A look at the Gigabyte Z790 motherboard range & PSU options to pair them with
We pick a value, performance and enthusiast option from the company’s different power supply and motherboard product lines
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When building a new PC, or upgrading and existing one, deciphering which component is right for you can be a bit daunting. Even within the same brand there are myriad options and sub-ranges available. Today we’ll be looking at some of the offerings from Gigabyte, a world renowned Taiwanese company that’s a giant when it comes to computer electronics, in particular we’ll be focusing on the Z790 motherboard range, which are the best options available for Intel 14th gen, 13th gen, and 12th gen CPUs.
Gigabyte are a big name in the motherboard market in particular, though they also make a mean power supply, and if you’re looking to build a new rig, picking up these components in addition to one of their GPUs is well worth considering.
Below we’ve selected a ‘value’ option (which will still perform strongly but at a more affordable price), a ‘performance’ pick (for the high-end gamer/creator), and an ‘enthusiast’ option (for the workstation user/gamer who wants the very best out there) of both PSUs and motherboards; these would work well paired-up together, although some can be mixed and matched as well, should you wish.
Z790 AORUS XTREME vs MASTER vs ELITE X motherboards: What’s the difference?
The value option: Z790 AORUS ELITE AX/X
- Form factor: ATX
- Power stages: 16+1+2 phase VRM design
- Connectivity: 2.5 GbE LAN & WiFi 6E, audio, DisplayPort, USB 3,2, thunderbolt 4, and more.
- PCIe Gen 5: GPU X16 slot only
- Ultra-fast storage: 4*PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 slots
- DDR5: Yes
The Z790 AORUS ELITE AX (designated just X if you pick the option without the Wi-Fi 6E Ultra-high gain antenna) is the best way of getting access to the fairly advanced Z790 chipset but at a more affordable price. The power delivery on this model isn’t what you’d want if you were looking to overclock your CPU, but otherwise it’s fine for equipping up to Intel 14th gen processors. You get a solid amount of USB sockets on the rear panel, and four M.2 slots for storage expansion.
The main drawback of this model compared to the more expensive motherboards is that it has no PCIe 5.0 lane support for the M.2 storage sockets, so you’ll be limited to 4.0 speeds for your SSD storage. WiFi 6E remains a completely fine standard for the majority of users, but if you’re looking for the latest tech then we’d recommend one of the other boards with WiFi 7 support instead.
The performance pick: Z790 AORUS MASTER X
- Form Factor: ATX
- Power stages: 20 + 1 + 2
- Connectivity: 10GbE LAN & Wi-Fi 7, USB 3.2, USB Type-C, DisplayPort, Audio, Q-Flash, Clear CMOS
- PCIe Gen 5: GPU X16 slot and 1* M.2 slot
- Ultra-fast storage: 5*M.2 slots, including 1* PCIe 5.0 x4
- DDR5: Yes
The Z790 AORUS MASTER X is the ideal pick for a gamer or productivity user who wants to overclock their CPU and get some high end performance out of their PC. With its 20+1+2 power phase design you’ll be able to push Intel 14th/13th gen processors further, plus it comes with four PCIe 5.0 M.2 slots for lighting quick storage support.
Additionally you get a plethora of storage options round the back, including an additional rear USB-C slot with 20Gb/s transfer speeds, plus plenty of future proofed connectivity with WiFi 7 support and 10GbE LAN connectivity.
The enthusiast option: Z790 AORUS XTREME
- Form Factor: ATX
- Power stages: 24+1+2
- Connectivity: 10GbE + 2.5GbE LAN & Wi-Fi 7, USB 3.2, USB Type-C, DisplayPort, Audio, Q-Flash, Clear CMOS
- PCIe Gen 5: GPU X16 slot and 1* M.2 slot
- Ultra-fast storage: 5*M.2 slots, including 1* PCIe 5.0 x4
- DDR5: Yes
The cream of the crop of Gigabyte’s motherboard range is the Z790 AORUS XTREME. This board comes with a 24+1+2 power phase design, offering loads of headroom for overclocking. It also comes with additional bandwidth on its USB-A ports, meaning extra fast transfer speeds and connectivity for peripherals. It has an ‘OC ignition button’ which can be used to switch on both fans and storage drives without turning on the CPU: ideal for testing the performance temps of new cooling system on a high-end custom build without risking thermal damage to your components.
If you really want to bling up your rig to the max you can also buy the ICE version of the Z790 AORUS XTREME, which comes with an aesthetic design that blends white with titanium crystalization, plus a golden plaque with a serial number unique to each individual motherboard.
AORUS ELITE vs AORUS vs UD series PSUs: Which should you pick?
Next let’s take a look at the power supplies. For the uninitiated, the key considerations when buying any PSU are the Wattage (it has to be sufficiently high to power the components in your build), the efficiency rating (bronze, silver, gold, platinum etc.), how loud/quiet it is, the reliability, and the length of the warranty.
The value option: Gigabyte UD850GM
- Wattage: 850W
- Modularity: Fully modular
- Efficiency rating: Gold
- Compliance/compatibility: ATX12V v2 3.1
- Dimensions: 150 x 140 x 86mm
- Fan: 120mm Hydraulic Bearing (HYB)
The Gigabyte UD series is a more affordable option for those looking for an 850 Watt power supply. Its 120mm hydraulic bearing fan is not as quiet as the more premium options here, and the warranty is limited to 5 years, though this should still be good enough for most people. It still comes with a 80 Plus Gold efficiency rating meaning at least 87-90% (depending on the load at any one time) of the power from your outlet will be going into the PC, and has a fairly compact design.
The performance pick: AORUS P1200W
- Wattage: 1200W
- Modularity: Fully modular
- Efficiency rating: Platinum
- Compliance/compatibility: ATX12V v2.31
- Dimensions: 150 x 160 x 86mm
- Fan: 140mm Double ball bearing Fan
A more premium pick, the AORUS P1200W has a Platinum 80 Plus efficiency rating, meaning 89-92% (depending on the load level) power efficiency, which is very good indeed, and the best you’re likely to find on the consumer market. It comes with a 10 year warranty so you can rest easy about any technical issues that might occur, plus comes with a nice and quiet 140mm smart double ball bearing fan that’s capable of some serious cooling. Finally it has a cool digital LCD monitor on which you can display more cosmetic touches (like custom text/pictures/MP4s/GIFs) or more practical health status data pertaining to the PSU.
As the name would suggest, this PSU is rated up to 1200 Watts of power, making it more than capable of supporting the most power hungry of builds.
The enthusiast pick: AORUS ELITE P1000W
- Wattage: 1000W
- Modularity: Fully modular
- Efficiency rating: Platinum
- Compliance/compatibility: ATX12V v3.0
- Dimensions: 150 x 140 x 86mm
- Fan: 120mm Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) Fan
Finally, the latest-gen power supply for Gigabyte is the AORUS ELITE, which comes with full PCIe 5.0 support, as well as the latest ATX 3.0 tech, giving it great stability and protection against power fluctuations even for the latest-gen graphics cards. Like the standard AORUS model it also comes with a Platinum 80 Plus efficiency rating and a 10 year warranty.
