Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Tachyon Review

Name: Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Tachyon
Brand: GIGABYTE
Price: 540 USD

ir_cow

on May 17th, 2022,

in Motherboards.

Manufacturer: GIGABYTE

Board Software »

BIOS Overview

Clocks	Range	Interval
BCLK Frequency:	80 MHz - 500 MHz	0.010 MHz
CPU P-Core Ratio:	8–127	1
CPU E-Core Ratio:	8–60	1
CPU Cache/Ring Ratio:	8–85	1
DRAM Frequency:	DDR5-800 - DDR5-10000	N/A
CPU Voltages	Range	Interval
CPU Voltage:	1.1–1.8 V	0.005 V
CPU Input Voltage:	1.6–2.1 V	0.010 V
VCCSA Voltage:	.08-1.50 V	0.010 V
VDD2 (IMC):	0.8–1.6 V	0.010 V
VDDQ_TX:	0.9–1.8 V	0.005 V
DRAM Voltages	Range	Interval
DRAM VDD:	0.900–1.8	0.005 V
DRAM VDDQ:	0.900–1.8	0.005 V
DRAM VPP:	1.5–2.0 V	0.005 V

The Gigabyte Z690 AORUS Tachyon default landing screen upon first entering the BIOS is named "Easy Mode." It gives you the ability to set the memory XMP profile, drive boot priority, automatic overclocking, and fan control without digging deeply into the sub-menus. On the right side is the list of sub-menus that can be accessed by pressing the corresponding F-key or using the mouse.

Switching to Advanced Mode, we are greeted by the familiar black and orange highlighted BIOS layout Gigabyte is known for. Those familiar with Gigabyte should feel right at home. I am glad to see the Favorites menu return, which allows adding and subtracting commonly used settings for future convenience. It is especially useful for this type of product geared towards overclocking.

I am thoroughly disappointed by the lack of organization in the BIOS. For example, the search function is not listed anywhere, yet digging though the BIOS, I found it in the Settings Menu. Pressing ALT+F will bring it up anywhere inside the BIOS. Why is this not in the Easy Mode menu at least? Other things like disabling individual PCIe slots and changing the PWM switching frequency are missing entirely. Re-Size Bar is disabled by default. Memory-related VDDQ_TX voltage for direct control is seemingly absent as it will match the DRAM voltage by default. However, after a bit of research, it can actually be independently controlled with its own values if you manually enter the DRAM voltages. At that point, "DRAM Vdd/VddQ" becomes the VDDQ_TX voltage instead of what is is named for; DRAM voltage. Yes, unnecessarily complicated.

The list of complaints continues, but one of the more important potential concerns is when setting the CPU voltage. By default (Auto), the Load-Line Calibration (LLC) will be changed to Turbo. This pumps an extra 0.05 V into the CPU! For example, 1.35 V becomes 1.40 V. This is not something you want to change on its own. The values are set manually for a reason. The simple solution is to change the LLC to Standard before playing around with CPU overclocking. Fortunately, seasoned overclockers will immediately notice a discrepancy.

Good news is that some of these things are resolved with the XOC BIOS. It is unofficial and unsupported by Gigabyte. Yes, you read that right, It is not listed on Gigabyte's website for download. You will need to browse the internet, find this mythical XOC BIOS on your own to get functions back that should have been there in the first place. In any event, I highly recommend going through all the sub-menus and saving things to the Favorites menu. This is disappointing considering this motherboard is designed around overclocking enthusiasts who want the ability to customize things the average user would not know about.