Gigabyte AORUS Gaming 3 X299 Motherboard Review

Introduction

Gigabyte AORUS Gaming 3

We’re back on our X299 test bench today, with the glorious looking Gigabyte Aorus Gaming 3 motherboard. This high-end motherboard comes with support for the latest Intel Skylake-X processors, including the new i9-7900X. While we’ve already tested the extremely powerful and feature-packed Gigabyte Aorus Gaming 9, at £299, the Gaming 3 is around £200 cheaper than its big brother! Will that big price difference give us a big difference in performance? We’re certainly eager to find out!

This motherboard may not have as many features as the Gaming 9, however, it’s not exactly lacking in features either. With support for 8 x DDR4 DIMMs, USB Type C and A, Optane Support, RGB lighting, M.2 and more, it’s sure to be a great start to any high-end gaming PC.

Intel X299 Gaming motherboard with RGB Fusion, Digital LED strip support, Dual M.2, 120dB SNR ALC1220, Intel Gaming LAN, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C/A

• Supports Intel^® Core™ X-series Processor Family
• Quad Channel Non-ECC Unbuffered DDR4, 8 DIMMs, DDR4400+(OC)
• Intel^® Optane™ Memory Ready
• ASMedia 3142 USB 3.1 Gen 2 with USB Type-C™ and Type-A
• 3-Way Graphics Support with Dual Armor and Ultra Durable™ Design
• Server-Class Digital Power Design
• ALC1220 120dB SNR HD Audio with Smart Headphone AMP and WIMA audio capacitor
• RGB FUSION supports Digital LED and RGBW Light Strips
• Smart Fan 5 features Multiple Temperature Sensors and Hybrid Fan Headers with FAN STOP
• Dual Ultra-Fast M.2 with PCIe Gen3 x4 interface
• NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 U.2 support by optional adaptor
• Intel^® GbE LAN Gaming Network with cFosSpeed Internet Accelerator Software
• Anti-Sulfur Resistor Design
• Ultra Durable™ 25KV ESD and 15KV Surge LAN Protection
• Lightning-Fast Intel^® Thunderbolt™ 3 AIC Support
• GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOS™
• APP Center Including EasyTune™ and Cloud Station™ Utilities

What AORUS had to Say

“The AORUS X299 enthusiast motherboards are faster and more powerful than any motherboard the world has ever seen. With an aggressively redesigned armor and thermal heatsinks its sure to turn heads and catch eyes. Performance is no stranger to AORUS, with exotic cooling and an ability to be tuned to peak performance AORUS motherboards will exceed expectations.” – Gigabyte AORUS

View the complete specifications here.