TheOverclocker Issue 41 | Page 22

GAMING GEAR AWARD GIGABYTE AORUS AX370-GAMING K7 RRP: $209.99 | Website: www.gigabyte.com Test Machine • AMD Ryzen 1700X ES • CORSAIR DOMINATOR PLATINUM SE 3200 C14 • EVGA GTX 980 TI K|NGP|N Edition (1531/2075) • CORSAIR Neutron XTi 480GB • CORSAIR AX1500i • Windows 10 x64 • (F4d/e) T wo high end AM4 boards from two competing vendors and each targeting somewhat of the same buying public. If you’re expecting the usual hand wringing and diplomacy when it comes to which one, I personally prefer. You’ll not get it because it’s as clear as day that the CROSSHAIR VI Hero is by far the superior overclocking board. How it fairs in your gaming machine though versus the K7 is something else 22 The OverClocker Issue 41 | 2017 entirely. With that said and out the way, realize that the AX370- Gaming K7 is a competent and capable board. In fact, I personally have an inclination towards this motherboard out of all AM4 entries, but that has everything to do with its subjective qualities and the out the box performance. In fact, this was among reasons why the Ryzen 1700X review was done on this motherboard and not on the Gaming 5 or any other one. (There’s no separate 1700X review, this is it and on the other board). So as always, GIGABYTE has a variety of SKUs which all feature the same chipset and general features. Some boards are even identical in fact and that holds true for the AX370-Gaming 5 and the K7 as we have here. The only difference between these two is the external clock generator. The most important thing needed right now to reach frequencies above 3200MHz for memory if you’re not using the new dividers as exposed by the updated 1.0.0.6 AGESA. Keep in mind that this may not hold true by the time you read this as the updates are continuous and regular. However, as it stands you’re definitely going to want a motherboard with this external clock generator which actually makes the Gaming 5 a poorer choice when compared to the K7. All this aside, how does the