This news post really does serve as a symbolic gesture for the state of the GPU market in the last months (going on to a year now, really). Mainly due to increased demand from crypto users looking to farm and mine their way to financial security and shortages of GPUs, the time to buy a new or even second-hand, latest generation graphics card hasn't been the best. However, now, we're seeing something that wasn't seen for a long time: actual decent pricing in graphics cards. It's still a process, but in that process, this Gigabyte AORUS RX 580 deal at Amazon is the proverbial pin in a haystack.

The Gigabyte AORUS Radeon RX 580 8GB (GV-RX580AORUS-8GD) is available now from Amazon for $209.99 (after a $20 mail-in rebate). If you're in the states and looking for a graphics card that guarantees 1080p performance at max settings, or a decent 1440p experience with somewhat reduced IQ, this could be the graphics card for you - and judging by its Best Seller status, it may very well be the same for many other customers. And for now, there's even stock - how about that. If you're shopping from outside the states and still find this deal mesmerizing (here in Portugal a similar graphics card would go for $410 so... yeah. Take the deal). Here's hoping this is a sign of the incoming times, and not just a freak event.

GIGABYTE is ready with its Z390 Aorus Elite motherboard. The name might suggest that it's the company's flagship product based on the Z390 chipset, but in reality, it's part of the company's new nomenclature that differentiates boards from different price-points. The current "Gaming 3, Gaming 5, and Gaming 7" series is going to be replaced. The cheaper "Gaming 3" extension will be replaced by "Elite." The slightly divergent "Ultra Gaming" extension gets replaced by "PRO." The mid-tier Gaming 5, on the other hand, extension is replaced by "Ultra." The high-end Gaming 7 tier is replaced by "Master," and the flagship Gaming 9 extension by XTREME. We've already seen one of these with the recent Aorus X399 XTREME TR4 motherboard.

Moving on to the product at hand, the Z390 Aorus Elite is a somewhat entry-tier product that's probably priced around the $150-mark, owing to the high chipset price and the higher CPU VRM requirements it mandates. We already count a 13-something-phase VRM (which could include phase-doubling). The "Gaming 3" extension historically lacked NVIDIA SLI support, and that carries over to the Z390 Aorus Elite. The second PCIe x16 slot on this board is electrical x4, and wired to the PCH. Storage connectivity, besides six SATA, includes two M.2 slots with x4 wiring, one of which includes a heatsink. GIGABYTE boards are known for good onboard audio implementations, and this board is no exception. It appears to have WIMA capacitors, ground-layer isolation, EMI shield over the CODEC, which very likely could be an ALC1220. USB 3.1 connectivity, including a type-C port, and 1 GbE interface driven by an i219-V could make for the rest of it. There's minimal RGB bling on board, but you'll get 2-3 aRGB headers.

GIGABYTE introduced an Aorus-branded, quasi-premium mini-ITX motherboard based on AMD B450 chipset, for socket AM4 processors, the B450-I Aorus Pro WiFi. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS, conditioning it for the SoC with a lean 4+2 phase VRM. The AM4 SoC is wired to two DDR4 DIMM slots, supporting up to 32 GB of dual-channel DDR4 memory; and the board's lone PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot.

Storage connectivity on the B450-I Aorus Pro WiFi includes an M.2-2280 slot with PCI-Express 3.0 x4 and SATA 6 Gbps wiring; and four SATA 6 Gbps ports. USB connectivity includes six USB 3.0 ports (four on the rear panel, two by headers); and two USB 3.1 gen 2 (both on the rear panel). With just 6-channel jacks, the onboard audio solution may look cheap, but is redeemed by Realtek ALC1220 CODEC. The Intel 9260 adapter is at the helm of wireless networking, with 802.11ac + Bluetooth 5.0, while GbE is handled by Intel i211AT. There's also some RGB LED fun to be had, with two 4-pin ARGB headers, and a small 8-pixel diffuser behind the PCB. GIGABYTE could price this board around $120.

GIGABYTE today announced its flagship socket TR4 motherboard for AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors, with out-of-the-box compatibility with 2nd generation 32-core Threadrippers. The new Aorus X399 XTREME board is part of a new breed of X399-TR4 motherboards launched/unveiled in the past few months, with reinforced VRM to cope better with the upcoming 250W TDP 24-core and 32-core processors, such as the MSI MEG X399 Creation. A brochure of this board was leaked to the web last month, and now we see it in the flesh. Technically still an ATX board, the Aorus X399 Xtreme is slightly broader, and is recommended to be installed in EATX-capable cases. Power is drawn from a 24-pin ATX, two 8-pin EPS, and an optional 6-pin PCIe power. A 10-phase VRM powers the CPU.

Expansion includes four PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x16/NC/x16/NC or x16/NC/x8/x8 or x8/x8/x8/x8), and an x1 slot. Storage connectivity includes three M.2 slots with gen 3.0 x4 wiring, each; and six SATA 6 Gbps ports, from which four come directly from the CPU. The onboard audio is top of the line, with an ESS Sabre DAC working the main stereo out, and a Realtek ALC1220VB handling the other 8 channels. The Sabre is slaved to the ALC1220VB, so the system only sees one audio controller. There are four network interfaces - a 10 GbE driven by an Aquantia-made controller, two 1 GbE pulled by Intel i219-V, and an 802.11ac driven by an Intel 9260 WLAN card, which also handles Bluetooth 5.0. There are 10 USB 3.1 ports at the integrated rear panel (eight running at 5 Gbps, and two at 10 Gbps, one of which is type-C). Four other 5 Gbps ports are wired internally. Of course there's the full-shebang of RGB lighting and control. Available from 8th August, the board will be priced at USD $499.99.

GIGABYTE is ready with two Aorus branded motherboards based on the upcoming AMD B450 mid-range socket AM4 chipset. These include the B450 Aorus Pro in the ATX form-factor, and the micro-ATX B450 Aorus M. The B450 Aorus Pro packs many of the features you'd expect from a more expensive board based on the pricier X470 chipset. The board draws power from a combination of 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connectors, conditioning it for the AM4 SoC using a 11-phase VRM with high-current chokes. The AM4 SoC is wired to four DDR4 DIMM slots, and the board's sole reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slot. The second x16 slot is physically gen 3.0 x4 and shares its lanes with the top M.2-22110 slot; which is wired directly to the AM4 SoC. With an M.2 SSD installed, auto-switching gates the second x16 AIC slot. The third x16 slot is gen 2.0 x4, and wired to the chipset. The second M.2-2280 slot is gen 2.0 x4, too. A single PCIe x1 slot makes for the rest of the expansion.

Both M.2 slots on the B450 Aorus Pro feature heatsinks. Six SATA 6 Gbps ports, from which two come from the AM4 SoC, make for the rest of the storage connectivity. As part of the "gamer-grade" varnishing, this board gets rather high-end onboard audio, including a Realtek ALC1220 (120 dBA SNR) codec with EMI shielding, audio-grade WIMA and Muse capacitors, and ground layer isolation. USB connectivity includes two USB 3.1 type 2 ports (one each of type-A and type-C); and six USB 3.1 gen 1 (four on the rear panel, two by headers). Display outputs include DVI and HDMI. The sole networking connectivity is a 1 GbE interface. Its controller is unknown. You get RGB LED illumination and headers, and an integrated rear I/O shield.

GIGABYTE today rolled out the Aorus branded P7 RGB gaming mousepad. Like most firm elevated mousepads that have RGB lighting, the P7 RGB features silicone RGB LED diffusers lining the perimeter. There's also an RGB LED illuminated Aorus logo up top. The mousepad connects to your PC over USB, with a micro-USB connector at the pad, and a conventional type-A connector on the other end of a 2-meter long cable. GIGABYTE RGB Fusion software controls lighting. As a mousepad itself, the Aorus P7 RGB features a 350 mm x 240 mm (WxD) surface, with a slight elevation of 4.6 mm. The surface is a hard micro-texture polymer, with low friction, optimized for both laser and optical sensors. At 420 g, it isn't light, though. The company didn't reveal pricing.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, announced its first XMP supported DRAM, the AORUS RGB Memory. With DDR4 XMP 3200 16GB（8GB*2）memory modules and exclusive 2* RGB Infused Demo Modules, AORUS RGB Memory delivers outstanding value to anyone seeking a combination of high-end performance and glowing aesthetics. GIGABYTE RGB Fusion or RGB Fusion Link software allows users to easily control over 5 new lighting effects available only for DDR so they can enjoy the most impressive RGB lighting effects memory kits have to offer.

GIGABYTE introduced its AORUS RGB Memory at Computex 2018, garnering much praise among the media and receiving Best Product awards from U.S. based Tom's Hardware as well as U.K. based TechRadar. AORUS RGB Memory Modules feature aluminum heatsinks with anodized hairline surface for a sleek, metallic look. A standout feature of AORUS RGB Memory is the addition of 2 brand exclusive RGB Infused Demo Modules for pure RGB illumination and lighting effects. This feature makes it completely unnecessary for the user to purchase a completely different set of memory modules with RGB functionality to fill out the DIMM slots of the memory configuration, without affecting their budget. Users can now add RGB Infused Demo Modules to their boards to enjoy a full memory configuration packed with RGB brilliance.

Gigabyte, in a bid to further differentiate itself from its competitors' products, has decided to start bundling Intel's high-performance, 3D XPoint memory-based Optane drives with select AORUS motherboards. The initiative, which is available for the company's Z370 Aorus Gaming 7-OP and Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP (where the OP suffix denotes the Optane bundle) delivers Intel's 32 GB Optane module at a price that's lower than the sum of its parts.

The Z370 Aorus Gaming 7-OP, for example, comes with an MSRP of just $269, $20 more than the non-OP version of the same motherboard - and can now be had for the same $249. This means you'll snag a full 32 GB Optane module for free with this bundle. The Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP delivers a slightly less sweet deal, but it's still interesting: it's available at an MSRP of $214, while its non-Optane-equipped equivalent is available for $164.99 (this means the usually $74 Optane module will set you back a much more manageable $32). And have I mentioned these are absolutely beautiful motherboards?

The Aorus brand of GIGABYTE started out with gaming notebooks, but soon diversified to gaming peripherals, and eventually graphics cards and motherboards. It was then augmented with CPU coolers, cases, power supplies, and even chairs and apparel for die-hard fans. With the introduction of Aorus branded SSDs and memory modules, and gaming-grade monitors, GIGABYTE will be in a position to sell 100% of your gaming PC's hardware. And if you're not the DIY type, Aorus wants to sell pre-built gaming desktops, too! The company is marshaling its workforce and design teams to work at a breakneck pace, to achieve this feat.

At Computex 2018, we went hands-on with the first Aorus-branded enthusiast-grade DDR4 memory modules, which will be available initially in dual-channel kits of 8 GB modules, ticking at DDR4-3200 speeds. The modules are characterized by chunky brushed metal heatspreaders. The company also recently made a modest debut of its first 2.5-inch SSDs under the UD (Ultra Durable) family; and it's only a matter of time before Aorus-branded drives in both SATA and M.2-NVMe form-factors are launched. Perhaps by CES, GIGABYTE's booth will be full of them; and a 100% GIGABYTE gaming desktop.

In a bid to further extend their AORUS brand to other PC-critic components, Gigabyte is putting the finishing touches to another line of own-branded PC components - DDR4 memory modules. The new DDR4 modules, marketed under the company's gaming AORUS brand, feature a brushed aluminum heatspreader with AORUS' characteristic logo. Some artistic cutouts give the modules an aggressive look, and the top of the heatspreader houses an RGB diffuser that allows the modules to light up evenly. Gigabyte's tease is only that - a tease - and the company has said the final product will likely see the aluminum toned a few shades darker.

EK Water Blocks, the Slovenia-based premium computer liquid cooling gear manufacturer is maintaining its market leadership by releasing one more X470 series monoblocks. This one is tailor-made for the GIGABYTE X470 AORUS GAMING 5 WIFI motherboard. The EK-FB GA X470 Gaming 5 RGB Monoblock has an integrated 4-pin RGB LED strip which makes it compatible with GIGABYTE RGB Fusion, thus offering a full lighting customization experience!

EK-FB GA X470 Gaming 5 RGB Monoblock
This is a complete all-in-one (CPU and motherboard) liquid cooling solution for the X470 AORUS GAMING 5 WIFI socket AM4 motherboard that supports the second generation of AMD Ryzen and 7th Generation A-series/Athlon processors.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, announced the launch of Z370 AORUS motherboards with exclusive built-in 32GB Intel Optane Memory and support for Intel Core i7+/i5+ architecture. By also utilizing Intel Rapid Storage Technology, these motherboards provide users with accelerated read/write speeds for their storage devices, bolstering their data performance for incredible value.

Introducing GIGABYTE motherboards with built-in 32GB Intel Optane Memory, the four models in this series include the Z370 AORUS GAMING 7-OP, Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING WIFI-OP, Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING 2.0-OP, and Z370 HD3-OP motherboards, all of which are fully compatible with the newest Intel RST. In addition to adapting the performance enhancement technology from the previous generation, the newest generation of Intel Optane Memory technology is even more potent as it enhances high capacity HDD read/write speeds to match that of SSDs. Under the protection of GIGABYTE Ultra Durable Technology, these boards offer increased system stability as well as durability, making these motherboards a can't miss choice for those seeking enhanced data performance at an unbeatable value.

AMD is reportedly readying a new high-end motherboard chipset positioned higher than even its upcoming X470 chipset, which makes its market debut on April 19. The new Z490 chipset, as it's called, is emerging to be significantly different from X470, and could finally overcome its biggest limitation - downstream PCIe connectivity. While the X470, like its predecessor, puts out just 8 downstream PCIe lanes, which are PCI-Express gen 2.0 at that, the new Z490 will put out a total of 12 PCI-Express gen 3.0 downstream lanes, which will power additional bandwidth-hungry devices, such as additional M.2 slots, external USB 3.1 controllers, 10 GbE controllers, etc. The Z490 was first leaked through a GIGABYTE Aorus internal presentation.

In its current implementation, socket AM4 motherboards have a total of 24 PCI-Express gen 3.0 lanes from the AM4 SoC, besides 6-8 gen 2.0 lanes from the chipset. From this SoC budget, 16 lanes are allocated for PEG (PCI-Express Graphics), 4 lanes as chipset-bus (connecting the SoC with the chipset), and the remaining 4 lanes powering one 32 Gbps M.2 slot. Additional M.2 slots are either gen 2.0, from the chipset's downstream lane budget, or split from the PEG budget. The Z490 overcomes this with a downstream PCIe root complex that's not just 50% broader, but also twice as fast, with PCI-Express gen 3.0. The rest of its feature-set appears to be identical to the X470. There's no timeline on when we can expect Z490 to launch.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, is releasing the new AORUS X470 Gaming motherboards based on the AMD X470 Chipset. This launch follows the announcement of 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen Processors and the motherboards themselves represent the pinnacle of performance on this new AMD platform by means of an updated power design with up to 10+2 power phases, future-proof connectivity with USB Type-C as well as improved Audio and Wi-Fi capabilities. All this is concealed by a new overall motherboard design that better showcases the dominant ascension of the AORUS eagle.

The first AORUS X470 motherboards on the market are the X470 AORUS GAMING 7 WIFI, the AORUS GAMING 5 WIFI and the AORUS ULTRA GAMING. This selection of boards covers a wide spectrum of price points and features while providing all the performance and novelties of the new chipset, including the Gen3 PCIe lanes enabling support for 2-Way CrossFire/SLI configurations.

GIGABYTE's upcoming flagship socket AM4 motherboard, the X470 Aorus Gaming 7, eclipsed two other models by the company based on the AMD X470 chipset, the X470 Aorus Gaming 5 /WiFi, and the X470 Aorus Ultra Gaming, pictured below. The X470 Aorus Gaming 5 has two variants based on the inclusion of a WLAN module. Both boards are based on the same PCB design, but the Gaming 5 is slightly better endowed than the Ultra Gaming. First, the common features. Drawing power from a 24-pin ATX and 8-pin EPS connector, the board features a 11-phase VRM to condition power for the AM4 SoC. A single-phase VRM powers the memory.

Expansion slots include three PCI-Express x16, from which the top two are gen 3.0 and wired to the SoC (x16/NC or x8/x8), while the third slot is gen 2.0 and wired to the X470 chipset. Two gen 2.0 x1 slots make for the rest of the expansion. Storage connectivity includes two M.2 slots, from which the top slot is 32 Gbps, and the bottom one 16 Gbps; and six SATA 6 Gbps ports, from which two come directly from the AM4 SoC. USB connectivity includes eight USB 3.0 ports, and two USB 3.1 ports, from which one is type-C. Gigabit Ethernet powered by Intel i219-V controller, and high-grade onboard audio with Realtek ALC1220 (120 dBA SNR) CODEC, WIMA capacitors, ground-layer isolation, and dual headphones amps, make for the rest of them.

AORUS, the high-end gaming enthusiast brand, announces the greatest update ever. Introducing the 8th generation of X7 DT and X5 laptops with 8th gen Intel i7-8850H overclockable CPU. What's more, introducing the X9 DT, now with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 graphics with G-SYNC and the 8th gen Intel i9-8950HK extreme overclockable CPU.

8th Gen CPU's | i7-8850H and i9-8950HK
With the introduction of the all new 8th gen CPU's from Intel comes to the next generation of AORUS gaming laptops. The update includes the X5 v8, X7 DT v8 and X9 DT. With both the v8 versions opting for the 8th gen Intel Core i7-8850H and the X9 DT taking flagship specs with the first ever Intel i9 series CPU to be fitted in a laptop. The Intel Core i9-8950HK makes the X9 DT the world's first to equip an extreme edition CPU and creating one of the most powerful gaming laptop ever.

MSI was caught openly slandering AMD Radeon graphics processors in promoting its MSI Gaming Series notebooks featuring NVIDIA GeForce graphics chips. The company is a signatory of the draconian GeForce Partner Program (GPP) by NVIDIA which, in boilerplate regulator-baiting language, tells its add-in card (AIC) partners not to use the same gaming sub-brand (eg: ASUS ROG, MSI Gaming, GIGABYTE Aorus, etc.,) for GPUs from any other brand (i.e. AMD Radeon). When it's in effect, ASUS, for example, can't sell an ROG Strix-branded Radeon graphics card, MSI can't sell an RX Vega 64 Gaming X, and it's probably why GIGABYTE stripped the RX 580 Gaming Box of Aorus branding.

In one of its regional Facebook pages, an official Facebook page customer response handle was seen openly stating "NVIDIA currently are ahead in the GPU experience," (keyword being "experience" and not performance), suggesting that its competition is sub-par. The handle was responding to a question as to why the notebook didn't come with AMD Radeon graphics options. Facebook users were quick to torch the MSI handle with a flame-war, and MSI corporate redacted the post stating "We apologize for making an inappropriate comment. It did not represent MSI's official views."

Ahead of their launch, motherboards based on Intel's cheaper H370 Express and H310 Express chipsets, hit the shelves in brick-and-mortar PC hardware stores in Thailand. Numerous pictures of ASRock-branded H370 and H310 motherboard models, namely the H370 Pro4, and the H310-HDV; GIGABYTE-branded Aorus H370 Gaming 3, and ASUS Prime H370-A, were posted to social media by PC buyers. Between March-April, Intel plans to launch cheaper H370 Express, B360 Express, and H310 Express chipsets, alongside newer Core i3 and Core i5 "Coffee Lake" quad-core and six-core SKUs; besides Pentium Gold and Celeron dual-core chips based on the silicon. The cheaper motherboards are expected to bring down the overall platform costs of 8th generation Core processors, which now require you to front over $100 on motherboards based on the expensive Z370 chipset. As with several generations of Intel chipset before it, cheaper chipsets lose out on key features such as CPU overclocking and NVIDIA SLI support.

GIGABYTE released a major revision of Aorus Z370 Ultra Gaming motherboard. This isn't just marked "Rev 2.0" in some obscure corner of the PCB, but is part of the model name - Z370 Ultra Gaming 2.0. It replaces the 7-phase CPU VRM of the original with a new 11-phase setup that uses stronger ferrite-core chokes that don't whine when stressed. The company is also including one M.2 SSD heatsink for the upper M.2-22110 slot, which the original lacks.

Besides these, the Aorus Z370 Ultra Gaming 2.0 is identical to the original, including its RGB LED diffusers, multiple RGB headers governed by GIGABYTE RGB Fusion software, two reinforced PCI-Express 3.0 x16 slots (x8/x8 when both are populated) with NVIDIA SLI support, one gigabit Ethernet interface driven by an Intel i219-V controller, and a premium onboard audio solution with a headphones amplifier and 120 dBA SNR CODEC (Realtek ALC1220); and a price ranging between $150-$170.

GIGABYTE today released the Aorus AC300W Lite chassis, a slightly scaled down variant of its AC300W chassis with VR-Link. The Lite variant does away with the original's USP, the VR-link connection. The original has a front-panel HDMI port that plugs into the "VR-Link" internal HDMI ports of certain Aorus-branded graphics cards. The Lite variant also does away with the glowing Aorus logo on the bottom compartment cover. The rest of its specifications remain unchanged. You still get the RGB LED-illuminated front panel Aorus logo and accents, controllable by GIGABYTE RGB Fusion software.

Inside, you'll get a conventional horizontally-partitioned layout, with room in the top compartment for graphics cards up to 40 cm in length, and CPU coolers up to 17 cm in height; and the bottom compartment housing two 3.5-inch drive bays, in addition to the PSU bay. Two additional 2.5-inch drives can be mounted behind the motherboard tray. Ventilation includes either three 120 mm or two 140 mm front intakes, two 140/120 mm top exhausts, and a 120 mm rear exhaust. The company didn't mention pricing.

Here are some of the first pictures of GIGABYTE Aorus X470 Gaming 7 WiFi, one of the first socket AM4 motherboards based on the upcoming AMD X470 chipset, which will launch with out of the box support for 2nd generation Ryzen "Pinnacle Ridge" and Ryzen "Raven Ridge" APUs, in addition to current-gen Ryzen chips, when it launches early-Q2 (April). The presence of more than one 32 Gbps M.2 slot bodes well, as it confirms that the chipset features PCI-Express gen 3.0 general purpose lanes (current AMD 300-series chipset have gen 2.0). One can also spy three x16 slots, from which two will be wired to the CPU, with SLI support; and the board's overall design scheme matching that of the company's Intel 300-series chipset motherboards.

GIGABYTE introduced its third custom-design GeForce GTX 1070 Ti graphics card following the GTX 1070 Ti Gaming, and GTX 1070 Ti WindForce 2X; this one labeled under its premium Aorus brand. The Aorus GeForce GTX 1070 Ti graphics card features reference clock speeds of 1607 MHz core, 1683 MHz GPU Boost, and 8.00 GHz (GDDR5-effective) memory, just like the other two, since NVIDIA doesn't allow factory-overclocked GTX 1070 Ti graphics cards. The Aorus GTX 1070 Ti features a different PCB and cooler to those of the GIGABYTE GTX 1070 Ti Gaming.

The cooler's underlying aluminium fin-stack heatsink is the same, and is ventilated by a trio of 80 mm fans; but the cooler shroud is different, and is studded with RGB LED elements, including a multi-color Aorus logo on the top. These LEDs can be configured using GIGABYTE RGB Fusion software. The back-plate is different, too, and features a copper plate over the reverse side of the GPU, which draws heat from behind the GPU via a thermal pad, dissipates it along the metal back-plate. The card still draws power from a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, but the PCB features a 6+2 phase VRM with higher-capacity chokes than the GIGABYTE Gaming card. Display outputs still include three DisplayPorts and one each of HDMI and DVI. This will be GIGABYTE's most expensive GTX 1070 Ti offering.

GIGABYTE today introduced the Aorus X299 Ultra Gaming Pro motherboard, a similar revision to the original X299 Ultra Gaming, as the recently announced X299 Gaming 7 Pro is to the original X299 Gaming 7. The board is nearly identical to the X299 Ultra Gaming, but comes with an added wireless networking module.

GIGABYTE deployed the Killer Wireless-AC 1535 module, which provides 802.11ac 2x2 (dual-band) Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity. The wired networking is still handled by an Intel i219-V controller, with an included license to cFosSpeed, a traffic-shaping utility that you can use to improve online gaming latencies. The Aorus X299 Ultra Gaming Pro will be priced roughly 20% higher than the X299 Ultra Gaming.

GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards and graphics cards, has unveiled the new X299 AORUS Gaming 7 Pro motherboard. With support for the new Intel 18-Core i9 7980XE processor, the new motherboard is ready to elevate performance to the next level. Featuring an updated VRM design paired with Smart Fan 5 technology to satiate the power demands of the new 18-core processor while keeping the system icy cool, the new X299 AORUS Gaming 7 Pro is the definitive motherboard of choice for users who value performance first and foremost.

"The X299 AORUS Gaming 7 Pro motherboard is designed to fully support Intel's newest Core i9 7980XE processor." said Vincent Liu, Senior Associate Vice President of GIGABYTE's Motherboard Business Unit. "With our tried-and-true approach and seasoned experience, we have designed a motherboard that truly fulfills enthusiasts' highest expectations."

GIGABYTE introduced the Aorus K9 Optical gaming keyboard. As its name suggests, this is a variant of the Aorus K9 mechanical keyboard, featuring optical switches. These switches, made by Flaretech, enable debounce times as low as 0.03 ms, and come with an endurance of over 100 million keystrokes per key. The keyboard is also splash-proof, chatter-proof, and feature a floating key design, in which the keys aren't entrenched into the frame, making them tougher to clean. The electronics provide N-key rollover and anti-ghosting. The keyboard features 16.8 million-color RGB multi-color back-lighting, which can be controlled with GIGABYTE RGB Fusion software. The company didn't reveal pricing.