Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice review

pcgamer.com:

As I wrote this, AMD and its motherboard partners had just launched cheaper chipsets options for its Socket AM5 platform, with high expectations for the new B850 chipset in particular given how popular previous B-series options were. But there are still plenty of options below $300 even if you opt for X870 for your AMD system and the Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice even includes a white colour scheme if you’re looking to build that super clean PC.

A quick glance at the latest B850 boards sees quite a few retail for more than the Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice, though, and also lack features such as USB4 and also opt for budget audio codecs. A quick glance over the PCB on this board, though, and we’re pleasantly surprised by the features considering there’s a two at the beginning of the price tag.

The X870 chipset is all about making features such as USB4 and PCIe 5.0 for SSDs and graphics cards mainstream, but there seems to be enough budget left over to add plenty of premium options in other areas though.

At nearly $300, it’s still a lot for a motherboard, but the Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice would certainly be capable of running a high-end water-cooled PC if you wanted to and not feel dated even through 2027 when AMD has stated Socket AM5 could start to wind down.

Socket: AMD Socket AM5
Chipset: AMD X870
CPU compatibility: AMD Ryzen 7000/8000/9000 desktop
Form factor: ATX
Memory support: DDR5-4800 to DDR5-8200 (OC), up to 256 GB
Storage: 4x M.2, 4x SATA
USB (rear): 2x USB 4 Type-C 40 Gbps, 2x USB 3.1 Type-A 10 Gbps, 4x USB 3.0 Type-A 5 Gbps, 4 x USB 2.0
Display: 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x USB/DisplayPort
Networking: Realtek 2.5G LAN, Wi-Fi 7
Audio: Realtek ALC1220
Price: $290 | £277 | AU$531

Apart from the CPU socket and chipset, the Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi7 Ice has a nearly identical number in the Intel Z890 camp so making comparisons is interesting. You’re definitely getting the better deal with AMD despite a little less RGB lighting, with a few