It's An RGB Disco: The GIGABYTE X299 Gaming 7 Pro Motherboard, Reviewed

Overclocking

Experience with the AORUS X299 Gaming 7 Pro

We first need to remind readers we are using a different CPU than with the previous overclocking results. With that in mind, comparing this board's results with others would not be valid as they are two dramatically different CPUs as far as overclocking ability goes. As you will see below, the retail 7900X we will be using to close out the X299 motherboard reviews is notably better voltage and temperature wise at the same clock speeds. In fact, we were able to push to 4.7 GHz in our testing versus topping out at 4.5 GHz with the previous processor. 

That out of the way, overclocking using the Gaming 7 Pro was pretty easy and straightforward. The board does have automatic overclocking from the BIOS and we tried that out first. Moving to the 'performance' mode really didn't change much honestly. All core clocks raised to 4 GHz, but an AVX offset of -3 was added. Even with the AVX offset, it somehow throttled on POVRay even at base (3.3 GHz) clock speeds. The Intel XTU application showed it was a current limit that was tripping. I went to the BIOS to raise the limit and it was already set to the maximum of 1023 Amps. I raised the package power limits to 350W which did not change the result. If what users are running utilizes AVX instructions, I would suggest overclocking manually as for some reason, it does not hit a current limit even though it is set the same in the BIOS. 

Manual overclocking was also fairly easy. The difference between this board and the others we have tested are the ease of which users can find and set critical items. With the AORUS BIOS, everything has its own sub-section from the M.I.T section. For example, to change frequency (CPU multiplier, BCLK), it's done in the advanced frequency section and we are able to change high-level memory settings (XMP profile, multiplier), and voltages from the advanced voltage section. The voltage section has another set of subheadings for different voltage domains even. What this means for the user is having to navigate, either by keyboard or mouse, through multiple subsections to find and adjust the needed settings. The BIOS did work just fine, however it felt tedious trying to dial in the overclock on this new CPU compared to other BIOSes. 

The board did not run into any issues with either the DDR4-2666 or the DDR4-3200 sets of RAM we use for testing. Like the other X299 boards, it was 'set XMP and go'. We were able to overclock past the XMP settings of our 3200 sticks and reached DDR4-3600 speeds without any issue from the board.

The Windows-based App Center and EasyTune utility worked well for the voltage and CPU multiplier changes I used them for. It has extensive memory overclocking options as far as timings and sub-timings go, though only some will work through (as with any Windows-based Memory overclocking). It also includes 

We did not run into any thermal issues on the VRM on this board in stock or overclocked form. Through the EasyTune software (and BIOS) the VRM idled at 34C in a 22C ambient room while sitting at 1.12V and 4.5 GHz all cores. After running OCCT for 30 mins, the temperatures peaked at 65C. According to Coretemp, the CPU was drawing about 210W at that peak temperature (total system 315W+ according to the Kill-A-Watt).  

Overall, the Gaming 7 Pro is a capable overclocker like many of the boards which preceded it. Hopefully, the BIOS receives some refinement both in appearance, as well as ergonomics and option placement in its next iteration. 

Overclocking Methodology

Our standard overclocking methodology is as follows. We select the automatic overclock options and test for stability with POV-Ray and OCCT to simulate high-end workloads. These stability tests aim to catch any immediate causes for memory or CPU errors.

For manual overclocks, based on the information gathered from the previous testing, starts off at a nominal voltage and CPU multiplier, and the multiplier is increased until the stability tests are failed. The CPU voltage is increased gradually until the stability tests are passed, and the process repeated until the motherboard reduces the multiplier automatically (due to safety protocol) or the CPU temperature reaches a stupidly high level (90ºC+). Our test bed is not in a case, which should push overclocks higher with fresher (cooler) air.

Overclocking Results

The AORUS X299 Gaming 7 Pro topped out at 4.7 GHz using the new, better overclocking CPU. This retail CPU (we used an ES before) was able to reach an additional 200 MHz higher due to the quality of its silicon. There was very little vdrop and vdroop with LLC set to auto. All boards we have tested were very stable in that regard.  At the top overclock of 4.7 GHz and 1.215V, the system pulled over 340W at the wall with the CPU itself claiming around 230W of that value.