While there are many Intel Z370 motherboards being launched today, we can rest assured that what GIGABYTE has presented in the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming, sets the standard very high indeed.
Once upon a time, lively and eye catching colours were once all the rage in the motherboard sector but now, the likes of GIGABYRE are applying subtle and understated designs in order to blend in with other hardware. This makes a lot of sense, particularly when we consider the Ultra Gaming, because we can inject some colour by modifying the RGB lighting and create a highly decorative theme without being constrained to the heatsink/PCB styling. The overall layout and styling on Ultra Gaming is eye-catching and certainly one which is up there as one of the more favourable designs that we’ve looked at thus far.
Although Ultra Gaming is a mid-tier Intel Z370 motherboard it packs in quite an assortment of features. GIGABYTE has included a USB 3.1 front panel header on the board, which is omitted on some rival motherboards at this price point. Although most cases lack USB 3.1 on the front panel, we are starting to see some newer chassis releases adopt USB 3.1 – so this will undoubtedly future proof the system. The inclusion of twin M.2 slots is a feature that is becoming standard on motherboards nowadays and being able to RAID0 such a device is very useful for those wishing to maximise their storage bandwidth. We were also mightily impressed with the included audio solution, sound is crisp, relatively noise-less and offers a good balance of low, mids and highs.
On the performance front, Ultra Gaming is a strong performer which delivers consistently good results throughout a range of scenarios. Overclocking is one particular area which this board is predominantly optimised for and it had no problems shifting up to 5GHz with the all-new 8700K. Thanks to a well-laid out BIOS we were able to jump in and out without any hitches – the interface should suit both novice and advanced users wanting to adjust any settings.
One thing we would have liked to see, (especially in this new generation of motherboards) is USB 2.0 being phased out. Instead, using USB 3.0 or even USB 3.1 ports would have been viewed as a more practical use of space on the rear IO.
Mid-range motherboards using the Intel Z370 chipset have pushed prices up somewhat and a lot of the options of this calibre are now sitting around the £200/$200 mark. Ultra Gaming has a price-tag of £189/$200 and packs in a lot of features and performance. This is all backed by a decent 2 years warranty.
GIGABYTE’s new Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming should be on everyone’s shortlist for an upgrade to Intel’s 8th Generation CPUs, it packs in the features and is able to comfortably take the 8700K beyond 5GHz!
Pros
+ Clean, attractive aesthetics
+ A multitude of RGB functionality
+ Offers great performance
+ Excellent for overclocking
+ Arrives with USB 3.1 front header
+ Uses strengthened PCI Express/memory slots
+ Features twin M.2 slots
+ Capable audio solution
+ Lowest power consumption of Z370 motherboards
Cons
- Still using USB 2.0 ports
+ Clean, attractive aesthetics
+ A multitude of RGB functionality
+ Offers great performance
+ Excellent for overclocking
+ Arrives with USB 3.1 front header
+ Uses strengthened PCI Express/memory slots
+ Features twin M.2 slots
+ Capable audio solution
+ Lowest power consumption of Z370 motherboards
Cons
- Still using USB 2.0 ports
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