R E V I E W // Z 3 9 0 A O R U S X T R E M E
TESTING CONFIGURATION
INTEL Core i9 9900K @ 5GHz
CORSAIR Dominator Platinum Contrast
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080
INTEL 760P 480GB SSD
Seasonic Prime Platinum 850
Windows 10 x64
(BIOS F3)
HARDWARE AWARD
GIGABYTE
Z390 AORUS XTREME
ERP $549.99 | WEBSITE w w w.aorus.com
H
ere it is, the final word in
GIGABYTE’s Z390 AORUS
line-up, or at least it was until a
couple of months ago when the Water
force model was announced, taking
whatever honours that designation may
have had.
Nonetheless it doesn’t mean this is
anything but a board packed with just
about every conceivable feature and
function relevant to this chipset.
As such, the Xtreme is obviously for
the ones with deep pockets as value
for money isn’t remotely relevant to
this item. There’s no plausible reason
why anyone needs a motherboard like
this. Not saying it’s impossible but
I’d like to engage the individual who
would make use of even a fraction of
the functionality provided. That said, I
don’t think this was designed with any
30 The OverClocker Issue 46 | 2019
specific use case or target audience
(in an earnest and rational way that is),
but as a way perhaps to showcase what
GIGABYTE – when committed - can
produce when cost or retail price rather
isn’t the primary concern. If you’re one
of those who wants only the absolute
best and will likely pair this board with
at least one RTX 2080 or better, this is
likely the Z390 for you.
As is the case with such boards it’s
tough figuring out where to start. As
such it may be best we begin with the
most obvious, which is presentation.
Presentation
It’s taken a while, but it’s slowly
becoming apparent to boards vendors
that some products at least at the high
end do not need a licence plate as an
identifier. Z390 AORUS XTREME is not
perfect but respectable and far more
palatable than X981-Ultra DH5 or
similar.
When you open the box, you are
presented with the motherboard of
course under the plastic see-through
cover. I’d not say this is attractive at all,
but what you do get from the aesthetics
is that this is a serious and obviously
high-end component. This board means
business and it shows in just about
every way. Prominent heatsinks, an
assistive back plate, shielding and
component heatsinks all make for a
weighty board. I don’t’ believe I’ve dealt
with a heavier motherboard in ages if
ever.
Beneath the board is the usual sticker
sheet with all your AORUS related
branding and the like. I’m not