Gigabyte Aorus X299 Gaming 7, Intel X299 motherboard socket 2066 [X299 AORUS Gaming 7]

 This chip set, with the code name "Lewisburg", is a true all-rounder thanks to its up to 30 HSIO lanes (high-speed input / output) as well as the maximum 24 PCIe Express 3.0 lanes to be used Connections.

The features of the Gigabyte Aorus Gaming 7 at a glance:

5 x PCIe (3.0) x16 (2 x x16 / 1 x x8 / 2 x x4)
7 × USB 3.1 (1 × Type C / 4 × Type A / 2 × internal)
8 × USB 3.0 (4 × Type-A / 4 × internal) & 4 × USB 2.0 (internal)
3 × M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4) / 8 × SATA 6G
8 × DIMM slots for DDR4-RAM (max. 128 GB with 28 or 44 Lane CPU)
Includes ac-WiFi module with antenna connections
Gigabyte RGB Fusion RGB LED lighting
The Gigabyte Aorus Gaming 7 in detail

The Gigabyte Aorus Gaming 7 is a high-quality enthusiast motherboard in ATX format, suitable for power users and hardware fools who have chosen an X299- & Skylake-X or Kaby Lake-X team. The extremely stylish black board has five PCIe x16 slots, two of which are connected to the chipset with full 16 lanes, while the other three are electrically connected with eight and four data lines, respectively. This makes it possible to use NVIDIA 3-Way SLI or AMD 3-Way CrossFireX configurations when using a 28 or 44 Lane CPU.

Equipped with a total of eight DIMM slots for DDR4 memory, all CPUs with 28 or 44 data lines can be used in quad-channel mode and up to a maximum capacity of 128 GB. A CPU with 16 lanes supports the dual-channel operation of four slots with a maximum capacity of 64 GB. Officially, DDR4 modules with up to 2,400 MHz can be used, with clock rates up to 4.333 MHz being possible after overclocking.

For data carriers, the board provides an extensive set of three M.2 slots for especially fast NVE-M.2 SSDs, as well as eight SATA 6G connectors for 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch hard drives and SSDs ( Including RAID support). The M.2 ports are connected to the chipset via four PCIe lanes in the 3.0 standard and, in combination with the NVMe protocol, enable a data transfer rate of just under 4 GB / s. Thus, M.2 PCIe SSDs are up to eight times faster than SATA 6G SSDs! In addition, the M.2 slots are equipped with so-called thermal guards, which reduces the heat generation on the modules and thus the performance is not lost.

External connections

On the I / O panel of this performance motherboard, there are numerous useful connections to make life easier for the user. In addition to a new type-C USB 3.1 port, which is particularly thin and can be plugged in at both ends, the board has four additional, downward-compatible USB 3.1 ports. Thanks to the ASMedia 3142 USB 3.1 controller, even maximum speeds of up to 16 Gbps are achieved, which is more than three times as fast as conventional USB 3.0 connections. Of course, the board also has four USB 3.0 ports for input devices and other gaming peripherals, two of which are equipped with the DAC-UP technology, thus enabling a particularly reliable power supply for connected devices.

The Aorus Gaming 7 also features an Intel Gigabit LAN port, a killer E2500 LAN port, and a fast killer 1535 wireless AC with two MMCX antenna connectors, allowing for the most important network processes to be automatically prioritized for lag-free gaming Experience. The Realtek ALC1220 Codec and the five audio ports with gold-plated connectors, which are supplemented by an optical S / PDIF-out connector, provide for neat sound. In addition, a classic PS / 2 port for keyboard and / or mouse is included in the I / O panel.

Other equipment

The special features of the Gigabyte Aorus Gaming 7 include an extensive RGB LED lighting based on Gigabytes RGB fusion. In addition to numerous lighting zones directly on the board, you can also connect several LED strips and also control them perfectly via the Fusion software. The virtually endless colors and numerous effects can be selected, is now almost a matter of course.

To increase the stability of the motherboard, it has a reliable Steel-Armor for RAM and all PCIe slots. In times of increasingly heavy and growing graphics cards, CPU coolers and RAM bars, these reinforcements provide a much safer feeling for the built-in high-end components.

Technical details:

Format:
ATX form factor (30.5 x 24.4 cm)
chipset:
Intel X299 ("Lewisburg")
Base:
2066 (for Intel CPUs of the Skylake-X and Kaby Lake-X generation)
R.A.M:
8 × DDR4 (Skylake-X: DDR4-2.666, up to 128 GB with a CPU with 44 or 28 lanes)
4 × DDR4 (Kabylake-X: DDR4-2.666, up to 64 GB with a CPU with 16 lanes)
Quad-Channel (Skylake-X, supported on CPUs with 44 or 28 lanes)
Dual-Channel (Kabylake-X, supported on CPUs with 16 lanes)
Slots (physical):
2 × PCIe 3.0 x16
1 × PCIe 3.0 x16 (electrical x8)
2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (electrical x4)
Compatible Multi-VGA configurations: 3-Way-SLI * (Quad-GPU), 3-Way-CrossFireX * (Quad-GPU)
1 × WiFi / Bluetooth module (including 802.11ac)
Internal connections:
8 × SATA 6G
1 × M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA, 2242/2260/2280)
1 × M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4 & SATA, 2260/2280)
1 × M.2 (PCIe 3.0 x4, 2260/2280/22110)
2 × USB 3.1 (one header)
4 × USB 3.0 (two headers)
4 × USB 2.0 (two header)
1 × CPU fan (4-pin)
4 × System Fan (4-pin)
1 × system fan / pump connection (4-pin)
1 × 3 A system fan / pump connection (4-pin)
1 × Header for digital LED strip extension cable
2 × Header for RGB LED Strip Extension Cable
1 × Intel VROC Upgrade Key Header
1 × front panel header
1 × front panel audio header
1 × S / PDIF-out header
1 × Thunderbolt Add-in Card Connector
1 × TPM (Trusted Platform Module)
1 × Power Button
1 × Reset Button
1 × Clear CMOS Button
1 × ECO Button
1 × OC Button
2x header for temperature sensors
External connections:
1 × PS / 2 keyboard / mouse
1 × USB 3.1 (Type C)
4 × USB 3.1 (Type-A, Red)
4 × USB 3.0 (Type-A, blue & yellow)
2 × RJ45 LAN port (Intel Gigabit LAN & Killer E2500)
2 × WiFi antenna connector
1 × Optical S / PDIF-out connector
5 × Audio (Realtek ALC1220)
Power supply:
1 × 24-pin ATX
2 × 8-pin ATX 12V