Yeah, and Gigabyte didn't even choose to put these network/RF controllers with those shonky drivers on their motherboard(s). No, they didn't. A ... uh ... armed and dangerous thooth fairy forced Gigabyte to include specifically those ICs on their motherboards. Gigabyte is not the one to blame here!
Thanks for this! I read this before buying the board and came across this issue. I was going crazy with bluetooth disconnecting every minute after waking from sleep and remembered your comment.
Well, it's not actually missing something, but rather has some superfluous stuff that would befit a board of such compact form factor much better when left out. I am talking about the squirrel cage fan here, which of course is necessary because X570. But then again, a small board such as this hardly benefits from all the I/O options the X570 offers. A chipset nod needing active cooling would be much nicer.
Unfortunately, such a chipset doesn't exist presently and one either has to begrudingly accept either squirrel-cage-fan-X570 or B450-pardon-i-meant-B550A, or just refuse to buy this stuff
(Yeah, obviously the latter is me. I am at a point where i want to do a major system upgrade towards Ryzen, but AMDs underwhelming chipset strategy kind of erodes the confidence their latest CPU offerings instill. Not saying that Intel is presenting themselves in a more favourable light. So i am still holding off to see how things develop with regards to both players...)
Now, unfortunately that is neither mATX nor mITX. Also -- and this is obviously totally subjective -- does it feel normal to pay more for a motherboard than, say, for example a Ryzen 7 3700X?
Sure, assuming the fan isn't turned off completely. Passive mode exists and what many boards use when you aren't utilizing PCIe 4.0 bandwidth. I also have an old Z78 Sabertooth with an even smaller fan that's still perfectly functioning. Now that is a board built to last. In the end the quality of the fan really matters.
Yeah, this can work for people that build an entirely new system, thus being able to select components such CPU cooler and or GPU and a mobo with an acceptable layout (with regard to the placement of the chipset hub) so that they don't spatially interfere with each other. Unfortunately, i am intending to do an upgrade of an existing system instead of building a completely new one from scratch, and i intend to keep my GPU and CPU cooler. Both are too fat (wide/long) and are not leaving enough room for any passive chipset heatsink of any meaningful size :( (Form factor in my case is mATX or smaller. ATX and E(-peen)-ATX are not under consideration.)
I have to agree with you, moreso on the chipset fan than anything else. It feels like a significant step backwards to see them on motherboards and speaks of immature technology behind PCIe 4.0 to be in a state that the higher bandwidth bus requires active cooling.
I currently cannot find an x570 Micro board with SP/DIF...still rocking my Z5500's from over a decade ago...Plenty of B450 board with this port, so wonder if this is a concious decision to segment the purchasers.
Same here. Don't feel like upgrading my AV setup just yet and need SPDIF. SPDIF nowadays can only be found on the highest end boards (which never include ITX or mATX) or "HTPC" boards which just means lower end chip set. I bought a sound card after more than 20 years just so in case SPDIF is gone forever if Sony chose not to keep it in PS5 as Sony is the only company keeping SPDIF alive.
Many motherboards support a copper spdiff link if you plug the cable into one of the ministereo jacks and configure it in the software to digital out. You don't need a board with toslink connectors unless you're running a very long cable.
SP/DIF is provided by the audio chip on the motherboard. You can add SPDIF to any motherboard with a sound card and it will be infinitely better then what you have now. I don't understand why you would limit your motherboard selection for a feature that can be added to any product on the market.
Near any other interface would give better quality, but if it's due to older audio stuff, rather look at getting an analog to spif converter, should be around the 10-15 dollar mark, and then you'd be able to plug any device in and not have to worry about your pc not supporting it.
I have this board, and I hate its I/O configuration. No one will buy a x570 board to use with integrated GPU. I'd rather have USB ports (and a lot of them) AND another gigabit LAN port instead.
for X670 GIGABYTE could do: 1. lose all video out 2. double USB inputs 3. double fan connectors 4. real fins on VRMs 5. keep the price because noone will buy this for 300$ and maybe 6. who needs WIFI really? 7. another LAN port
Just because you don’t have a use case for it doesn’t mean others don’t. ITX is a relatively popular form factor. Not everyone is a gamer, and of those who are, some want to use GPU passthrough for gaming on Linux and other virtualization scenarios.
Check out cases like the DanPC case or the louqe ghost s1.
I get that but if you want to run a cheap APU why on earth would you buy a x570 motherboard??? I understand using one video out just in case but 3 does seem like a waste for a high en board that people most likely will use with a high end cpu and GPU...
Yes another motherboard with a fan. Testing on similar motherboards show there's not much heat to dissipate. Why is there only one very expensive motherboard without a fan? I'm hoping B550 motherboards fix this.
No. It has to be more. Like the chipset offering PCIe 3.0 lanes. Just the requirement of the motherboard having PCIe 4.0 slots tied to the CPU is not enough. AMD could have done that with the B450 months ago(!) with little hassle. Basically the B550A play.
If after so many months, AMD would release a B550 that is merely a rebranded B450 with the added requirement that motherboard manufacturers support the PCIe 4.0 lanes of the CPU (basically the same as the B550A rebrand), then AMD is basically presenting itself to the world as an incompetent and inept clown posse. I don't think they are that dumb, though...
Ehm... Wat? B550 will not support PCIe 4.0, but that doesn't mean it's just a rebranding of B450!
B450 is PCIe 2.0, not PCIe 3.0. Just supporting PCIe 3.0 is already a huge upgrade in itself. More importantly, B450 has a ridiculously low number of PCIe lanes, forcing motherboard makers to jump through all sorts of performance reducing hoops if they want to support even just a second M.2 drive. B550 is expected to support the same number of lanes as X570, so that too is a very significant upgrade. Lastly, not requiring the chipset to be actively cooled is also an improvement. Sacrificing PCIe 4.0 in order to ditch the fan is a very reasonable trade-off to make, as almost nobody will notice the difference between PCIe 4.0 and 3.0 coming off the chipset anyway.
B450 was hopelessly outdated last year already. It is a bargain bin chipset, as it was itself a rebranding of B350. B550 is not like that at all.
Erm ... i never said that B550 will be a rebranded B450. I was saying "If...", addressing the implication made in the comment above mine that B550 will only bring support for the CPU PCIe 4.0 lanes to the table (which essentially is the same as implying that B550 would be merely a rebrand of B450)
Yeah, sorry, I misread your comment. The comment you responded to is so ridiculous that it didn't register in my brain the way it was written.
It seems a lot of people here don't understand that the CHIPSET is a separate thing that has no bearing on the PCIe lanes coming off the CPU. The traces between the CPU and the GPU on B450 motherboards were simply never validated for PCIe 4.0 (resistance, signal reflections, etc), so they deactivated PCIe 4.0 in firmware to protect the motherboard manufacturers from warranty claims. I guess some people's imaginations associated that downgrade to the chipset, which really has nothing to do with it.
Umm, speaking of misinformation. The B450 has 4 PCIE 3.0 lanes in addition to the 20 PCIE 3.0 lanes provided by the chipset. Yes, boards may provide a slot that is PCIE 2.0 only, but the majority of the connections, including the GPU, are 3.0.
No! You are thoroughly confused and you are the one spreading misinformation.
Yes, the lanes going to the GPU are PCIe 3.0 lanes, as well as four going to an M.2 slot, but those lanes come off the CPU, not the CHIPSET. The CHIPSET and the CPU are two different things. We're talking about the chipset here.
The CHIPSET is officially PCIe 2.0. It has ZERO PCIe 3.0 lanes. You can look this up in any official documentation. On B550 those lanes will be PCIe 3.0, not PCIe 2.0.
At least understand the technology before commenting on it.
The 4 PCIe 3.0 lanes of the B450 are not usable for the user of the motherboard, because their only and exclusive purpose is to link the B450 hub itself to the CPU.
You can't use them for anything else, because without the B450 hub being tied to the CPU through those PCIe 3.0 lanes, the B450 and the motherboard as a whole would be a dead fish in the water.
Nah, to really show how powerful those new-fangled, revolutionary next-gen CPU will show, reviews will forego using any GPU and employ software rendering.
I really hope next x670 boards will support 2 m2 pcie at full speed, thunderbolt and 10gbe, at least on dtx size. I know I am dreaming but this is what I would really buy
I was considering getting this board together to be used with the 4xxx series APU later in the year, while using it with a 3400G. However one thing that I don't like is the sharing of the heatsink between the NVME drive and chipset. I guess there is very limited space to separate these 2, but I don't think its an ideal solution. I read on Amazon reviews that the SSD temps get quite high as a result. And yeah, not too thrilled with the idea of active cooling on the motherboard since it can be another point of failure.
There is a complaint on page two about the lack of an M2 thermal pad on the chipset heatsink and then in the final picture and description you mention the inclusion of an M2 thermal pad.
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V1tru - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Got it since launch, usefull info:disable bluetooth/wifi powersaving in Windows device setting, or the wireless card will go crazy after standby
sonny73n - Sunday, March 22, 2020 - link
After all these years and Gigabyte motherboards’ drivers still suck.Smack0Lantern - Sunday, March 22, 2020 - link
When did Gigabyte become a designer and manufacturer of ICs for network/RF controllers? Gigabyte doesn’t write the drivers dumbassInTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Monday, March 23, 2020 - link
Yeah, and Gigabyte didn't even choose to put these network/RF controllers with those shonky drivers on their motherboard(s). No, they didn't. A ... uh ... armed and dangerous thooth fairy forced Gigabyte to include specifically those ICs on their motherboards. Gigabyte is not the one to blame here!Nephtys - Monday, April 6, 2020 - link
These drivers are provided by Intel, not Gigabyte.joaolx - Friday, May 8, 2020 - link
Thanks for this! I read this before buying the board and came across this issue. I was going crazy with bluetooth disconnecting every minute after waking from sleep and remembered your comment.shabby - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
In before the "it's almost a perfect board but it's missing..." crowd.InTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Well, it's not actually missing something, but rather has some superfluous stuff that would befit a board of such compact form factor much better when left out. I am talking about the squirrel cage fan here, which of course is necessary because X570. But then again, a small board such as this hardly benefits from all the I/O options the X570 offers. A chipset nod needing active cooling would be much nicer.Unfortunately, such a chipset doesn't exist presently and one either has to begrudingly accept either squirrel-cage-fan-X570 or B450-pardon-i-meant-B550A, or just refuse to buy this stuff
(Yeah, obviously the latter is me. I am at a point where i want to do a major system upgrade towards Ryzen, but AMDs underwhelming chipset strategy kind of erodes the confidence their latest CPU offerings instill. Not saying that Intel is presenting themselves in a more favourable light. So i am still holding off to see how things develop with regards to both players...)
Slash3 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
I replaced the fan on my X570 Taichi with an HB-802 passive heatsink. Works great.Makaveli - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
i've never heard the chipset fan once on my x570 build.I think people may a bigger deal over it than necessary.
InTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Oh, i don't doubt that. Even el cheapo fans can stay silent. For the first dozen months or so....ijozic - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
IIRC, Asus X570-E doesn't have a chipset heatsink fan. I'd presume there are others, but that's one I've noticed.InTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Now, unfortunately that is neither mATX nor mITX. Also -- and this is obviously totally subjective -- does it feel normal to pay more for a motherboard than, say, for example a Ryzen 7 3700X?evernessince - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
Sure, assuming the fan isn't turned off completely. Passive mode exists and what many boards use when you aren't utilizing PCIe 4.0 bandwidth. I also have an old Z78 Sabertooth with an even smaller fan that's still perfectly functioning. Now that is a board built to last. In the end the quality of the fan really matters.InTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Yeah, this can work for people that build an entirely new system, thus being able to select components such CPU cooler and or GPU and a mobo with an acceptable layout (with regard to the placement of the chipset hub) so that they don't spatially interfere with each other.Unfortunately, i am intending to do an upgrade of an existing system instead of building a completely new one from scratch, and i intend to keep my GPU and CPU cooler. Both are too fat (wide/long) and are not leaving enough room for any passive chipset heatsink of any meaningful size :( (Form factor in my case is mATX or smaller. ATX and E(-peen)-ATX are not under consideration.)
PeachNCream - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
I have to agree with you, moreso on the chipset fan than anything else. It feels like a significant step backwards to see them on motherboards and speaks of immature technology behind PCIe 4.0 to be in a state that the higher bandwidth bus requires active cooling.evernessince - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
It's in all the next gen consoles. I wouldn't call that immature.PeachNCream - Sunday, March 22, 2020 - link
And what sort of cooling do they have inside of them?Cashmoney995 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
I currently cannot find an x570 Micro board with SP/DIF...still rocking my Z5500's from over a decade ago...Plenty of B450 board with this port, so wonder if this is a concious decision to segment the purchasers.supdawgwtfd - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
That interface is basically dead.Anything better than DVD provides better sound than it is capable of.
wr3zzz - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Same here. Don't feel like upgrading my AV setup just yet and need SPDIF. SPDIF nowadays can only be found on the highest end boards (which never include ITX or mATX) or "HTPC" boards which just means lower end chip set. I bought a sound card after more than 20 years just so in case SPDIF is gone forever if Sony chose not to keep it in PS5 as Sony is the only company keeping SPDIF alive.Flunk - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Many motherboards support a copper spdiff link if you plug the cable into one of the ministereo jacks and configure it in the software to digital out. You don't need a board with toslink connectors unless you're running a very long cable.a5cent - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX/TB3Has an SP/DIF port.
evernessince - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
SP/DIF is provided by the audio chip on the motherboard. You can add SPDIF to any motherboard with a sound card and it will be infinitely better then what you have now. I don't understand why you would limit your motherboard selection for a feature that can be added to any product on the market.RSAUser - Sunday, March 22, 2020 - link
Near any other interface would give better quality, but if it's due to older audio stuff, rather look at getting an analog to spif converter, should be around the 10-15 dollar mark, and then you'd be able to plug any device in and not have to worry about your pc not supporting it.piroroadkill - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
The problem is something it has.. a fanfuturepastnow - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
...passive coolingnerd1 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
I have this board, and I hate its I/O configuration. No one will buy a x570 board to use with integrated GPU. I'd rather have USB ports (and a lot of them) AND another gigabit LAN port instead.brontes - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
> buys mitx> complains one (small) size does not fit all
SSTANIC - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
same here, identical thoughts. but it is still a very good board methinksSSTANIC - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
for X670 GIGABYTE could do: 1. lose all video out 2. double USB inputs 3. double fan connectors 4. real fins on VRMs 5. keep the price because noone will buy this for 300$ and maybe 6. who needs WIFI really? 7. another LAN portdanturbo316 - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
The video out will be worth it with next gen apus, but right now I agree that it's a waste as the 3400g is a weaklingeek2121 - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Just because you don’t have a use case for it doesn’t mean others don’t. ITX is a relatively popular form factor. Not everyone is a gamer, and of those who are, some want to use GPU passthrough for gaming on Linux and other virtualization scenarios.Check out cases like the DanPC case or the louqe ghost s1.
jospoortvliet - Sunday, March 22, 2020 - link
I get that but if you want to run a cheap APU why on earth would you buy a x570 motherboard??? I understand using one video out just in case but 3 does seem like a waste for a high en board that people most likely will use with a high end cpu and GPU...spikebike - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Yes another motherboard with a fan. Testing on similar motherboards show there's not much heat to dissipate. Why is there only one very expensive motherboard without a fan? I'm hoping B550 motherboards fix this.Marlin1975 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
The B550 boards will not need a fan as they do not support PCIe 4.0 on the B550 chipset.The B550 looks like it will support PCIe 4.0 from the CPU to video card and M.2 port. But that is all.
InTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
No. It has to be more. Like the chipset offering PCIe 3.0 lanes. Just the requirement of the motherboard having PCIe 4.0 slots tied to the CPU is not enough. AMD could have done that with the B450 months ago(!) with little hassle. Basically the B550A play.If after so many months, AMD would release a B550 that is merely a rebranded B450 with the added requirement that motherboard manufacturers support the PCIe 4.0 lanes of the CPU (basically the same as the B550A rebrand), then AMD is basically presenting itself to the world as an incompetent and inept clown posse. I don't think they are that dumb, though...
a5cent - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Ehm... Wat? B550 will not support PCIe 4.0, but that doesn't mean it's just a rebranding of B450!B450 is PCIe 2.0, not PCIe 3.0. Just supporting PCIe 3.0 is already a huge upgrade in itself. More importantly, B450 has a ridiculously low number of PCIe lanes, forcing motherboard makers to jump through all sorts of performance reducing hoops if they want to support even just a second M.2 drive. B550 is expected to support the same number of lanes as X570, so that too is a very significant upgrade. Lastly, not requiring the chipset to be actively cooled is also an improvement. Sacrificing PCIe 4.0 in order to ditch the fan is a very reasonable trade-off to make, as almost nobody will notice the difference between PCIe 4.0 and 3.0 coming off the chipset anyway.
B450 was hopelessly outdated last year already. It is a bargain bin chipset, as it was itself a rebranding of B350. B550 is not like that at all.
InTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Erm ... i never said that B550 will be a rebranded B450. I was saying "If...", addressing the implication made in the comment above mine that B550 will only bring support for the CPU PCIe 4.0 lanes to the table (which essentially is the same as implying that B550 would be merely a rebrand of B450)a5cent - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Yeah, sorry, I misread your comment. The comment you responded to is so ridiculous that it didn't register in my brain the way it was written.It seems a lot of people here don't understand that the CHIPSET is a separate thing that has no bearing on the PCIe lanes coming off the CPU. The traces between the CPU and the GPU on B450 motherboards were simply never validated for PCIe 4.0 (resistance, signal reflections, etc), so they deactivated PCIe 4.0 in firmware to protect the motherboard manufacturers from warranty claims. I guess some people's imaginations associated that downgrade to the chipset, which really has nothing to do with it.
eek2121 - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Umm, speaking of misinformation. The B450 has 4 PCIE 3.0 lanes in addition to the 20 PCIE 3.0 lanes provided by the chipset. Yes, boards may provide a slot that is PCIE 2.0 only, but the majority of the connections, including the GPU, are 3.0.a5cent - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
No! You are thoroughly confused and you are the one spreading misinformation.Yes, the lanes going to the GPU are PCIe 3.0 lanes, as well as four going to an M.2 slot, but those lanes come off the CPU, not the CHIPSET. The CHIPSET and the CPU are two different things. We're talking about the chipset here.
The CHIPSET is officially PCIe 2.0. It has ZERO PCIe 3.0 lanes. You can look this up in any official documentation. On B550 those lanes will be PCIe 3.0, not PCIe 2.0.
At least understand the technology before commenting on it.
InTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
The 4 PCIe 3.0 lanes of the B450 are not usable for the user of the motherboard, because their only and exclusive purpose is to link the B450 hub itself to the CPU.You can't use them for anything else, because without the B450 hub being tied to the CPU through those PCIe 3.0 lanes, the B450 and the motherboard as a whole would be a dead fish in the water.
nerd1 - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
The fan is right on the main m.2 drive heatsink, and PCIE 4.0 drive makes A LOT of heat.evernessince - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
Which is really irrelevant since the fan on X570 motherboards are either inaudible or run is passive mode 99% of the time.wr3zzz - Thursday, March 19, 2020 - link
Sigh, the fan... Want to go Team Red this time but will have to wait for B550.MDD1963 - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Yes, by all means, compare a mainboard's gaming performance at 1440P HIgh using a 4-5 year old GPU....MDD1963 - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
(Beginning next year, the newest 10900K and R94900 will do battle in gaming, each equipped, of course, with an Nvidia GT710InTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Nah, to really show how powerful those new-fangled, revolutionary next-gen CPU will show, reviews will forego using any GPU and employ software rendering.close - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Actually... https://www.pcgamesn.com/amd/threadripper-3990x-cr...InTheMidstOfTheInBeforeCrowd - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
Hahaha, LOL... and respect, quite impressive. Makes me remember the old "Into the Shadows" demo from Triton (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSRGLapSx3w).umano - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
I really hope next x670 boards will support 2 m2 pcie at full speed, thunderbolt and 10gbe, at least on dtx size. I know I am dreaming but this is what I would really buyDug - Friday, March 20, 2020 - link
I wish you would test the parts of the motherboard that count, like networking, usb, sound, storage. Common Anantech. Get back to good reviews.It's getting old testing the same benchmarks that don't make any difference to users as they are all within a small percentage of each other.
qit - Saturday, March 21, 2020 - link
"same power stages that the flagship GIGABYTE X570 Aorus Xtreme is using, albeit in a smaller package with fewer phases."Does a power delivery stage with significant less phases (6 vs 16) actually qualify as "the same"?
Or is this more like a way of writing that wouldn't have appeared on anandtech years ago?
HardwareDufus - Saturday, March 28, 2020 - link
This looks like it could be my next motherboard. Would like it if it had optical audio (SPDIF), but that's okay.HardwareDufus - Saturday, March 28, 2020 - link
Dual M.2 and Dual HDMI is a very thoughful combination! So many folks like two harddrives and use two monitors...MetaCube - Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - link
Dual M.2 are quite popular, but that would be great if MB manufacturers could fuck off with video outputs.Qasar - Tuesday, March 31, 2020 - link
only way for that to happen, is if amd/intel made 2 product lines, cpu and motherboard, from top to bottom.watzupken - Monday, March 30, 2020 - link
I was considering getting this board together to be used with the 4xxx series APU later in the year, while using it with a 3400G. However one thing that I don't like is the sharing of the heatsink between the NVME drive and chipset. I guess there is very limited space to separate these 2, but I don't think its an ideal solution. I read on Amazon reviews that the SSD temps get quite high as a result. And yeah, not too thrilled with the idea of active cooling on the motherboard since it can be another point of failure.ForNein - Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - link
I'm confused.There is a complaint on page two about the lack of an M2 thermal pad on the chipset heatsink and then in the final picture and description you mention the inclusion of an M2 thermal pad.
ForNein - Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - link
Nevermind. I missed the sentence about the gap.master098 - Friday, May 8, 2020 - link
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