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It is great to see two updated, high-end motherboards breathing new – passively-cooled – life into the X570 platform once again.
The passive cooling worked very well on both motherboards in our testing, so we cannot really understand what took the vendors so long! Better late than never, though. And we saw obvious signs of the 2021 design spec with features such as high-speed NICs and WiFi 6E being included.
Focusing on the ASUS ProArt X570-Creator WiFi, this motherboard has a really unique position on X570 by offering genuine prosumer features such as Thunderbolt 4, 10GbE networking, and advanced security capabilities.
There are some downsides such as slightly questionable PCIe bandwidth allocations and less preferential fan splitter capabilities on heavily cooled systems. But this board will certainly appeal to WFH or freelancing prosumer types, especially with that 24/7 tested operation giving significant peace of mind.
ASUS has delivered a really strong option that I enjoyed working with. The £360 price point is high, but if you value TB4 and 10GbE in particular, it is more than justifiable in my opinion.
Gigabyte’s X570S Aorus Master offers up pretty much everything we could ask for from a high-end, enthusiast geared AM4 motherboard.
The power delivery solution and overall focus on cooling is nothing short of exceptional. Gigabyte deserves real credit here as the company has been consistently improving their focus on motherboard cooling and this latest design is simply superb.
The single 2.5GbE NIC is a little disappointing in a world of dual ports or 5Gb+. But with WiFi 6E connectivity, quadruple M.2 slots, and the market-leading Smart Fan 6 interface, there is plenty for enthusiast buyers to get very, very excited about – even at the lofty £340 price point!
MSI’s MEG ACE MAX X570S is a notable competitor at £380, but I can see justification for this new Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master being one of the go-to high-end X570 offerings.
The ASUS ProArt X570-Creator WiFi is currently selling for around £360 in the UK at e-tailers such as Scan. Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master is currently available for around £340 in the UK at e-tailers such as Amazon.
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ASUS ProArt X570-Creator WiFi Pros:
- Exceptional connectivity options including Thunderbolt 4
- All-round high-speed networking
- Competent prosumer design choices
- Enhanced security features
- Strong motherboard cooling
ASUS ProArt X570-Creator WiFi Cons:
- CPU PCIe 4.0 lane allocation is slightly questionable
- Some minor UEFI updates would be welcomed for 2021
KitGuru says: If you are a prosumer user with demanding workloads, the ASUS ProArt X570-Creator WiFi is a superb solution thanks to the Thunderbolt 4 ports and 10GbE networking.
Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master Pros:
- Overall cooling design and implementation is outstanding
- Power delivery solution is among the market’s best
- Enthusiast features – onboard buttons, lots of temperature sensors, ample fan headers
- Quadruple M.2 SSDs with smart lane allocations
- Plentiful USB connectivity
- Updated UEFI with Active OC Tuner works well
- Smart Fan 6 is exceptional
Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master Cons:
- Only a single 2.5GbE NIC – secondary and/or 5GbE+ NIC would be better
KitGuru says: A truly high-end, passively cooled X570 motherboard with few downsides. We can see the Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master replacing the original X570 Aorus Master as one of the go-to high-end AM4 options.
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