INTRODUCTION

   Even though my two very first computers were based on Intel and Cirrus chips (followed solely by Intel ones) and AMD was a name well known to me since the mid-90's it wasn't until they released their Athlon X2 CPUs that i decided to switch camps. This was in 2000 and the reason i remember is because afterwards Intel took back the lead with its newer models and thus i changed camps once more. This all changed once again with the appearance of the Threadripper workstation CPUs roughly 4 years ago and has pretty much continued up until this day with the addition of the Ryzen 9 series the 5950X model of which holds the crown for fastest multi-core CPU in the consumer market today (Intel currently holds the single core performance crown with their 11900K CPU). So, since I’ve already begun covering the latest Intel socket 1200 Z590 motherboards today I’ll be testing one of the best AMD socket AM4 motherboards available in the market, the GIGABYTE X570S Aorus Master.

   GIGABYTE offers a comprehensive product lineup that aims to “Upgrade Your Life.” With expertise encompassing consumer, business, gaming, and cloud systems, GIGABYTE established its reputation as a leader in the industry with award-winning products including motherboards, graphics cards, laptops, mini PCs, and other PC components and accessories. As a perennial developer in PC and server hardware and solutions, GIGABYTE is poised to extend our scope in business servers and cloud systems with hardware and software solutions that integrate AI and AloT applications to allow customers to capture, analyze, and transform digital information into economic data, accelerating businesses' success from edge to cloud.

   The X570S Aorus Master by GIGABYTE is an advanced motherboard model that sports an 14+2 phase digital VRM, quad DIMM slots (dual-channel configuration – 128GB total supported with speeds exceeding 5400MHz), 3 full-length EMI shielded (and reinforced) PCIe 4.0 slots (x16/x8-4 / x16 slot operates at up to x8 when the x8 slot is populated / x4 slot shares bandwidth with the M2C_SB connector), onboard ARGB LEDs, 4 M.2 SSD slots (Gen4x4), 6 native SATA 6Gb/s ports (with RAID 0/1/10 support), Realtek ALC1220-BN audio codec (paired with the ESS SABRE 9118 DAC), Intel AX201 Dual-Band WiFi 6/BT 5.2 wireless adapter, Intel i225 2.5GbE LAN, dual temperature sensor headers, two RGB LED strip headers and a Thunderbolt add-in connector (extra TB card required to use). It's also equipped with a multi-function indicator, motherboard power button and rear I/O quick flash and clear CMOS buttons for easier/faster access. When it comes to available connections the X570S Aorus Master comes ready with 8 USB-A 2.0 ports (4 external and 4 internal), 2 USB Type-C USB 3.2 Gen2 ports (1 external and 1 internal), 6 USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A ports (2 external & 4 internal), 5 USB Type-A 3.2 Gen2 ports (all 5 are external), single Intel i225V 2.5GbE (10/100/1000/2500) Ethernet port, 2 WiFi 6/BT 5.2 SMA antenna connectors and the Realtek ALC1220 High Definition Audio onboard audio card outputs (five 3.5mm jacks and a single S/PDIF). The X570S Aorus Master looks very interesting so let's get close and personal with it.