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In our video we tear down the Gigabyte Z490I Aorus Ultra and give you a good look at the extensive list of features, including the VRMs. Gigabyte has used an ISL 69269 VRM controller and 8+1+1 ISL99390 90A power phases which is pretty darn impressive in any circumstances and quite unprecedented for a Mini-ITX motherboard. In addition Gigabyte has used a 10-layer PCB with Surface Mounted Tantalum Polymer Capacitors for the output filters. This will certainly have increased the cost of the motherboard however these capacitors get the Buildzoid seal of approval and we cannot argue with that badge of honour.
The board is densely packed with hardware and has no room for on-board buttons or a POST code debug display but Gigabyte has shown some initiative and includes break out cables to provide more USB 2.0 support along with a total of four PWM fan headers. On the I/O panel we see a good selection of ports and connectors.
Anyone who is looking to build a tiny PC that will sit next to their TV may appreciate the HDMI and DisplayPort connectors. We expect most KitGuru readers will be using a dedicated graphics card in their gaming PC so those connectors are a waste of space that might better be filled with more USB ports. That isn’t grounds for complaint but more a matter of horses for courses.
Testing, Performance and Overclocking
To test the Gigabyte Z490I Aorus Ultra we used the same hardware you saw in our review of Intel Core i9-10900K with the addition of performance figures from MSI MEG Z490 Ace and Asus ROG Maximus XII Hero (Wi-Fi).
Test System
- CPU: Intel Core i9-10900K
- CPU Cooler: Fractal Design Celsius S36 with 3x Noctua Chromax NF-F12 fans
- RAM: 32GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3600MHz 16-18-18-36
- Motherboard: Gigabyte Z490I Aorus Ultra
- Graphics: Gigabyte RTX 2080 Super 8GB
- SSD: 1TB WD Blue M.2 NVMe
- Power Supply: Seasonic Prime Platinum 1300W
