides managed to clasp a total of three M.2 slots into the expanse for Intel Optane Memory buffs. The top M.2 slot sits near the processor, as we mentioned earlier. Two of the slots are size 22110, meaning they support storage devices up to 110mm in length, while the lower slot is a 2280. All three slots support devices as curt at 2242. Only 1 of the slots has a heatsink (which Gigabyte refers to equally a Thermal Guard).

A Gigabyte Turbo B-Clock IC sits near the center of the board, simply above the tiptop PCIe x16 slot. The chip is a nod to overclockers, giving them more control over frequency adjustment during overclocking sessions.

When it comes to lighting, the Z370 Aorus Gaming seven is loaded. Gigabyte'south RGB Fusion LED lighting packages are always impressive, but this board is going to turn heads at your next LAN consequence. As nosotros mentioned earlier, Gigabyte put LED strips betwixt each of the memory slots. It besides tucked LED lights between the PCIe x16 slots and the steel wrapping and decorated most of the heatsinks with LEDs. RGB Fusion software lets you customize the lights to flash, move with the beat of the music, or bike through a rainbow, amidst other tricks.

Gigabyte as well put LEDs along the right side of the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 and added an overlay that glows from the low-cal. If you have a 3D printer, you can download printing files from Gigabyte to create your own overlay. Gigabyte designed the overlay to be hands replaced. We like the existing overlay, but if y'all have a squad name for your CS:GO crew, the DIY overlay replacement is for yous.

The Z370 Aorus Gaming vii also supports digital LED strips. The board sports iv calorie-free strip headers, two of which are 12V RGBW-friendly headers. Every bit with most motherboards, the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 doesn't transport with third-party lite strips, but you can option upwards your own.

Earlier we dive into the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7's headers and ports, let'south take a quick look at the back of the motherboard…

As you can see, the CPU socket hardware doesn't have built-in support for attaching a cooler, which means yous'll demand to attach your libation'due south backplate. That's standard for LGA 1151, but it leaves the states pining for cooler-prepare sockets like LGA 2066.

Ports and Headers

The Z370 Aorus Gaming 7's I/O panel has a shiny, almost mirror-like protective plate. Gigabyte put large labels near each port, making setup a little easier. The console has gilded-plated audio jacks, along with a SPDIF-out port, all powered by the lath'south AMP-UP Audio package.

In some other nod to gamers, Gigabit paired a Killer E2500 chip with Intel's Gigabit LAN. The Ethernet ports sit down side-past-side on the panel and have clear labels then you can easily tell them autonomously. A PS/2 port at the other end of the console offers gamers with sure mechanical keyboards back up for North-key rollover.

Gigabyte put 7 external USB ports on the back panel. Nosotros've seen Z370 boards with more USB ports, simply whether it'south an upshot for you lot comes down to the external devices you typically use. One of the ports is a USB 3.one Type-C port, which is handy for modern gadgets. The console too has a standard USB 3.ane Blazon-A port, along with five USB 3.0 Type-A ports.

Interestingly, Gigabyte also managed to clasp a tiny intake fan into the I/O area. The fan sits but behind the ports and draws air through a pocket-size grille in the I/O console.

The back panel too features video ports, thank you to the onboard graphics. The DisplayPort supports resolutions up to 4,096x2,304 at 60Hz, while the HDMI port supports up to 4,096x2,160 at 30Hz.

Nigh of the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7's internal headers sit along the sides and lower edge of the lath, with the exception of the fan headers. The board has eight fan headers in all, including a three-Amp header for fans or liquid coolers. That header is one of three that sit on the lower edge of the board. Another organization fan header is tucked into a small space nigh the I/O panel, another sits on the right side of the board, and the CPU and water cooling headers sit just above the CPU socket. The final header is in use; it feeds the tiny fan in the I/O shell. The result: your fan or libation cables won't stretch to reach power.

The Z370 Aorus Gaming 7'due south ability comes by manner of a standard 24-pivot ability connector on the right side of the board, likewise equally an eight-pin connector at the height. It's close quarters up there, what with the nearby heatsinks and fan header, simply we had enough room to get the connector in and out.

The lower border of the motherboard has a tidy row of headers, including the LED headers and a LED voltage switch, forth with three system fan headers and a color-coded front panel header. The edge as well sports a digital debug display and 2 USB 2.0 headers.

The upper correct corner of the Gaming 7 has a surprising number of connectors and buttons, merely they don't appear very crowded. Gigabyte put big Power and OC buttons near the memory slots to help overclockers. CMOS Clear and Reset buttons are nearby, but are small and more hard to reach.

Ii temperature sensor headers sit just below the 24-pin power connector, not far from the unmarried USB 3.0 header and the internal USB three.1 Blazon-C port. If your PC case has a front-panel USB 3.1 Type-C connector (or if yous buy a forepart-panel accompaniment that has one), this is the port you'll use to adhere the device.

The right edge also features six SATA3 ports. The Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 supports RAID 0, 1, v, and 10. Overall, the edges of the board look surprisingly uncluttered for a gaming motherboard.

Accessories

Gigabyte packs a nice accessories kit in the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7's box. It includes four SATA cables (2 of which have L-shaped connectors), along with the ultra-shiny I/O plate. Ii long sensor cables permit you monitor temperatures in specific parts of your PC, and a RGBW extension cable lets you offset one of your LED strips several inches from the light header.

The box too includes an SLI HB bridge for your two-card graphics setup. Two Aorus-branded straps give you some cable management options, while the Gigabyte 1000-connector lets you attach all of your forepart console connectors exterior the PC case. Just plug the connectors into the well-labeled M-connector, pop it onto the front panel headers on the motherboard, and you're washed. If you're like united states of america, it will save you a little fourth dimension and a large headache.

The accessories package besides includes a canvass of Aorus stickers, many of which are decorative and some of which are genuinely useful. The cable label stickers are a nice touch.

Before we dig into the test build, we should point out that Gigabyte ships an excellent user's transmission with the Z370 Aorus Gaming vii. The guide has clear diagrams and pictures, along with part descriptions and installation instructions for the CPU, retentivity, and other parts.

Exam Build

We congenital our test system around the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 and an Intel Core i5-8400, a solid gaming CPU that snagged our Editors' Choice award recently. The motherboard has four memory slots, and then we loaded them upwards with a set of matched 8GB G.Skill TridentZ F4-3200C16Q-32GTZSK DIMMs and put an MSI GeForce GTX 1060 Gaming X 6G in the first PCI Express x16 slot.

When it came to selecting a case, we opted for SilverStone'south Primera PM01-RGB, due to its roomy interior and fantabulous cable routing features. We like that the case has a separate compartment for the ability supply, giving the motherboard its own infinite in the PC chassis.

The Primera PM01-RGB's motherboard tray has a big cutout to accommodate cooler installations that require access to the back of the board. The LGA 1151 socket design requires a backplate for the cooler. We attached the backplate from our Corsair H100i GTX liquid libation without trouble, applied Arctic Silver thermal paste to the Core i5-8400, and carefully screwed the libation into place.

We didn't see any problems while installing our 240GB SSD and the case's front console connectors. The One thousand-connector came in handy hither, both considering it has clear labels and because we were able to adhere the connectors to the Thousand-connector outside of the case. Squeezing each header between your fingers and trying to stab it onto the header is a affair of the by, thanks to connector guides like the one that ships with the Z370 Aorus Gaming vii.

In one case we completed the build, nosotros checked out the motherboard'southward slick RGB Fusion LED lighting. Although the Windows software has the bulk of the customization options for your LEDs, the BIOS has some RGB Fusion settings of its own. You can configure the lights to flash, fade, or even wheel through colors.

Our but complaint here is that the graphics card covers much of the Z370 chipset heatsink. That'due south in role due to the placement of the elevation PCI Limited x16 slot, which sits just below a PCIe x1 slot. Swapping the ii wouldn't be feasible, equally the x1 slot would be blocked past the video card cooling apparatus. Fifty-fifty and then, if the x16 slot had been simply one slot higher, nosotros think people would be able to improve run into the Aorus logo LED on the chipset heatsink when viewing it through a instance window.

The BIOS: A Brief Look

Gigabyte has updated its BIOS several times since the first release, so flashing the BIOS is worth your time. Recent BIOS updates take fixed issues with onboard video, improved memory XMP compatibility, and fixed security issues.

Press the Delete key every bit your PC boots up, and yous'll be facing Gigabyte'due south advanced BIOS mode, also known as Archetype. This interface mode gives you access to all of the tools that the BIOS offers, just it can be a little intimidating for a new user. To that finish, Gigabyte offers an Piece of cake Mode, which tin can exist accessed by clicking Easy Mode in the tab at the lesser of the screen. That's where we'll start.

Easy Mode offers some control of the BIOS, merely it's designed to provide an overview of the system's critical information. Gigabyte put the CPU temperature console right at pinnacle of the screen, complete with a live graph and then you can see whether the temp is stable.

You can also get CPU voltage and clock speed, system temp, and some key arrangement memory info at a glance. From the perspective of a new user, the info on this folio is likely to provide answers to many of their initial questions.

We like that Easy Mode's fan panel links to the full Smart Fan 5 page, as it has much more information near your PC fans than the little panel offers. Here, y'all tin bank check the temperatures from a range of sensors. Yous also have multiple options for adjusting fan settings here. This is an area where even a new user many want to go granular, and so we can see why Gigabyte would include it in the Easy Mode area of the BIOS.

Return to the Classic (Avant-garde) expanse, and you'll run into the lean Chiliad.I.T. menu. Information technology doesn't look like much, but this section has detailed, adjustable settings for the system memory and the CPU, amongst other components. Click Avant-garde Frequency Settings, and you lot'll have the overclocking tools you lot'll need to boost both the retentiveness and the CPU (to the degree your processor supports it).

Gigabyte hides ii tabs that are bachelor nearly anywhere in the Classic surface area of the BIOS. Click the bottom tab, and you'll run across a panel that lets y'all jump to Like shooting fish in a barrel Mode or the Smart Fan Page. It also lets you enter Q-Flash, which is the BIOS update tool.

If you're looking for a quick take on your organisation's vitals, click the tab on the right. Gigabyte packs this panel with alive CPU, memory, and voltage stats.

Decision

Gaming motherboards have to practise double duty, connecting all of your PC hardware and acting as a canvass for the LED art show that people view through your case'southward window. Gigabyte handles this balancing deed quite well with the Z370 Aorus Gaming seven. The event is a well-rounded gaming board.

The lath'south layout isn't as chaotic as nosotros typically encounter, merely it notwithstanding packs plenty of features. If you're planning to make use of Intel Optane, you lot have 3 M.2 connectors on hand. If y'all're building a burly gaming PC with 2 graphics cards, you lot have CrossFire and SLI support, an HB SLI bridge, and steel-wrapped slots. If yous plan to overclock, you accept onboard buttons that brand troubleshooting a little easier.

We like the Z370 Aorus Gaming 7'southward style. If you're non the blazon to calorie-free up your PC case, you can leave the lights off and permit the motherboard'southward black-gray-white colour scheme speak for itself. And if you do want some bling, the Gaming 7 delivers with a vengeance.

The price will throw some potential buyers, of class. But we think that many gamers will be willing to allocate that chunk of their budget to a lath that delivers on features and looks.

Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 7

The Bottom Line

The Z370 Aorus Gaming seven delivers on both substance and style for gamers edifice a PC effectually Intel's eighth-gen "Coffee Lake" CPUs.

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Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 3 Test,

Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/gigabyte-z370-aorus-gaming-7

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