On The Wings of an Eagle: GIGABYTE's X570 I Aorus Pro WIFI Motherboard Tested
by Gavin Bonshor on March 19, 2020 10:00 AM ESTBIOS
GIGABYTE's firmware features two primary modes, basic and advanced. Even from the GIGABYTE X570 Aorus Xtreme model which is its flagship X570 board, the firmware throughout the range seems consistent. The GUI of the firmware consists of a black background, orange highlights and white text.
Along the top of the advanced mode is five primary menus including Tweaker, Settings, System Info, Boot, and Save & Exit. The GIGABYTE Aorus BIOS also includes the Smart Fan 5 utility which allows users to create custom fan profiles for the two 4-pin headers onboard, with a Q-Flash utility to allow users to update the board's firmware.
The GIGABYTE Aorus firmware is easy to navigate, with a very basic array of menus and options for users to select from. The firmware itself is responsive and we didn't experience any instability or input lag. Users looking to overclock will find plenty of settings available for tweaking including CPU, power, voltage and memory-related settings. There aren't quite as many overclocking settings as models such as the MSI MEG X570 Godlike, especially in terms of memory latency settings, but the GIGABYTE Aorus firmware looks good and works well.
Software
With many vendors starting to switch from including bundles of software utilities to condensing them into one primary package, GIGABYTE has opted to stick with its usual range of applications for the X570 series. All of the software applications operate around its GIGABYTE App Center utility, with this acting as a general hub not only for GIGABYTE applications but Windows and third-party applications too.
The stand-out applications available on the driver and software installation disc bundled with the X570 I Aorus Pro WIFI include the RGB Fusion 2.0 software, the EasyTune overclocking utility, and the @BIOS software.
GIGABYTE offers users plenty of avenues to update the board's firmware with the @BIOS software, as well as the Q-Flash button which allows users to update the BIOS without a CPU or memory installed in the box. This is a huge plus point for users offering multiple avenues to make system critical firmware updates. The RGB Fusion software gives users the ability to customize RGB LED lighting via a range of different lighting effects, while the EasyTune utility allows users to monitor the system and do overclocking within the software. It's not as extensive as AMD's Ryzen Master utility and doesn't offer as many options as the latter. For those looking to enhance the auditory experience with the integrated Realtek ALC1220 HD audio codec, users will need to download the Realtek Audio Control Center direct from the Microsoft store as only the core audio drivers are supplied on disc.
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wr3zzz - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Same here. Don't feel like upgrading my AV setup just yet and need SPDIF. SPDIF nowadays can only be found on the highest end boards (which never include ITX or mATX) or "HTPC" boards which just means lower end chip set. I bought a sound card after more than 20 years just so in case SPDIF is gone forever if Sony chose not to keep it in PS5 as Sony is the only company keeping SPDIF alive.Flunk - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Many motherboards support a copper spdiff link if you plug the cable into one of the ministereo jacks and configure it in the software to digital out. You don't need a board with toslink connectors unless you're running a very long cable.a5cent - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3Has an SP/DIF port.
evernessince - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
SP/DIF is provided by the audio chip on the motherboard. You can add SPDIF to any motherboard with a sound card and it will be infinitely better then what you have now. I don't understand why you would limit your motherboard selection for a feature that can be added to any product on the market.RSAUser - Sunday, March 22, 2020 - link
Near any other interface would give better quality, but if it's due to older audio stuff, rather look at getting an analog to spif converter, should be around the 10-15 dollar mark, and then you'd be able to plug any device in and not have to worry about your pc not supporting it.piroroadkill - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
The problem is something it has.. a fanfuturepastnow - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
...passive coolingnerd1 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
I have this board, and I hate its I/O configuration. No one will buy a x570 board to use with integrated GPU. I'd rather have USB ports (and a lot of them) AND another gigabit LAN port instead.brontes - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
> buys mitx> complains one (small) size does not fit all
SSTANIC - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
same here, identical thoughts. but it is still a very good board methinks