We have reached the end of the review, and it is once again time to consolidate everything into a few talking points. As with previous reviews, I will start with what Gigabyte could improve upon the X670E AORUS Master to make this an even better product, before finishing on a positive note.

First, let's discuss an easy to understand topic, but quite complicated in the technical aspect, and that is the motherboards BIOS. While this Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master review comes a few weeks after AMD Ryzen 7000 series launch, multiple BIOS revisions have occurred in the meantime, solving some of the early issues and strengthening memory compatibility. There are still a number of system memory restrictions and minor performance bugs that will take many more months or possibly even up until the next CPU cycle to fully resolve. While the BIOS for this Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master is fairly flushed out, with all the features you expect from a product of this tier, memory support is still a concern. It is not to say that this motherboard cannot handle higher memory frequencies, rather the design of these AMD CPUs, combined with its current AGESA revision dictates the overall compatibility. From a distance, in a lot of ways this is reminiscent of the early days of AMD Ryzen, where if the system memory in question that wasn't on the motherboards QVL list, it simply refuses to work. Higher speed memory that was commonly used on Intel platforms at the time did not work at all, and often four memory DIMMs did not work either. It wasn't until the second generation of the Ryzen CPUs did many of these initial memory restrictions become less of a issue. DDR5 is new to AMD. For an example of the strangeness going on here, one the of two Netac Shadow II DDR5-4800 kits refused to boot. It was narrowed down to one of the DIMMs. Though, this gives little indication to what the issue could be, as it works fine on the Intel Z690 platform. Just like Intel last year, AMD is going through the teething process. Unfortunately, that means the end users (you) are the early adopters, because DDR5 is the only supported memory type on this AM5 platform.

The good news is that these lower frequency memory kits do not have such a negative impact as one may think. For example, for those gamers, DDR5-5200 is very similar to DDR5-6000 in terms of average frame rate. The main issue currently has to do with dual-rank compatibility and using four DIMMs at once. Regardless of the configuration, any memory operating above DDR5-6200 has serious stability concerns (if it boots at all). The likelihood DDR5-6400+ will work properly using auto EXPO/XMP at this current time is highly questionable at best. As stated previously, these AMD AGESA updates have drastically improved memory compatibility since the launch of the AM5 platform. For now though, it is recommended to only use two memory DIMMs and with DDR5-6000 memory or lower for a truly hassle-free experience. Once again, it must be pointed out that this is not strictly a Gigabyte problem, as has been observed on multiple motherboards and certainly noted in every published review on TechPowerUp.

Currently, as it stands, the first initial boot sequence will be anywhere from three to five minutes. If any changes are made thereafter, such as enabling the memory's XMP or EXPO profile, the next boot will be the same long duration again. Subsequently, every boot afterwards (as long as you don't lose power) will be relatively quick, approximately 30 seconds or less. The newest BIOS for the Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master has a option to disable memory training every time for a even faster boot cycle. However, this is not one fits all type of solution. It is only a work-around that may cause more compatibility problems. It it suggested to only try this mode as an experimental feature.

Going down the list, we still have a few things to point out about this motherboard. Gigabyte follows the new trend of motherboards removing the common five 5.1/7.1 analog outputs and replacing them with Line Out (Stereo) and a Mic in. This will affect different groups of people. Some who rely on onboard audio will not notice the change if they only have a stereo setup. Those who have a dedicated surround sound system will have to rely on SPDIF, or use the front audio ports on the computer case. The last option is to use a PCIe sound card or external audio DAC that supports five analog outputs.

Next up is less of a complaint, rather to point out things that plagued the motherboard industry as a whole for quite a while now. There's no easy way to start this conversation, rather it is easier just to say that these additional PCIe slots are quite literally an ongoing scam. It is not just Gigabyte at fault here, rather the industry as a whole has adopted the illusion of using additional full x16 bandwidth PCIe slots, when in fact these are often internally wired for 1X or 4X. In this example, the Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master's 3rd PCIe slot is actually wired for x2 Gen 3, which not many devices will be able take advantage of. While the website specifications page and motherboards manual clears up any lingering confusion one may have, it is still often hidden by an asterisk (*) pined to the end. In general, these additional slots are a desirable feature, but the presentation suggest these are not only physically x16 PCIe slots, but also wired internally, thus being misleading to the average buyer. Here comes the open ended question; is it better to have a physical x1 or x4 PCIe slot or increase compatibility with a full-length x16 slot for add-on cards to be installed regardless if they will operate at those speeds? Leave a comment voicing your opinion on this subject!

The final entry on our "naughty" list is the suggested retail price. This is a controversial and heated topic among the PC building community as of late. To some, the price can be considered just based upon what features are included when directly compared to previous generations of AMD motherboards. The AM5 platform is expensive all-around, from the CPUs to the motherboards. Some of that cost is going to be the "early adopter tax", but mainly because a AMD has chosen to implement PCIe Gen 5, M.2 Gen 5 and DDR5, and that additional cost is passed along to the consumer. All motherboards using the Extreme (E) chipset will have PCIe Gen 5 support. These will always have higher prices compared to their non-E counterparts for each product tier. AMD is betting on that this high bandwidth technology will be used in the not so distant future, and that is the biggest compelling reason to go the higher price route. It also may be two or three years before we see any advantage that Gen 5 will provide the end user, but having the option to do so ultimately gives you (the consumer) the advantage without needing to buy another motherboard for the entire life cycle of this AMD AM5 socket.

The X670E Master falls into a niche category, in which the Gigabyte B650E AORUS Master offers a similar end-to-end experience and is $150 cheaper (US Market). The main differences are hard to spot without a specification sheet to directly compare. The answer to this trivia is that the B650E has fewer USB ports and power stages for the motherboard VRM. There's also less noticeable quality of life features that give the X670E Master the edge, like for example; voltage read points, a better onboard audio solution and beefier VRM cooling solutions, to name a few. However, these may not be enough to warrant upgrading from the B650E Master.

Now that we covered a lot of ground for potential issues concerning different consumer groups, it's now time to turn our attention to what makes this a product worth considering for that next system build. The most important thing here is to acknowledge this is the X670E version. What that means in the big picture is counter to the pricing concerns, the Extreme (E) variation of the B650 and X670 chipsets supports PCIe 5.0, M.2 Gen 5 and DDR5. These are the fundamental backbone to the Extreme chipset. If this is something you're looking for in a motherboard, Gigabyte absolutely has that covered. Not only is the first slot is full x16 Gen 5, it is not divided among M.2 sockets or other PCIe slots. It also has spacing for a 4-slot graphics card. This may seem a bit absurd or a bit laughable to consider that a feature. However, as graphics cards continue to increase in power draw, so does the size increase for each generation as well. While these larger graphics cards will fit in all ATX motherboards, depending on the PCIe slot layout, often the second or third slot is covered completely or partially blocked, rendering the motherboard useless for all additional add-on cards.

The Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master certainly has its ups and downs, but also many redeeming qualities as well. The major advantage over the B650E chipset is the additional PCIe lanes and subsequently more high-speed USB ports internally and externally accessible. The X670E AORUS Master is certainly not the cheapest, and as touched on previously overlaps the Gigabyte B650E AORUS Master in many aspects. However, when directly compared to other X670E motherboards, it has some less pronounced advantages. For starters, it has a robust 16-phase 105 A power delivery system and an undeniably great heatsink design that uses 12 W//mk thermal pads for maximum thermal dissipation. There's no point in time now, or into the future where this power delivery system used on the Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master will not be enough for any future AM5 processor. Echoing the same viewpoint in each and every AMD review, AMD is betting that PCIe Gen 5 devices will become an integral part of computers in the next few years. The B650E and X670E motherboards fundamentally have this advantage with built in support today, designed to stay relevant for the entire life cycle of the AM5 platform.

It would be misleading to say these Gen 5 PCIe slots and M.2 sockets are useful today. Just because the technology is here, doesn't mean it will be taken advantage of anytime soon. To some it can be seen as a waste of money to purchase functions the possibly may never be used, to others, those are looking towards the future will be happy to know this Gigabyte X670E AORUS Master motherboard will support these devices as they enter the consumer market. In many ways this X670E AORUS Master misses the mark. This is because the B650E AORUS Master already offers exceptional value for it's feature set. Gigabyte has outdone itself already, leaving this X670E AORUS Master motherboard in limbo. From a distance, it may not offer enough to be enticing enough to buy.