While enthusiasts are preparing their wallets for the Intel Coffee Lake launch on October 5, Gigabyte is diligently filling retailers' shelves with their upcoming Z370 AORUS motherboards. With as many as six different models to choose from, consumers will surely find a motherboard that best suit their needs. The Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 7, in particular, is bound to attract a lot of attention from the more hardcore crowd. Being the cream of the crop of Gigabyte's Z370 lineup means that this motherboard will bring many unique features to the table.Built on a completely revamped digital power design, the Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 features server-grade 10K Ultra Durable Black capacitors, chokes, PWM, and Smart Power Stage controllers. This design provides up to 60 amps per power phase which should be plenty to squeeze every bit of performance through overclocking from the new Intel Coffee Lake processors. While the Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 markets itself as a capable overclocking motherboard, it also aims to provide the best audio experience for audiophiles and gamers. The audio ecosystem consists of a brand new Realtek ALC1220 audio codec, an ESS SABRE 9018 DAC, audiophile-grade WIMA and Nichicon capacitors, and a TXC oscillator. On the software front, Gigabyte has partnered with Creative to bring the Sound BlasterX 720° software to let the user control the entire audio experience.

The AORUS cooling system also makes itself present in the form of nine temperature sensors and eight hybrid fan headers distributed strategically across the Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 to provide multiple cooling options. One of the new features is their Fan Stop technology which basically turns on the connected fan, when the temperature reaches a certain threshold. The user has complete control of the sensors and fan headers through Gigabyte's Smart Fan 5 software.

Gigabyte intends to maximize storage performance on the Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 by providing up to three PCIe Gen3 x4 M.2 slots for the brave who plan to build a RAID 0 with multiple NVMe storage devices. To prevent thermal throttling, the manufacturer developed a simple thermal solution called AORUS M.2 Thermal Guard to reduce and dissipate generated heat during prolonged use. Intel's Optane technology is also supported if the user requires faster storage options. There are three PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots onboard the Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 to provide 3-Way CrossFire or 2-Way SLI support.

In terms of networking, the motherboard comes with dual LAN technology. The Intel GbE LAN controller is the common choice for many gamers. However, Rivet Network's Killer E2500 controller offers a better overall gaming and media experience. Users can prioritize and control their internet bandwidth on the fly using the Killer Control Center application.

A gaming motherboard wouldn't be considered as such without the fancy LEDs, and the Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 has plenty of it. There are multiple light zones throughout the motherboard. In this iteration of RGB Fusion, there is support for 5V and 12V digital LED strips with up to 300 LED lights, whereby the user can control each LED individually. The RGB Fusion software comes with predefined patterns and speed settings, or you can make your own.