Component Analysis

The two X870 chipsets are located relatively close together and with a comparatively small heatsink compared to other X870E boards we've reviewed so far. The design raises other questions too, such as the obscured CMOS battery, but also that useful labels for the fan headers and M.2 ports are completely hidden from view, forcing you to use the manual to identify the ports.


This isn't so much of an issue with the M.2 ports, which still have the Gen 5 ports indicated on the metal caps, but if you're planning on using the fan headers here, this oversight could be annoying if you're trying to plug specific fans into certain ports. Gigabyte has chosen Realtek's 8126 5 Gbps controller for its single Ethernet port and is nestled next to the audio circuitry.


Below we can see the Realtek ALC1220 audio codec. It might sound inferior to the more recent 4000-series chips, but the two are practically identical with the latter going via the USB bus instead. They otherwise have similar specifications. Gigabyte has opted for the ASMedia 4242 controller to power the board's two USB4 ports and this is cooled using a small heatsink that sits underneath the rest of the VRM heatsinks.


The Qualcomm QCNCM865 Wi-Fi 7 module is removable and doesn't feature additional cooling that we've seen on Wi-Fi 7 implementations on other X870E boards.