Introduction

After almost a decade of total market dominance, Intel has spent the past few years on the defensive. AMD's Ryzen processors continue to show improvement year over year, with the most recent Ryzen 5000 series taking the crown of best gaming processor: Intel's last bastion of superiority.

Now, with a booming hardware market, Intel is preparing to retake some of that lost ground with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors. Intel is claiming these new 11th Gen CPUs offer double-digit IPC improvements despite remaining on a 14 nm process. The top-end 8-core Intel Core i9-11900K may not be able to compete against its AMD rival Ryzen 9 5900X in heavily multi-threaded scenarios, but the higher clock speeds and alleged IPC improvements could be enough to take back the gaming crown. Along with the new CPUs, there is a new chipset to match, the Intel Z590. Last year's Z490 chipset motherboards are also compatible with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processors, but Z590 introduces some key advantages.

First, Z590 offers native PCIe 4.0 support from the CPU, which means the PCIe and M.2 slots powered off the CPU will offer PCIe 4.0 connectivity when an 11th Gen CPU is installed. The PCIe and M.2 slots controlled by the Z590 chipset are still PCI 3.0. While many high-end Z490 motherboards advertised this capability, it was not a standard feature for the platform. In addition to PCIe 4.0 support, Z590 offers USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 from the chipset. The USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 standard offers speeds of up to 20 Gb/s. Finally, Z590 boasts native support for 3200 MHz DDR4 memory. With these upgrades, Intel's Z series platform has feature parity with AMD's B550. On paper, Intel is catching up to AMD, but only testing will tell if these new Z590 motherboards are up to the challenge.



The AORUS line from Gigabyte spans a broad range of products—laptops, peripherals, and core components. Across the enthusiast spectrum, the AORUS name denotes Gigabyte's gaming-focused products. The AORUS motherboard range features a consistent naming scheme that includes the Pro, Elite, Ultra, Master, and Extreme motherboards.

The Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra features a robust VRM utilizing 90 A power stages, along with Q-Flash for a redundant safety net for ambitious overclocking. Along with the standard Z590 updates, the Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra has also added two additional Vcore power stages, which takes the total from 8 to 10. The Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra also offers a full-coverage aluminium backplate for added rigidity and additional VRM cooling. Let's see how the Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra stacks up against its predecessor!

Specifications

Testing for this review was conducted using a 10th Gen Intel Core i9-10900K. Stay tuned for an 11th Gen update when the new processors launch!

Packaging and Contents

The front of the Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra box features a dark background dominated by the AORUS logo. "Z590I AORUS Ultra gaming motherboard" is printed in white and orange on the left side, with the brand badging on the right.

The back of the box has all the highlights: a top-down shot of the board, several panels detailing prominent features, a shot of the rear I/O, and the specifications list. The box design is well executed and matches the board perfectly.


The accessories are a little above standard and include extras like an RGB extension cable. Also included are three fan adapters since the Z590I AORUS Ultra uses smaller form factor headers for three of the four available connections. Notably absent is any kind of rear I/O shield because the shield is integrated into the board.

The full list of accessories includes:

• Manual and support DVD
• 2x SATA 6 Gb/s cables
• USB split header
• RGB extension cable
• 3x Fan adapters
• M.2 hardware
• Wi-Fi antenna

Board Layout

The Z590I AORUS Ultra features a black PCB matched with a black and gray I/O cover and heatsinks. There is a large aluminium backplate that adds rigidity to the board and offers an added element of cooling to the back of the VRM.


The CPU socket is open enough for most air coolers. The VRM and chipset heatsinks are connected via a single wrap-around heat pipe, which allows them to share and disperse the heat load.


There are two M.2 slots on the Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra; one on the front of the board with a heatsink and another low-profile slot on the back of the board. The slot on the front of the board is PCIe 4.0 and will only function when an 11th Gen CPU is installed. The Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra offers one steel-reinforced PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot. The board has four SATA 6 Gb/s ports on the side.


The Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra has a decent I/O offering that includes Wi-Fi 6 and a fair amount of USB connectivity.

• DisplayPort
• HDMI port
• USB Type-C® port, with USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 support
• 3x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A ports (red)
• 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 ports
• 2x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• Q-Flash Plus button
• RJ-45 port
• 2x SMA antenna connectors
• 3x Audio jacks

Networking on the Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra is handled by Intel's new 2.5 Gb/s controller. For wireless connectivity, there is an AX200 Wi-Fi 6 module.