AORUS Z370 Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP Review

We’ve known Gigabyte as a company dedicated to creating the best computer solutions to improve user experience. The company released the Z370 AUROS Ultra Gaming WIFI-PO which supports the latest technologies including shielded slots and a lot of LED headers for additional programmable RGB lighting. It also features overlays for Accent LED which can be swapped easily; plus, it comes with a user-friendly UEFI interface, as well as an additional software for you to perform most of the system tuning options without having to access the BIOS.

Today, we will focus on the AORUS Z370 Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP which is an affordable motherboard that not only offers great aesthetics, but also outstanding performance to provide an amazing gaming experience.

But before anything else, let’s see what other accessories are included inside the box of the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP motherboard from Gigabyte.

AORUS Z370 Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP Review – What’s in the Box?

Gigabyte’s Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP motherboard comes in a durable, medium-sized cardboard packaging that features a huge logo right at the top portion of its cover. Aside from this, the manufacturer also included logos of technologies that have been utilized for the device.

A quick list of the motherboard’s highlights which are written in French, English, German, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, and Traditional Chinese can be seen on the sides of the package.

At the box’s bottom layer, you will find the technical specifications, the IO interfaces, as well as a list of the complete features of the product like the SmartFan-5, RGB Fusion, USB DAC UP2, AMP-UP Audio, and a lot more.

Once you lift the package’s top cover, you’ll first see the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP motherboard itself; and to ensure that it is safe from any damages, Gigabyte wrapped it in an anti-static bag. Under the device, you will find a bundle that consists of the G-Connector which is necessary to make mounting the front panel interfaces easier, the I/O shield, as well as x4 black SATA cables.

You will also find documentation such as the User Manual, a universal multilingual installation guide, as well as an installation disk. Do not lose your User Manual since this provides you with a detailed explanation on how to properly install the device, as well as information about the motherboard’s components.

Additionally, the Z370 AORUS also features a clean and nice PCB design, and this is all thanks to the adequate space between the components. We were able to easily spot the huge AORUS logo, the AORUS plastic cover along the I/O area, the dual heatsink design in the VRM section, as well as a big heatsink featuring a plastic shroud for the PCH.

The Product

AORUS Z370 Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP Review – Intel Optimised Gaming

The Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP is a device that features a lot of RGB LED lighting. The most noticeable and eye-catching zone of this is its plexiglass strip which can be found in front of the board; Gigabyte calls this the Accent LED Overlay. You can also easily 3D print your own strip using any type of pattern or text of your choice which we think is really cool.

There are also LED lights encircling the CPU socket power regulators together with the PCIe slots, RAM slots, around the audio circuit area, and the PCH heatsink. Also, there are additional headers for the RGBW and UV light strips available. With the RGB Fusion utility for Windows, you can also manage each of these zones individually and also link other hardware from Gigabyte, as well as other partner brands.

The rear IO port cluster features two USB 3.1 Gen 2 ports (10 Gbps) which are Type-A and Type-C; two USB 2.0 ports and four additional USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports are also present. Other ports included are the DVI-D and HDMI video outputs, PS / 2 keyboard and mouse port, a Gigabit Ethernet port, one optical S / PDIF audio output, and five analog audio sockets. Internal headers can provide you with additional USB ports including an extra Type-C (Gen 1) port for the front panel of your cabinet.

Also, you will find two types of M.2 slots where one can handle the PCIe only while the other can readily handle PCIe SATAs or SSDs; additionally, the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP also features six SATA 3.0 ports which readily available for use. When utilizing the SATA M.2 SSD, one of the six SATA 3.0 ports is disabled.

The Z370 AORUS Ultra is the first Intel Core i7+ /i5+ platform that supports the integrated  Optane Memory from Intel. Optane fuels and improves the storage performance by functioning as a cache drive, providing you with a significant increase compared to your usual mechanical drive.

Since the company also focuses on durability, they also made use of the Thermal Guard – a thermal solution specifically for the M.2 drives. This prevents bottlenecks and throttling from the M.2 devices since it aids in the reduction and dissipation of heat before it even becomes an issue.

The Z370 AUROS also supports the 8th Generation Intel Core processors which include Intel Optane; this works as a cache drive that determines what your most used data is on your hard drive. It keeps these files stored within the fast Optane tech, and you don’t even have to bother running any form of file management to make it work.

The Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP is more powerful and faster compared to other motherboards that we’ve seen. Its capabilities, performance, and even its durability is excellent, and this is all because of its aggressively re-designed thermal heat sinks and armor. As is, AORUS motherboards really perform well so you already know that the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WiFi-OP will exceed expectations.

Product Features

RGB Fusion + Digital LEDs

With the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP motherboard, the RGB Fusion works even better with the help of the Digital LEDs. The RGB Fusion provides you with the choice to control the available RGB, as well as the external RGB-W / Digital LED light strips for your computer. Since it is readily filled with patterns and colors, the RGB Fusion on the Z370 motherboards have been upgraded with adequate Digital LED support. It also features external digital LED strips where each of the LEDs can be controlled digitally, allowing you to experience more styles, patterns, as well as illuminations.

The Z370 AORUS can also support 5V or even 12V digital LED strips, and this could even reach up to 300 LED lights in total. The RGB Fusion with Digital LEDs come with nine new varying patterns, different speed settings, and more.

Multizone Light-Show Design

We appreciate that Gigabyte offers more LED customization options that allow you to easily adapt your PC to represent your preferences and lifestyle. With their redesigned and improved RGB Fusion application, plus full RGB support, you have full control over the LED lights that encircle the motherboard.

Changeable Cover for Accent LED

AORUS provides you with even more life and color to your system with their Accent LED Overlay. This specific overlay integrates the RGB Fusion technology in the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP motherboard, adding more style and flare to your gaming device while also keeping things based on your preferences. With this swappable overlay, you can easily use various designs and patterns to personalize your system; you can also design your own Accent LED Overlay via 3D printer.

Surround Lighting

Multi-light zones are rigged with high-brightness RGB LEDs which are the Swappable Overlay – Accent LED, PCI Express, Audio, and Memory. Once everything is set, your whole system will give you adequate shine and brightness which is really amazing, in our opinion.

Support for DDR4 XMP – 4000 MHz and more

We also appreciated that AORUS offers a proven and tested platform to ensure that you will have outstanding compatibility with profiles that can go as high as 4,000 MHz and more. All you need to do to acquire this type of performance increase is to guarantee that your memory module is XMP-capable, and that the XMP function is enabled on your AORUS motherboard.

Sulfur Protection

Sulfur compounds found in the air can easily penetrate tiny resistors. These can make a chemical change that can cause resistors to short or open. If any of these happens, the motherboard will malfunction or not function at all. So by making use of resistors that feature an anti-sulfur design, Gigabyte surely provides motherboards that are ultra-durable and well-protected from such elements.

ALC-1220 120 dB SNR HD Audio + Smart Headphone Amp

The ALC-1220 is a high-performing multi-channel HD Audio Codec that has up to 120 dB SNR to acquire crystal clear audio. It also features a Smart Headphone Amp, hardware decoding of DSD-128, and 114 dB SNR for accurate voice chats; this is to ensure that you will get the best quality from your PC, and the device sure does the job. The Smart Headphone Amp also automatically detects the impedance of your headset to offer excellent audio dynamics while simultaneously preventing common issues like distortion and low volume.

SmartFan-5

With the SmartFan-5, you can ensure that your gaming computer can maintain its excellent performance while also keeping things cool. The SmartFan-5 also lets you interchange your fan headers to easily reflect various thermal sensors at different locations on your motherboard.

Fan Stop

With the Fan Stop feature, you can easily control your fans to stop completely once the temperature drops lower than your specified threshold. You can choose which fans to stop based on the readings on each sensor, and you can also stop fans based on certain temperatures.

Hybrid Fan-Pin Headers

You can also completely manage your liquid cooling setup using the SmartFan-5. This is because it can receive data on flow rates via the available Hybrid Fan-Pin Headers, allowing you to have full control over your computer. All Hybrid Fan Headers can easily detect the kind of cooling device that is being used, whether it is a pump or fan with varying Voltage or PWM modes.

Intel Optane Memory

The Intel Optane is actually a useful addition to your device since the technology gives you an unequaled mix of high throughput, high-quality service, low latency, and high endurance. The technology is also a unique mix of the 3D X-Point memory media, Intel Interconnect IP and software, as well as the Intel Storage and Memory Controllers. Consecutively, these provide you with a revolutionary development in reducing the latency, while simultaneously improving your system for workloads that demand fast storage and bigger capacities.

Optane for Gaming

After going through some tests, we can definitely say that Optane is a great addition for gaming: if you add the Optane M.2 memory module to the 7th Generation Core motherboard, the device can readily increase its speed performance by around 28%. There will also be an increase in data access for an older, spinning hard drive; plus, you will also get twice the responsiveness during daily tasks. Additionally, Intel also claims that having the Optane drive linked to an HDD boot drive will help you achieve game level loading time that is decreased by a great amount. They also expect levels to load around 4.7 times compared to regular hard drives that are available today.

Specifications

CPU

• Support for 8th Generation Intel® Core i7 processors/Intel® Core i5 processors/Intel® Core i3 processors in the LGA1151 package
• L3 cache varies with CPU

Chipset

• Intel® Z370 Express Chipset

Memory

• 4 x DDR4 DIMM sockets supporting up to 64 GB of system memory
• Dual channel memory architecture
• Support for DDR4 4000(O.C.) / 3866(O.C.) / 3800(O.C.) / 3733(O.C.) / 3666(O.C.) / 3600(O.C.) / 3466(O.C.) / 3400(O.C.) / 3333(O.C.) / 3300(O.C.) / 3200(O.C.) / 3000(O.C.) / 2800(O.C.) / 2666 / 2400 / 2133 MHz memory modules
• Support for ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8 memory modules (operate in non-ECC mode)
• Support for non-ECC Un-buffered DIMM 1Rx8/2Rx8/1Rx16 memory modules
• Support for Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) memory modules

Onboard Graphics

• Integrated Graphics Processor-Intel® HD Graphics support:
• 1 x HDMI port, supporting a maximum resolution of 4096×2160@30 Hz
• Maximum shared memory of 1 GB

Audio

• Realtek® ALC1220 codec
• High Definition Audio
• 2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
• Support for S/PDIF Out

LAN

• Intel® GbE LAN chip (10/100/1000 Mbit)

Wireless Communication module

• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, supporting 2.4/5 GHz Dual-Band
• BLUETOOTH 4.2, 4.1, BLE, 4.0, 3.0, 2.1+EDR
• Support for 11ac wireless standard and up to 867 Mbps data rate

Expansion Slots

• 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16)
• 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8)
• 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4)
• 3 x PCI Express x1 slots

Storage Interface

• 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 PCIe x4/x2 SSD support) (M2Q_32G)
• 1 x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280 SATA and PCIe x4/x2 SSD support) (M2A_32G)
• 32 GB Intel® Optane Memory pre-installed (M2Q_32G)
• 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
• Support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10
• Intel® Optane Memory Ready

Multi-Graphics Technology

• Support for NVIDIA® Quad-GPU SLI and 2-Way NVIDIA® SLI technologies
• Support for AMD Quad-GPU CrossFire and 3-Way/2-Way AMD CrossFire technologies

USB

• 1 x USB Type-C port on the back panel, with USB 3.1 Gen 2 support
• 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port (red) on the back panel
• 1 x USB Type-C port with USB 3.1 Gen 1 support, available through the internal USB header
• 6 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (4 ports on the back panel, 2 ports available through the internal USB header)
• 6 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports (2 ports on the back panel, 4 ports available through the internal USB headers)

Internal I/O Connectors

• 1 x 24-pin ATX main power connector
• 1 x 8-pin ATX 12V power connector
• 1 x CPU fan header
• 1 x water cooling CPU fan header
• 3 x system fan headers
• 1 x system fan/water cooling pump header
• 2 x digital LED strip headers
• 2 x digital LED strip power select jumpers
• 2 x RGB (RGBW) LED strip headers
• 6 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
• 2 x M.2 Socket 3 connectorsv
• 1 x front panel header
• 1 x front panel audio header
• 1 x S/PDIF Out header
• 1 x USB Type-C port, with USB 3.1 Gen 1 support
• 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 header
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 headers
• 1 x Thunderbolt add-in card connector
• 1 x Trusted Platform Module (TPM) header (2×6 pin, for the GC-TPM2.0_S module only)
• 1 x Clear CMOS jumper

Back Panel Connectors

• 1 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse port
• 2 x SMA antenna connectors (2T2R)
• 1 x USB Type-C port, with USB 3.1 Gen 2 support
• 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A port (red)
• 1 x HDMI port
• 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports
• 2 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports
• 1 x RJ-45 port
• 1 x optical S/PDIF Out connector
• 5 x audio jacks (Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out, Rear Speaker Out, Line In, Line Out, Mic In)

I/O Controller

• iTE®I/O Controller Chip

H/W Monitoring

• Voltage detection
• Temperature detection
• Fan speed detection
• Water cooling flow rate detection
• Overheating warning
• Fan fail warning
• Fan speed control

BIOS

• 2 x 128 Mbit flash
• Use of licensed AMI UEFI BIOS
• Support for DualBIOS
• PnP 1.0a, DMI 2.7, WfM 2.0, SM BIOS 2.7, ACPI 5.0

Unique Features

• Support for APP Center
• 3D OSD
• @BIOS
• AutoGreen
• BIOS Setup
• Color Temperature
• Cloud Station
• EasyTune
• Easy RAID
• Fast Boot
• Game Boost
• ON/OFF Charge
• Platform Power Management
• RGB Fusion
• Smart Backup
• Smart Keyboard
• Smart TimeLock
• Smart HUD
• System Information Viewer
• USB Blocker
• V-Tuner
• Support for Q-Flash
• Support for Xpress Install

Bundle Software

• Norton® Internet Security (OEM version)
• cFosSpeed

Operating System

• Support for Windows 10 64-bit

Form Factor

• ATX Form Factor; 30.5cm x 24.4cm

Performance

Now let’s focus on the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP’s performance. We didn’t have any trouble while setting up our new components despite the motherboard’s rear port being slightly bigger than usual. We tested the device with Windows 10 while utilizing the latest hardware drivers. Its audio performance was fantastic so we think that you’ll definitely lose nothing by choosing the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP motherboard over other expensive brands. When it comes to content creation and gaming, our numbers were significantly high and performance was pretty great so we really liked how it works.

When it comes to the overall platform it was extremely solid in both stability and performance; tweaking the device was also great and very easy to set up. Overclocking your CPU is very simple especially when we were utilizing the preset profile of the UEFI and should certainly see you creep up on 5GHz speeds in no time. preset profile increases the core voltage from 1.15 Volts – 1.35 Volts; plus, the platform can also manage power and heat consumption at very adequate levels.

The UEFI Interface is very user-friendly and we were really impressed with the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP motherboard’s overclocking capabilities. The BIOS is generally vital for users during the initial setup since this allows you to have the best settings; and with easy to use functions and a new GUI, Gigabyte was also able to reinvent the BIOS to provide you with better experience especially when setting up your system.

The UEFI interface of the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP is also quite similar to the ones we’ve seen from the same manufacturer in the past: menus are all neatly organized and are very easy to access and navigate between. The right portion of the UEFI interface can also be drawn out to exhibit the necessary live monitoring data.

Overall, the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP motherboard only proved to be an excellent device that goes perfectly with the latest Coffee Lake processors.

Thanks to the inclusion of the Intel Optane memory, games saw SSD like speeds without the need of any additional and expensive hardware. Games loaded a lot faster than when running on standard storage hard drives which really helps open the doors to more cost effective gaming PC builds.

Tri-Def SmartCam Software: Custom Stream Modding

To promote being a full streaming solution for all, each of the AORUS motherboards have been integrated with the Tri-Def Smart Cam software. This allows you to remove various backgrounds without having to trouble yourself with using a green screen. Also via the Smart Cam software, you can also apply live filters while fully managing your background. You can do this while streaming and also during various video applications like Skype, and more.

Conclusion

The Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP is a device that supports some of the latest technologies that are available. These include the USB DAC UP 2, USB 3.1 Gen-2, shielded slots, the latest Realtek ALC-1220 CODEC, swappable overlays for Accent LED, a lot of LED headers for additional programmable RGB lighting, and a lot more. Its UEFI interface is also very user-friendly and we were really impressed with its overclocking efficiency.

As for the board, it is also accompanied by a number of additional software that allows you to perform a variety of system tuning settings without having to enter the BIOS. The board also comes with no less than 6 temperature sensors, as well as six hybrid fan headers that work to accommodate your system arrangement. It’s good that these can be readily controlled or monitored from the UEFI interface and also from the dedicated Windows app. If the available SATA ports aren’t enough for your needs, you can just use the PCIe M.2 interfaces which can support transfer speed of up to 32GB/s.

The Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP motherboard from Gigabyte is definitely a rock-solid device; it isn’t only highly efficient, but it is also very easy to work with which is really great. The emphasis is focused on exhibiting the UV LEDs and RGB but the device also features the little things that make everything easier for builders such as the onboard power and reset buttons, as well as the BIOS UI. Overall, we highly recommend the Z370 AORUS Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP for everyone who wants to have the best gaming performance.

Where to Buy

You can pick yourself up an AORUS Z370 Ultra Gaming Wifi-OP motherboard for around $295AUD. For more information head on over to the official product page.

AORUS Z370 Ultra Gaming WIFI-OP Review

Design

Features

Performance

Usability

Value

2018-06-25

5.0Overall Score

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