Gigabyte is ready to launch a new flagship X870E motherboard for wealthy AM5 users, featuring some rather unusual accessories. Folks at Benchlife got their hands on the upcoming X870E Aorus Xtreme X3D AI TOP and published a detailed unboxing. As far as I can tell, this is the first look at this motherboard, which has yet to appear on Gigabyte’s own website.
An updated version of the X870E Aorus Xtreme AI TOP, this new refresh uses reoriented connectors and additional PCB covers for a stealthier look. It comes boxed in high-quality packaging, with multiple dedicated compartments for each add-on, of which there are plenty.
In addition to the board itself, would-be buyers can look forward to a range of bundled accessories. These include useful extras such as a large SSD cooler and a vented RAM cover, as well as some more superfluous additions in the form of a thermos cup and a corkscrew bottle opener. A USB DAC plus a CPU contact frame are also part of the eclectic bundle.
Get past all the extras and you’re presented with the main course, the expensive-looking X870E, which is ready to tame any Ryzen CPU you throw at it. Understandably, on such a flagship board, anything short of a Ryzen 9 9950X3D would be considered an insult. All joking aside, you can expect 22 or so VRM stages for CPU power, an eight-layer PCB to handle high-speed DDR5 memory, and all the latest connectivity.
The pictures shared by Benchlife show eight USB 3.2 Type-A, two USB 3.2 Type-C, two USB 4 with DP alt mode, one HDMI, 3.5mm plus optical audio, and dual 10GbE LAN. In other words, everything but the kitchen sink.
The board itself carries three PCIe slots, five M.2, plus a bunch of internal USB/fan headers. True to its flagship status, the first two PCIe slots feature a quick-release mechanism, plus a cover to hide the bottom slots when not in use. Better yet, the fans of the SSD and RAM coolers both connect via pogo pins, removing the need for cables, which could hinder the aesthetics of the build.
While Benchlife didn’t indicate how much the X870E Aorus Xtreme X3D AI TOP will cost, I expected it to retail for at least £800 since even last-gen’s X670E Aorus XTREME remains at £745.
Too rich for your blood? There’s always the intriguing X870E Aorus Elite X3D which boasts a similar feature set at over half the price. You’ll just have to find a way to live without the bottle opener.
